The Cowardly Frances Macomber

During his sleep of the first night on their safari, Francis Macomber is wakened by the deep roars of a lion that seems to him to be just outside his tent. He lay awake frightened and listening while his wife sleeps peacefully. It would seem fair enough to be scared, even terrified of a lion’s roar, but in this camp surely he’d have known that he was completely safe thanks to the many Swahili guardsman. On the next day’s hunt for the beast Macomber is still frightened at a distance by even the sight of the lion before shooting it. The fear consumes him and destroyed the control of his hands and muscles making it barely possible for him t

‘No,’ she said. ‘I won’t leave you and you’ll behave yourself.’ ” Macomber seems to be comfortable, even calmed and reassured by the fact that his wealth is all that controls his wife and not his word or will.

In the next morning the Macombers and Wilson meet to enjoy breakfast and not surprisingly, Wilson is not confronted when he joins them. Macomber, instead, avoids speaking directly on his knowledge of the affair but implies and makes it known to Wilson without taking any course of action. In the critique of this story Trudy Ring states “Wilson disdains the soft life lived by wealthy Americans such as Francis Macomber and dislikes women who dominate men; these factors, he thinks, have made Macomber less than a whole man." Surely, any real man who holds pride for himself and pride for his marriage would ensue in any form of physical dispute over such an affair but it is just more proof that Frances Macomber lacks any bravery to stand for himself. Margot speaks quietly to Macomber at the table as Wilson walks away and threatens to leave him if he made a scene. He responded by saying she wouldn’t dare leave him because they both know he is too rich and she could never leave his money.

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