Ring is an editor, journalist, and frequent writer on literary subjects. In the following essay, she discusses how the interpretation of "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" hinges on one's interpretation of Wilson.

"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," first published in 1936, remains noteworthy for several reasons. It is particularly well known for the debate It has generated concerning its characters and their motivations. It also is significant as an exploration of themes that appear frequently in Ernest Hemingway's fiction and as a superior example of the art of short-story writing.

Many critics and readers have debated whether Margot Macomber kills her husband intentionally or accidentally. How one answers this question depends largely on how negatively or positively one views the story's three primary characters. Numerous scholars have held up Margot Macomber as an example of one of Hemingway's most hateful female characters-as a dominating...