A careful examination of the short story Indian Camp by Ernest Hemingway reveals the usage of such literary devices

as plot and theme to deliver both the unfolding story and the meaning behind it. The theme of the story is a powerful message about the realities of life and the plot is the canvas upon which the theme is painted. the plot and the theme are Clearly, both

of equal importance in Indian Camp and are the most significant literary tools used throughout the story. Hemingway intended for the plot to be simple and not to be over analyzed. It is how the theme emerges and how the plot helps to reveal the story's true meaning [theme] that must be analyzed. A doctor brings his son Nick and 'Uncle George' to a house call upon an Indian reservation. They must travel by river in small boats, then through a thick forest for some time. Once they arrive at the Indian whose been in house, Nicks father must operate on a pregnant

labor for two days and is clearly experiencing birth complications. The pregnant Indian is in a great deal of pain and her husband offers no words of comfort as he feels a sense of self pity knowing that he can't help his wife. the baby and stitches up Eventually Nick's father delivers

the exhausted mother, then he turns to the husband of the Indian women only to find that he had committed suicide while lying in bed. see his wife endure so Assumably he could not bear to

much suffering. On their way back to the boat, Nick asks his father a few questions about death and is comforted by the still flabbergasted doctor. easy to follow and allows The plot is rather

the reader to visualize the theme without losing touch of the story's fundamental structure. The theme of Indian Camp is rich with meaning and delivers the powerful message that the cycle of life never ceases. In the beginning Uncle George, Nick and his Father embark upon a journey so that the doctor [Nick's father] can deliver a baby. The journey they take to reach the lady is long and seemingly endless. They must travel across the river and through the forest overcoming any obstacles and blinded by nightfall. This journey seems much like the journey one takes after birth, commonly referred to as the journey of life. Once they arrive at the Indian's house Nick's father delivers the baby and then finds the father of the baby dead. It could not be any more of an ironic event. events, the true message of our own mortality is exposed. is also true, however Through this happy yet tragic chain of

Life gives way to death and the converse

Nick has the typical immortal outlook of youth. .he [Nick] felt quite sure that he would never die."(Hemingway). to remind us of our

The author states: ". .

Clearly Hemingway is attempting

own mortality. The plot is a way of transmitting theme to the reader and therefore both are essential literary devices in the story. Without the use of such literary terms as plot and theme, there would be no literature. Ernest Hemingway uses both plot and theme in Indian Camp to remind us of the preciousness of

life and its inevitable end. what we may not have tomorrow.

Perhaps we need to top taking for granted

Ernest Hemingway is well known for his clever technique of leaving the reader with an unresolved ending. In The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Hemingway leaves one huge unanswered question following the accidental or intentional death of the protagonist, Francis Macomber. Hemmingway skillfully drops numerous clues to help the reader determine their own conclusion but leaves them vague enough that certainty is difficult to achieve. The reader is left with the underlying question, is the death of Francis Macomber a crime of opportunity or an accident? Paying close attention to textual details, a case can be made that Francis Macombers death, at the hand of his wife, is a crime of opportunity and not an accident. First, like any good investigation, motive must be established. Unfortunately for Francis, his wife has one of the most obvious motivations to kill him: money. The one thing Francis Macomber has going for him is his wealth and he is only getting wealthier with every passing year. Hemingway leaves the reader with the impression that Francis is not necessarily an attractive man nor is he good with the ladies, but he is most definitely rich. Margot, on the other hand, has one great asset, her beauty, They had a sound basis of union. Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him" (1258). As this passage indicates, their relationship is one of selfishness on both their parts Francis desires beauty while Margot desires wealth. Money has long been considered the root of all evil especially for those who have it and want to keep it. To be fair, wealth by itself is not reason enough to conclude that it is the motive for Margot to murder her husband, but taken in conjunction with other details presented in the text about their marital relationship, it becomes quite convincing. The marriage between Francis and Margot is not one of faithfulness and love but one filled with distrust and anxiety. Clues left by Hemingway point toward two main problems in their marriage, Margots infidelity and Franciss lack of confidence. Her habitual infidelity comes to light in a conversation with her husband upon her return to bed following a sexual fling with Wilson, their safari guide. As she climbs under the mosquito net Francis asks, Where have you been? Out to get a breath of air. Thats a new name for it. You said if we made this trip that there would be none of that. You promised" (1258). This dialogue implies that her infidelity is nothing new, and confirms that she cares little for her husbands feelings. Francis, on the other hand, reveals his lack of self-confidence and control over the situation. If he had been better with women she would probably have started to worry about him getting another new, beautiful wife but she knew too much about him to worry" (1257). His lack of self-confidence has given her all the power in the relationship and is a major contributing factor in her infidelity. Another minor clue with enormous implications, if considered within the backdrop of the entire story, is whose idea it was to make the trip originally. It can be argued when considering the

following dialogue that the idea for the safari trip is Margots, You said if we made this trip that there would be none of that. You promised."(1258). It leaves the impression that she may have made a pact with Francis that if he agreed to take her on a safari, she would curb her adulterous ways. What better place to go than Africa, where danger lurks around every corner, to hope for an accident or to kill her husband and get away with it. Consider these points, she demands to go on every hunt, Francis does not seem to be particularly excited about any of the hunts, and she seems to be the one pushing him to prove himself courageous in the face or mortal danger. Considering all those points, only one conclusion can be reached, she wanted to make the trip in hopes of him having an accident or getting the perfect opportunity to kill him. In addition, the growth and establishment of Franciss confidence during the buffalo hunt and Margots displeasure with it is the final clue from which the reader is left to make a determination. Unlike the first two Lion hunts that highlighted Franciss glaring lack of confidence, the buffalo hunt gives Francis a new found sense of happiness"(1264). This new wealth" of confidence is electrifying for Francis and devastating for Margot (1264). Fear gone like an operation. Something else grew in its place. Main thing a man had. Made him into man. Women knew it too. No bloody fear." (1264) Hemingway carefully emphasizes this life changing event in such a way that it is impossible not to conclude that this monumental swing in confidence for Francis will have huge repercussions within the confines of his and Margots relationship, if he survives the trip. Now believing that Francis might possess enough personal strength to finally leave her, Margot seizes her opportunity to kill him. Finally, the question arises that if she was intentionally trying to kill him and make it look like an accident, why even shoot, why not let the buffalo kill him? Two reasons can be considered. Maybe she was afraid that he would turn and run like he did before and escape danger, or he would be victorious and become even bolder. Either way, she could not take that chance, for this was the perfect opportunity to kill him and make it look like an accident. In fact, Wilson confirms the readers suspicion when he reacts to the shooting by saying to Margot, That was a pretty thing to do, he said in a toneless voice. He would have left you too. Why didnt you poison him? Thats what they do in England." (1266) These statements made by Wilson to Margot reinforce the belief that Margot was indeed taking advantage of the opportunity to ensure her long-term wealth and eliminate the possibility of being divorced. A combination of greed, fear, and instability leads the reader to conclude that the death of Francis Macomber at the hand of his wife, Margot, is a crime of opportunity not an accident. Unlike many of Hemingways other short stories where certainty in a conclusion is difficult to realize, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" leaves the reader with enough circumstantial and textual evidence to determine that Francis was indeed murdered.