In The Snows of Kilimanjaro the protagonist perishes of gangrene alone out in the bush, recognizing his failure as a writer: a writer who never had the nerve to write. He dies with stoic acceptance and a view of the famous summit unseen by any alive. In The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Francis is too wimpy to face down a wounded lion, let alone satisfy his wife in bed. As always, Hemingway's characters speak of his own self-perceived failures and fears. As often, Hemingway speaks for us all.