Hemingway, Ernest. "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber".

Summary

- Francis Macomber, aged thirty-five, an American, is on a shooting trip in Africa

- he shows himself publicly to be a coward: on wounding a lion, he panics and runs away from the beast which must be finally killed by their guide Robert Wilson

- Francis makes a fool out of himself in the eyes of his wife, Margaret, but he knows that she will never desert him because of his money

- Margaret seems to be enchanted by Wilson, and Francis believes she cheats him with Wilson

- Francis wounds a buffalo and the beast chases him: he gets suddenly very brave, but his wife is afraid and shoots at the buffalo from the car (which is not allowed)

- Francis is killed by the bull

- Wilson approaches Margaret in a way suggesting that Francis's death was no accident

- Margaret ceases to be the strongest one, now it is Wilson who masters the situation

Analysis

- Francis, originally a coward, becomes a man for a short time

- Francis's mastering wife fails to come to terms with the new condition

- suggests that women only want strong men and that strength is best manifested in hunting