The Most Dangerous Game is a short story written by Richard Connell in 1924 about a big-game hunter from New York City and a Cossack general. The hunter, Sanger Rainsford, was sailing by the general’s island when he clumsily fell into the ocean. Reaching the island late in the afternoon, Rainsford found his way to the grandiosely splendid house of General Zaroff, only to be met by the General’s intimidating servant, Ivan, another large Cossack. Because of his fiendish motives, the General intervened to keep Ivan, who is also deaf and mute, from shooting Rainsford. The General then proceeded to tell Rainsford about his worldwide hunting endeavors over dinner. Rainsford balked in astonishment at the General’s suggestion of hunting other people. When the General asked Rainsford to join him on a hunt, he was delivered a decisive no. When Rainsford announced he will not be the hunter, he became the hunted. The General gave him a knife and some supplies, and then sent him out into the wild of the island to be hunted. Having successfully avoided General Zaroff, Rainsford swam around the island, back to the house. He then hid in the curtains of the General’s bedroom, not to ambush him but to give him a shock and to release the “beast at bay” (page fifteen) within himself. The two men described in this story, who are extremely interesting and full of depth for characters in a short story, have many similar traits, which is quite astounding because of their many differences. As passionate hunters, they both appear to be men of influence in the 1924 hunting scene, with Rainsford writing books about hunting and with General Zaroff being familiar with them. Searching for the thrill and the “Most Dangerous Game” had clearly become a lifelong ... ... middle of paper ... ...s story not by coincidence; it was a horrific war which forced those who fought in it to question and perhaps even redraw the lines that defined their morals in order to stay within those preverbal lines. The fictional Rainsford, just like the real Connell, served in WWI and was able to keep their morals. This thought-provoking piece of literature also brings up another deep and long pondered question; what is civilized? The author appears to have reached this conclusion: Education, or the lack thereof, does not equal civilization. The ability to put into practice the education of the tragedies and triumphs of those who have come before us, the ability to understand and implement the knowledge of life as observed through the Bible and given to us from God, the ability to deduce and determine the difference between right and wrong; that is what makes a man civilized.
In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, the protagonist, Rainsford, is a smart, clever, resilient man who keeps a cool head in stressful and dangerous situations. Rainsford is not allowed to leave the island he washes up on after he falls off the yacht he was traveling on, because the mentally disturbed general wants to hunt people with Rainsford. Rainsford makes a deal with the general to win his freedom. If Rainsford can evade Zaroff for three nights, then Rainsford is free to leave the island. During the hunt, Rainsford must think quickly and be resourceful in order to stay alive. Rainsford is an extremely experienced hunter who writes books about his hunting experiences. When Rainsford is running from the
Hunting big game animals for sport was a popular pastime with the wealthy classes following World War I. The morality of killing for sport was not questioned in reality, but in this short story the author does question it by taking it a step further and having the protagonist, Sangor Rainsford, hunted by the antagonist, General Zaroff.In a short story full of irony, one of the greatest ironies of Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is that General Zaroff repeatedly tells Rainsford that he maintains a sense of civilization on his island.
Did you know even though nature can be beautiful it can sometimes be deadly. In The Most Dangerous Game, Rainsford begins to see the awe-instilling power of nature and how it can hurt us. The Most Dangerous Game Written by Richard Connell is a story about the dangers of nature and the ethical question of if we should kill animals. Connell uses irony to instill a question in the mind of the reader”Is killing animals moral?” In “The Most Dangerous Game,”Richard Connell uses a flip between man and animal to convey irony in the story while also using the dangerous environment of the Island to show suspense.
In the story, Zaroff and Rainsford are both enjoy hunting, and are both excellent and skillful hunters
Richard Connells “The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story which illustrates how calm analytical thinking can increase your odds of survival and controlling panic. We are introduced to the protagonist and main character, Sanger Rainsford, who is a big game hunter and a WW1 veteran. The story starts off with a conversation between Whitney and Rainsford discussing the island, so we can understand the reputation it holds. Whitney is a fellow hunter, a flat character and used mainly as a plot tool.
In “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, the protagonist (Rainsford) struggled with the actions of the antagonist (General Zaroff) throughout his adventure. The images used to describe the island, deadly swamp, and castle show that it is inhabited and a dangerous place with the use of setting, imagery, and the tone Connell shows Rainsford’s difficulties, persistence, and triumph to the audience. By using these key aspects, Connell makes important connections to the theme while alluding to hunting as the main concept of this whole adventure.
