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Ernest HemingwayA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Much of Ernest Hemingway’s writing reflects his passion for hunting and fishing. His 1952 novella, The Old Man and the Sea, captures the obsession and thrill of an old man’s pursuit of an enormous fish. His 1935 novel, Green Hills of Africa, details his safari in 1933 with his wife, Pauline. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” is one of his many short stories in which big-game hunting plays a large role.
Just as the characters in “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” manage to hunt and kill a lion and other large game, Hemingway was a big-game hunter. During his 10-month safari in Africa, Hemingway accumulated an extensive collection of animal horns and heads (“Hemingway Adventure: Africa Safari”). His hunting experiences inspired and informed his writing, and influential newspapers and magazines frequently reported on his adventures and his marriages; these elements of his life are echoed in the story.
Throughout “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” the hired huntsman, Wilson, is referred to as the “white hunter,” a name given to hunters of European descent who made their money off big-game hunting in Africa. In the 20th century, big-game hunting was a popular pastime among the upper class in the West.
By Ernest Hemingway
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
Ernest Hemingway
Across the River and into the Trees
Across the River and into the Trees
Ernest Hemingway
A Day's Wait
A Day's Wait
Ernest Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast
A Moveable Feast
Ernest Hemingway
A Very Short Story
A Very Short Story
Ernest Hemingway
Big Two-Hearted River
Big Two-Hearted River
Ernest Hemingway
Cat in the Rain
Cat in the Rain
Ernest Hemingway
For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway
Green Hills of Africa
Green Hills of Africa
Ernest Hemingway
Hills Like White Elephants
Hills Like White Elephants
Ernest Hemingway
In Another Country
In Another Country
Ernest Hemingway
Indian Camp
Indian Camp
Ernest Hemingway
In Our Time
In Our Time
Ernest Hemingway
Old Man at the Bridge
Old Man at the Bridge
Ernest Hemingway
Soldier's Home
Soldier's Home
Ernest Hemingway
Solider's Home
Solider's Home
Ernest Hemingway
Ten Indians
Ten Indians
Ernest Hemingway
The Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden
Ernest Hemingway
The Killers
The Killers
Ernest Hemingway