The Deeper Meaning
Posted by michellex3 , Sunday, April 29, 2012 9:20 PM
According to Lois Tyson, “we all
experience some sort of psychological problems over the course of our lives”
(23). Psychoanalytic theory helps people see the signs of problems we go
through by the dysfunctional behavior they display. When we use psychoanalytic
theory in literature, the reader can interpret the core issues of the
characters. In “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway;
the three main characters display dysfunctional behavior that can be associated
with psychoanalytic theory.
Francis Macomber is a wealthy,
married American man who shows many signs of having psychoanalytic issues. He
shows fear of abandonment. According to Lois Tyson, fear of abandonment is,
“the nagging belief that our friends and loved ones are going to desert
us…(27). Francis battles with the fear of his wife leaving him and often tries
to convince himself that she would not leave him because of his wealth. He also gets that feeling of being insecure
when his wife, “removes her hand from his…
put her hands on Wilsons shoulder and kissed him on the mouth” (Hemingway
10). Ultimately, Margot, Macomber’s wife,
dominates their relationship because he didn’t react to her doing this. After the kiss he remained silent until they
got back to their tents. That same night Francis Macomber “woke suddenly… and
realized that his wife was not in their tent but in the other cot” (Hemingway
11). Macomber can’t seem to leave his wife knowing that she has had an affair
with the hunter, Wilson. Francis also shows Insecurity because he lets his wife
walk all over him. According to Tyson, insecurity “makes us very vulnerable to
influence—for good or ill—of other people” (27). He shows insecurity when he
runs away from the lion instead of killing it. “The next thing he knew he was
running: running wildly, in the panic in the open, running toward the stream”
(Hemingway 10). It was a low point for
Macomber because they took the Africa trip specifically to hunt. Later Margaret
tells Macomber, “well you’re a coward” a feeling she kept to herself as she saw
him running from the lion. Finally he shows repression. According to Tyson “the
clearest sign that an emotional problem is being repressed is the repetition of
a self-destructive behavior, such as choosing unhealthy friends or romantic
partners” (25). When Margot tried sneaking into the tent, Francis confronts her
and says “You think I will take anything” and Margaret responds, “I know you
will, sweet” (Hemingway 12).
We see the concepts of avoidance
and repression through Margaret.
Avoidance is expressed when “we stay away from people, places, or
situations that might stir up repressed experiences (Tyson 26). Margaret avoids
how cowardly her husband is when she kisses Wilson in front of Francis. Its as
if she is just trying to forget about her husband. She also represses things as she shows
displays of inappropriate behavior. She does this when she kisses Wilson and
when Francis wants to talk to her the night she sneaks into the tent; she
disregards him and says she is going to sleep. Margot also has fear of abandonment. According
to Hemingway, “Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and
Macomber had too much money for Margot to ever leave him” (Hemmingway 11). Margot wont leave Macomber because she’s
better off with him.
With the character Wilson, there is
fear of intimacy. The clienteles “did not feel they were getting their money’s
worth unless they had shared that cot” with Wilson, a sexual implication
(Hemingway 14). He goes for a certain type of clientele because he knows they
are looking for his affection and attention they are most likely not receiving
from their husbands. Wilson does not
establish an intimate relationship between them because he understands that it
wont last and that’s how he makes his money.
The
psychoanalytic theory is used in many if not all works of literature to better
interpret the stories and understand the characters and their behaviors. It was
useful in this story because many events are displayed in a way like it is
symbolism for deeper meanings like the characters’ insecurities and deeper
unconscious core issues.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Short
Happy Life of Francis Macomber: September 1936 issue of
Cosmopolitan
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