Quick Death in the Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber Ernest Hemingway created a masterpiece of mystery in his short story "The Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber". The mystery is not revealed to the reader until the end of the story, yet it leaves much to the imagination. At the end of the story Margaret Macomber accidentally kills her husband, to save him from being mauled by a large buffalo during a safari in Africa. The mystery is whether this murder was truly accidental or intentional. If it were to be considered intentional, there should certainly be evidence in the story to suggest this, with a clear reason. What makes this mystery unique is that Hemingway provides the reader with numerous examples that would lead him to come up with an acceptable motive, but human nature tells the reader that this killing could not have been intentional. From a purely objective analysis of the story, the reader would see much more evidence to support the theory of an intentional rather than accidental murder. Clues supporting the idea that Margaret killed Francis intentionally can best be seen by observing and studying background information about both of them. Francis Macomber and Margaret herself. (Hemingway 1402). What's also important is that Margot and Francis have very different personalities. This is clearly seen when the narrator states (Hemingway 1402). With this small amount of background information, it is possible to find the true motive of an intentional homicide. This can be seen clearly in Francis Macomber's conversation after killing the buffalo when he states: (Hemingway 1408. "(Hemingway 1409). Robert Wilson, the guide to... middle of paper... to a man with values, feelings and morality; a man capable of living happily ever after, regardless of the length of his life. The character Francis Macomber, a rich American, and his wife Margot, are on safari with their English guide, Robert Wilson a lion and runs away in fear. The guide is horrified by his bad sportsmanship. He redeems himself by killing a buffalo cleanly and bravely, confronts another buffalo, a charging bull, badly wounded. From the car where he was watching, Margot takes aim and shoots the charging buffalo , ostensibly to save her husband's life. Work Cited Hemingway, Ernest "The Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Robert Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Essay 3rd ed R. Belser New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990.