According to the model set by Aristotle, Frances Macomber would not be considered courageous. Aristotle believes that courageous is a virtue of facing death well. Frances would not be considered courageous do to the way he acts before he kills the lion and the way he is changed after killing the buffalo.
The act of being brave is not a skill, which it seems, Macomber is trying to posses. Macomber has volunteered to come to the camp in order to kill animals for pleasure and to better his shot for his own game hunting purposes. Aristotle believes that courage is not something that you learn by habit, when Macomber is first scared by the lion his instincts are to run and not face what is coming at him. “Macomber had not thought how the lion felt as he got out of the car. He only knew his hands were shaking and as he walking away from the car it was almost impossible for him to make his legs move (pg15).”
By the end of the story once he is betrayed by his wife he is able to muster up the courage to kill a buffalo, but it is only after he fails and
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Macomber is not what Margot necessarily wants, but has enough money to have her. “Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce and Macomber had too much money for Margot to ever leave him (pg22).” Aristotle describes bravery as acting because they want to be there not as though they feel they need to in order to escape shame. Macomber goes into killing the buffalo as though he is trying to escape that shame that he has brought to him and his wife.
In summation, Macomber may have found a sense of bravery within himself, but he is not a courageous person, due to his actions when confronting both the lion and the buffalo. Macomber acts in Emotion, Skill and fear of a loss of character, which Aristotle does not believe those characteristics determine a courageous