Summary Of The Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber

Discuss the opening scene. What is the effect of the story’s beginning with the scene, and then presenting a chronologically earlier scene later. What would be gained and what would be lost if the shooting of the lion were presented first?

In the beginning of the story, “The Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber”, by Ernest Hemingway (1936) we are introduced to the main characters, Francis Macomber an American hunter, Margaret Macomber, his wife, and Robert Wilson a hearty African hunter. We are immediately told that the cast are trying to forget something. It becomes apparent that Francis has killed a lion, and while he is quite proud of it (“He is a good lion, isn't he?” Macomber said.) his wife was solemnly embarrassed (“Margaret looked away from
Vague statements such as “I bolted like a rabbit.” that could have a double meaning with the way story is presented, would become literal and have no significance. By not presenting the story in a chronological way, Hemingway effectively makes his readers intrigued observers at a point in someone else’s life. He gives no context as to what Macomber has done, yet the effects of it are displayed, as if we are passerbys in a complicated situation.
If the shooting of the lion happened first the reader would be able to chronologically connect the story. The effect of this would have made the story to possibly be less appealing to the reader since they would have already know what happened during the shooting of the lion. If the shooting of the lion happened first then the writer would not have pulled the reader into the story like they did. Putting the shooting of the lion after the beginning scene made it where the reader would want to read more and figure out what happened. While both ways would work the author choose the best way to grab the reader's