The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber | In Defense of the Unhappy Margot Macomber
In the following essay, K. G. Johnson analyzes the character of Margot Macomber in ‘‘The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,’’ pointing out evidence that paints her as more complicated than a one-dimensional villain.
Margot Macomber deserves her day in court of appeals. She so aroused the emotions and prejudices of her critics that, in a manner of speaking, they rushed her to trial, before the smoke and dust had settled, in a ‘‘drumhead court’’ on the field of battle. Without a thorough examination of the evidence, or of the motives of her chief accuser, they found her guilty as charged—guilty, or, at the very least, not innocent, of the murder of her husband, Francis Macomber.
Margot, of course, is no angel. And she is guilty—of infidelity; and of accepting the adolescent...
[The entire page is 1642 words long]
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