In life today, society holds many expectations of its people. Members of society are expected to behave in a civilized manner; conforming to law, following social norms, and acting with dignity and without violence. When the boys became marooned on the island, they were forced to question the expectations they had always observed. This brought about a large battle between those who decided to remain civil and those who would rather rebel. Civilization is pitted against acts of savagery in a plethora of ways in Lord of the Flies when determining who had the right to speak during assemblies, when the group hunted pigs, throughout the struggle over Piggy’s glasses, and finally with Simon’s death.
I have read the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. In this story, Rainsford was thrown from his ship, and wound up on Ship-Trap island. There he meets General Zaroff. He is an unusual character who likes to hunt. His main game just so happens to be people. Rainsford is put against him and has to survive three days in the wild avoiding Zaroff. He uses his skills to try and beat him at his game.
Have you heard the phrases the hunter become the hunted? Or the last man standing? Why do people enjoy killing? In the most dangerous game all those phrases describe the story as a whole. The most dangerous game by Richard Connell is about a general name Zaroff, he’s a Russian Cossack. Zaroff has an addiction to hunting and expanding his quarry. But one man changes all of that for Zaroff as he finally meets his match. That one man name is Sanger Rainsford, who is an ex-military officer. Rainsford has traveled to many places and countries in the world and picked up some tricks along the way.
Just like in every society, in every story there are conflicts. What is the line between man and beast? What separates the hunter from the hunted? Where does sport end and murder begin? In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, the protagonist, a man by the name of Sager Rainsford, is trapped on an island in the middle of the ocean. A simple adventure to the jungles of Rio de Janeiro soon becomes a story of terror, survival and escape when Rainsford realizes he is not alone on the seemingly deserted island. Soon after arriving, he meets the psychopath, General Zaroff, a Cossack aristocrat who is also an experienced hunter. Zaroff entices Rainsford by telling him there is big game on the island, the biggest there is. The Most Dangerous Game illustrates that there are men, and then there are monsters when Rainsford, unknowing of what Zarloff’s true intentions are, becomes entangled in a frightening game of where the hunter, soon becomes the hunted.
Games are supposed to be fun not murderous, right? Even though games are meant to entertain and excite all players, in the story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Rainsford, the protagonist, goes through life-or-death of situations as a game of hunting humans made by the antagonist, General Zaroff. Rainsford has to adapt to these situations as they happen for three days trying to stay alive using what he knows as a hunter. However, Rainsford isn’t hunting but the one being hunted by the insane man, Zaroff, with multiple tactics to kill Rainsford. Throughout “The Most Dangerous Game” Rainsford struggles with man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. self-situations while using his background knowledge, sanity and adaptability.
The most dangerous game began as a sport for one man. His name is Sanger Rainsford. In Richard Connell’s story “The Most Dangerous Game,” Sanger Rainsford, an avid hunter, is lost at sea, stranded on “Ship-Trap” Island-every sailor’s worst nightmare. Rainsford goes through a series of events that prove to be life-altering. Even though Sanger Rainsford went through many trials and tribulations, he never lost his intelligence, composure, or his bravery.
Humans are diverse and strange, mysteries to even themselves. We have a functioning civilization, but yet savagery still remains hidden beneath the glamor of society. William Golding, renowned author of the intuitive novel Lord of the Flies, recognized it and put it into a book for the world to understand and interpret. He ventured into his views and opinions of human nature, good and evil, and human civilization and made a book that served almost as a mirror to society, yet most still refuse to see people the way they truly are.
Connell, Richard. "The Most Dangerous Game--Richard Connell (1893-1949)." Classic Short Stories. Classic Short Stories. Web. 25 Jan. 2010.
Have you ever wondered what being hunted in the jungle would feel like? For one man this nightmare becomes a dangerous reality. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, a man named Sanger Rainsford faces conflict while being stranded on what he thinks is a deserted island. While on the island he falls into the hands of the maniacal Russian General Zaroff. How many steps is one man willing to take in order to ensure his safety. How far is one man willing to go to fulfil his quest of hunting the most dangerous game. Although both characters are very similar, there are inherent differences that are brought forth during the struggle for survival.