The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

Symbols

The lion is an important symbol in the story. It is universally regarded as a symbol of courage. Macomber runs from it, revealing his inexperience, while Wilson holds his ground and kills it. This highlights the difference between the two men in terms of bravery at the beginning of the story. In killing the lion, Wilson proves he is the “alpha male” in their group. Even though Macomber takes credit for the kill, in accordance with their arrangement, the status quo has already been established.

The buffalo which cause Macomber’s epiphany are a symbol of escape from constraints and running free. Macomber first sees them “moving at a gallop across the far edge of the open prairie. They moved at a stiff-necked, stiff bodied gallop and he could see the upswept wide black horns on their heads as they galloped heads out” (p. 14, ll. 48-51). The word gallop is repeated three times in the passage, which suggests that their foremost quality is their speed. Chasing them makes Macomber feel exhilarated. When he kills them, he symbolically escapes his constraints, which have trapped him in fear for so long. It also symbolically frees him from Margaret’s hold over him.