The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

by

Ernest Hemingway

A British hunter hired by Francis Macomber to facilitate the safari, Robert Wilson is often described as Hemingway’s alter-ego in the story, or at least an alter-ego for Hemingway’s own image of himself. Hemingway, himself a hunter and explorer, was a strong proponent of virile masculinity, and he frequently held himself to high standards for traditional masculine conduct that Wilson reflects. Throughout the story, he appears stoic and emotionless in the face of potential danger and violence (perhaps because he is a World War I veteran and has experienced worse). Moreover, he indulges hedonistically in sex with his clients’ wives (including Margot), all the while remaining detached from the affairs, which he justifies as mere financial gains. Yet Wilson’s breezy conduct has consequences. His moral judgment seems innately flawed, since he is willing to ruin other individuals’ relationships for his own benefit. Additionally, his commentary on Macomber and his wife reflect a severely limited, reductive understanding of gender: to Wilson, Macomber’s weakness and Margot’s cruelty are traits connected directly to masculinity and femininity. Perhaps most importantly, at the end of the story, Macomber suggests to Margot that he will help conceal Macomber’s death—which he believes to be a murder. Thus, Wilson’s masculine heroism conflicts constantly with his deeply imperfect view of the world, morality, and other individuals.

Robert Wilson Quotes in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

The The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber quotes below are all either spoken by Robert Wilson or refer to Robert Wilson . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Masculinity, Dominance, and Courage Theme Icon
).
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Quotes

One, Wilson, the white hunter, she knew she had never truly seen before. He was about middle height with sandy hair, a stubby mustache, a very red face and extremely cold blue eyes with faint white wrinkles at the comers that grooved merrily when he smiled. He smiled at her now and she looked away from his face at the way his shoulders sloped in the loose tunic he wore with the four big cartridges held in loops where the left breast pocket should have been, at his big brown hands, his old slacks, his very dirty boots and back to his red face again.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:

They are, he thought, the hardest in the world; the hardest, the cruelest, the most predatory and the most attractive and their men have softened or gone to pieces nervously as they have hardened. Or is it that they pick men they can handle? They can't know that much at the age they marry, he thought. He was grateful that he had gone through his education on American women before now because this was a very attractive one.

Related Characters: Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 8
Explanation and Analysis:

"If you make a scene I'll leave you, darling," Margot said quietly.

"No, you won't."

"You can try it and see."

"You won't leave me."

"No," she said. "I won't leave you and you'll behave yourself."

"Behave myself? That's a way to talk. Behave myself."

"Yes. Behave yourself."

"Why don't you try behaving?"

"I've tried it so long. So very long."

Related Characters: Francis Macomber (speaker), Margot Macomber (speaker), Robert Wilson
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:

He, Robert Wilson, carried a double size cot on safari to accommodate any windfalls he might receive. He had hunted for a certain clientele, the international, fast, sporting set, where the women did not feel they were getting their money's worth unless they had shared that cot with the white hunter. He despised them when he was away from them although he liked some of them well enough at the time, but he made his living by them; and their standards were his standards as long as they were hiring him.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 21
Explanation and Analysis:

Their figures stay boyish when they're fifty. The great American boy-men. Damned strange people. But he liked this Macomber now. Damned strange fellow, probably meant the end of cuckoldry too. Well, that would be a damned good thing. Damned good thing. Beggar had probably been afraid all his life. Don't know what started it. But over now. Hadn't had time to be afraid with the buff.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis:

Wilson had ducked to one side to get in a shoulder shot. Macomber had stood solid and shot for the nose, shooting a touch high each time and hitting the heavy horns, splintering and chipping them like hitting a slate roof, and Mrs. Macomber, in the car, had shot at the buffalo with the 6.5 Mannlicher as it seemed about to gore Macomber and had hit her husband about two inches up and a little to one side of the base of his skull.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Related Symbols: The Car
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber PDF

Robert Wilson Quotes in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

The The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber quotes below are all either spoken by Robert Wilson or refer to Robert Wilson . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Masculinity, Dominance, and Courage Theme Icon
).
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Quotes

One, Wilson, the white hunter, she knew she had never truly seen before. He was about middle height with sandy hair, a stubby mustache, a very red face and extremely cold blue eyes with faint white wrinkles at the comers that grooved merrily when he smiled. He smiled at her now and she looked away from his face at the way his shoulders sloped in the loose tunic he wore with the four big cartridges held in loops where the left breast pocket should have been, at his big brown hands, his old slacks, his very dirty boots and back to his red face again.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:

They are, he thought, the hardest in the world; the hardest, the cruelest, the most predatory and the most attractive and their men have softened or gone to pieces nervously as they have hardened. Or is it that they pick men they can handle? They can't know that much at the age they marry, he thought. He was grateful that he had gone through his education on American women before now because this was a very attractive one.

Related Characters: Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 8
Explanation and Analysis:

"If you make a scene I'll leave you, darling," Margot said quietly.

"No, you won't."

"You can try it and see."

"You won't leave me."

"No," she said. "I won't leave you and you'll behave yourself."

"Behave myself? That's a way to talk. Behave myself."

"Yes. Behave yourself."

"Why don't you try behaving?"

"I've tried it so long. So very long."

Related Characters: Francis Macomber (speaker), Margot Macomber (speaker), Robert Wilson
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:

He, Robert Wilson, carried a double size cot on safari to accommodate any windfalls he might receive. He had hunted for a certain clientele, the international, fast, sporting set, where the women did not feel they were getting their money's worth unless they had shared that cot with the white hunter. He despised them when he was away from them although he liked some of them well enough at the time, but he made his living by them; and their standards were his standards as long as they were hiring him.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 21
Explanation and Analysis:

Their figures stay boyish when they're fifty. The great American boy-men. Damned strange people. But he liked this Macomber now. Damned strange fellow, probably meant the end of cuckoldry too. Well, that would be a damned good thing. Damned good thing. Beggar had probably been afraid all his life. Don't know what started it. But over now. Hadn't had time to be afraid with the buff.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis:

Wilson had ducked to one side to get in a shoulder shot. Macomber had stood solid and shot for the nose, shooting a touch high each time and hitting the heavy horns, splintering and chipping them like hitting a slate roof, and Mrs. Macomber, in the car, had shot at the buffalo with the 6.5 Mannlicher as it seemed about to gore Macomber and had hit her husband about two inches up and a little to one side of the base of his skull.

Related Characters: Francis Macomber , Margot Macomber , Robert Wilson
Related Symbols: The Car
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis: