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Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber Essay

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In Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” he uses the writer’s technique of perspective to show readers the characterization of the three main protagonists in this story. Hemingway creates a multipart claim using perspective as well as dialogue to show readers a pervasive, negative tone carried throughout the story. Wilson, Margaret, and Macomber are characterized by multiple perspectives with multiple traits and negative aspects to their characters. To start, Mr. Wilson is presented as being a very judgemental person, especially toward Mr. Macomber. He then shows his professionalism in hunting and soon makes a shift in his judgemental outlook toward Mr. Macomber. In the beginning of the short story, Mr. Wilson’s judgemental outlook can be seen when Mr. Wilson thinks to himself “So he’s a bloody four-letter man as well as a bloody coward, he thought. I rather liked him until today. But how is one to know about an American,” (Page 3). Mr. …show more content…

Macomber as a coward because Mr. Macomber asks Mr. Wilson to keep the whole situation with the lion a secret, something he finds to be cowardly. This also shows Mr. Wilson’s thoughts on American men, as he judges them as cowardly odd people. Hemingway’s use of perspective allows readers to see Mr. Wilson’s judgemental side, as it is with the use of perspective that readers are able to see Mr. Wilson’s internal thoughts, thus allowing readers to see his judgemental side. Soon after, Mr. Wilson is portrayed as an experienced professional hunter instead of having a judgemental look upon everything. This can be seen in Page 12 when Mr. Wilson states to Mr. Macomber “For one thing, he’s certain to be suffering. For another, someone else might run into him.” This shows Mr. Wilson’s professionalism as he expresses his perspective on how to deal with an injured lion instead of leaving the lion there to suffer as Mr. Macomber wishes. Hemingway uses the dialogue between Mr. Wilson and

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In addition, “The world is made up of two classes -- the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunter” (17). This demonstrates how happy he is to be a hunter than a huntee and how he enjoys hunting. As an example, “I read all books on hunting published in English, French and Russian” (22). Additionally, “I have but one passion in my life, Mr. Rainsford, and it is the hunt” (22).

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As proven by not only the events and interpretations of certain characters being biased, but by the fact that almost every part of the novel could have been altered by a strange perspective. And while this outlook on perspective can be most easily applied to framed narratives, it can more oftenly and more usefully be applied to examples in the real world. Whether it be while listening to a convicted murderer’s alibi in court and understanding that natural human sympathy can be quite deceiving, or while listening to a spouse discuss their perspective on the issues of the relationship, it should be understood that maintaining an objective outlook on life is the most honest way to live and

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The battle that The Old Man fights with the marlin, as well as the daunting task of defending the marlin from the countless sharks that follow the skiff, are two points in the novel where Hemingway really conveys the sense of struggling and suffering. This is how Hemingway tries to convey an underlying theme of the constant struggle between man and nature, by depicting the struggle between The Old Man and the Marlin, against all odds. The Old Man considers the fact that capturing the Marlin is such a great task for him since the Marlin is trying just as hard to evade and escape from The Old Man’s reach. Throughout this struggle, The Old Man, who eventually becomes very fatigued, keeps telling himself to push through the pain and bear it like a real man would. He pushes past the faintness and dizziness he experiences, he pushes himself to see beyond the black spots in his weary vision and he pushes past the pain in his hands to catch the Marlin which puts up a great fight against this frail old man.

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