The Carpe Diem Theme in Francis Macomber and Capital of the WorldThe Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber and Capital of the World Many of Hemingway's stories deal with life and death . Death has also made its way into some of the titles we've read so far. However, in discussing death, we must first look at the life or rather how a life was lived, to truly understand what the death meant in the particular case. Both stories, The Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber and Capital of the World, deal with lives cut short by chance and an accidental brush with death, while those soon to die appear to gamble and court death. Both also seem to have secondary characters who act as sort of guides on this journey. However, only one of these characters seems satisfied when he is knocked down, and this is what Hemingway believes makes the difference. For example, in Capital of the World, the character Paco is introduced. Early in the story, Hemingway writes, “Madrid is full of boys named Paco” (29). And, as stated in class, Francis, from The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, has a rather unusual name. While “Paco” is said to be common, we recognize that “Francis” is an odd name for a man. The names are different, but the effect seems to be the same. Hemingway named his characters to give us an idea of ​​who they are. With “Paco” we see just another faceless boy, and with Francis we assume a bad example of a “Hemingway man”. Both are then set up to be insignificant characters who may have to prove their worth. And that's what drives each particular story. Both stories also have characters who guide each respective protagonist in his... medium of paper......; Francis Macomber's brief happy life ends with Wilson saying, " 'Now, though,' he said, 'I was a little angry.' I had begun to like her husband'" (28). What Hemingway is clearly telling us is that Macomber managed to achieve something. His death, although tragic, is not as tragic as Paco's. As we have said several times in class, Hemingway knows that death really comes to everyone From short stories like The Killers to novels like Per who rings the bell, death can almost be described as a recurring character in Hemingway's work However the impact of death is evaluated by comparing it to life a man. However, Paco lost his life before he could lose his innocence. He was not even given the chance to live. And this is what Hemingway considers all the more tragic.