The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

This story uses an omniscient third-person point of view, meaning the narrator knows and sees all. This perspective provides access to each character's thoughts and motivations and exposes the irony and contradictions of their actions. Hemingway uses a free indirect style to share this content with the reader by repeatedly switching perspectives to reveal characters' thoughts, instead of articulating them via dialogue. For example, Wilson is deferential to his clients, but his thoughts reveal his contempt for them: “[Margot’s] damn cruel but they’re all cruel. [...] I’ve seen enough of their damn terrorism. ‘Have some more eland,’ he said to her politely” (121).

This style even allows the lion's perspective to be communicated. The predator who becomes prey is anthropomorphized, or given human qualities; his “pain, sickness, hatred and all of his remaining strength, was tightening into an absolute concentration for a rush. He could hear the men talking” (129). This perspective adds suspense to the narration and promotes a sense of closeness with the wild and untamed animal.