Love and Motivation
The word "love" may be one of the most difficult words in the English language to define. Perhaps this is because there are so many different variations and feelings associated with love. In Ernest Hemingway's short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Eudora Welty's story "A Worn Path," and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, there is a distinct contrast between the love, or lack thereof, felt by the main characters and what these feelings motivate them to do. The title character in "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is a wealthy yet cowardly man. His wife Margot clearly wears the pants in the family and is in complete control of the relationship. When the couple goes on an African safari, Francis's cowardice becomes more apparent than ever. While on a hunting trip with their guide, Robert Wilson, Macomber wounds a lion and runs away in fear. Wilson is appalled by Macomber's sportsmanship, and his wife derides him for being a coward. Margot seduces Wilson and even goes as far to sneak out of the tent with her husband to be with him. She makes sure that Francis is aware of her in
fidelity, but because of his cowardice, he is too afraid to end his relationship with her. Margot is aware of this and uses it to take advantage of her husband. At this time, an inner struggle begins to take place inside Francis Macomber, and he becomes determined to overcome his cowardice. On their next hunting trip, Macomber redeems himself by bravely killing a buffalo. This causes him to achieve a feeling of happiness that he has never known before. With his newfound confidence, he undauntedly faces another buffalo, a badly wounded, charging bull. Margot has been watching this entire scene from the car. At this moment, their roles are shifted. Francis is in now control and Margot is afraid of her husband's newfound confidence and bravery. Margot does not know how to react in this situation, so she takes a gun and shoots her husband. This marriage was doomed from the beginning because it was based more on convenience than love. Margot needed the financial security that Francis could provide her with. She recognizes Francis's insecurities and uses them against him, but when she is no longer able to do
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 749
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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