Margot Vs Macomber

Couples destined for doom - Romeo and Juliet, Orpheus and Eurydice, Winston and Julia. In Ernest Hemingway’s “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” Margot and Francis Macomber prove they also fall under this category. However, the two Macomber’s exemplify an uncommon trait in “star-crossed lovers” - long-lasting nonexistent love. In fact, Francis and Margot’s marriage exists and continues solely for the advantages that come from it. Margot stays with Francis because he has “too much money for (her) to ever leave him” (11). She uses Francis’ wealth to keep up her status as a “well kept woman of the beauty and social position,” proving that her matrimony is not because of an attraction to her spouse (1). Francis stays with Margot because she is “too beautiful for
They both have exactly what they want from each other. Margot is abundantly wealthy and Francis has a wife beautiful enough to boast about. So why has splitting up been a recurring discussion for them? Although Margot “had been a great beauty and...was still a great beauty in Africa,” Francis now feels she is “not a great enough beauty any more at home” (11). The aspect of Margot that Francis married her for is gone and has been for a long time. However, like Francis’ anger over Margot losing her feminine beauty, Margot despises Francis for his consistent lack of masculinity. Right off the bat, Hemingway reveals that Francis is a “very (public)...coward,” which becomes validated at many points throughout the Macomber’s safari trip (1). For one, the night before Francis’ first hunt, his fear rises after hearing the incessant roars of lions. Then, during the day of the hunt, Francis (although he shot the lion once) finds himself too scared to shoot the last, lion-killing bullet, much to Margot’s