Hemingway's story revolves around stereotypical ideas of masculinity that show how destructive it is to a man not to live up to his society's ideals of courage and stoicism.

Francis Macomber is a wealthy man who can buy his way into an African safari hunt. His guide, Wilson, is a Hemingway hero whose masculinity is unquestioned. The story explores the difference between the two.

From the start, Macomber is stained with the contempt he generates for not living up to a masculinity code that requires a man always to show courage and fearlessness in the face of danger. Macomber is frightened and runs from a charging lion. Wilson looks down on him for this, and Macomber is diminished as well in his embarrassed wife's eyes. He also violates the "stiff upper lip" code of masculinity of suffering in silence when he insists on talking about his failure.

Macomber's emasculation is underlined by his wife kissing Wilson on the lips and later sleeping with him. Wilson is the stronger, more courageous, more stoic, and more macho man, and as such, he earns access to a woman's body.

Macomber finally loses his fears when he realizes that the worst thing that can happen to him is death, which is a better fate than living with dishonor. As Wilson notes, Macomber has become a "man"—something that doesn't necessarily happen at age twenty-one.

The story shows that men are under intense pressure in this society to conform to notions of masculinity that require physical bravery, an appearance of fearlessness, and suffering in silence. The exemplary man is the strong, silent type. Those men, like Macomber, who can't adhere to this ideal are humiliated, made to feel inadequate, lose access to sex, and in Macomber's case, are killed. Today, we would critique such a harsh, violent standard that does not allow for male vulnerability. This notion of masculinity is now often labelled toxic.