Skip to main content

Why does Wilson say "You don't shoot them from cars"?

Francis Macomber is obviously afraid of the lion. He doesn't want to get out of the safety of the steel body of the car and expose himself to being charged. But he makes one of his many mistakes in asking Wilson, "Why not shoot him from where I am?" Macomber thus shows his fear. Wilson simply tells him, "You don't shoot them from cars." It would be bad sportsmanship. The hunter should at least give...

Francis Macomber is obviously afraid of the lion. He doesn't want to get out of the safety of the steel body of the car and expose himself to being charged. But he makes one of his many mistakes in asking Wilson, "Why not shoot him from where I am?" Macomber thus shows his fear. Wilson simply tells him, "You don't shoot them from cars." It would be bad sportsmanship. The hunter should at least give the lion some chance rather than just killing it with a high-powered rifle from a position of safety. Hemingway describes Macomber's fear as he has to get out of the car and move closer to the lion.



Macomber had not thought how the lion felt as he got out of the car. He only knew his hands were shaking and as he walked away from the car it was almost impossible for him to make his legs move.



Hemingway had plenty of experience with big-game hunting in Africa. He wrote a whole book about it titled Green Hills of Africa (1935). Francis Macomber illustrates one of Hemingway's favorite themes, which is that it is common to feel fear but that a man must learn to act effectively in spite of his fear. Macomber learns this truth when he and Wilson kill the three buffalo. Hemingway loved to watch bullfighting because he understood that the matadors were acting with "grace under pressure" in spite of their natural human fears of fighting an angry bull. He wrote about bullfighting in his book Death in the Afternoon (1932).

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more