Coming of age has been quite a common topic in literature. Surprisingly, it does not always happen to a person during adolescence. For some individuals, maturity comes in their later adult years after a certain event, whether it is marriage or parenthood. However, in the wake of such situations, others prioritize remaining blissfully ignorant and naive, not willing to face the consequences of their choices.
In The Short Happy Life of Francis Maccomber, the readers are introduced to the titular character, his wife and Wilson. Francis is notorious for being rather cowardly, having a light approach towards his surroundings. During a hunt, things take a dramatic turn, as a lion confronts him and Francis succeeds in shooting the animal only once, making Wilson finish what he started. To make matters worse, he is further demoralized by his spouse cheating on him, which sparks an idea in his head. Maccomber decides to go on a buffalo hunt, only this time, he expects to succeed. This changes the character, as he becomes more courageous and excited, “made him into a man”. Even the man’s fear has been replaced with excitement, since he overcame his cowardice.
However, this topic takes a completely different turn in Hills Like White Elephants. The American Man, one of the main characters in the story, does not change at all. On the contrary, he talks his partner, Jig, into getting an abortion. Although the man is rather apathetic, the end implies that he is too scared of losing his freedom, as he says “we can go anywhere”. Even marriage does not spark much enthusiasm in this character and by the end of the story, he still remains faithful to his naivete and cowardice and does not mature, unlike Francis from the second story. Thus, we see two different outcomes regarding a person’s coming of age in these two stories.