“The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story written in 1924 by Richard Connell. The story begins with two hunters traveling in the Caribbean Sea. The main character, Rainsford is smoking on the side of the boat when his pipe slips out of his hand. He attempts to grab for it, but he ultimately falls off of the boat. He swims to the nearest island where he finds a chateau. There he meets General Zaroff, who like Rainsford is a hunter. Zaroff likes to hunt another form of game, humans. He hunts humans because hunting animals is boring to him. Rainsford then finds himself being the hunted as he is the next target of Zaroff. In the end Rainsford sneaks up on Zaroff in his bedroom and throws him out of the window. Many themes can be found throughout …show more content…
Zaroff shows how evil one person can truly be. Zaroff says “‘Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them’”( Connell 7). Zaroff shows how truly evil and cruel he is by explaining how he hunts humans and kills them. Rainsford says “‘Suppose he refuses to be hunted?’ ‘Oh,’ said the general, ‘I give him his option, of course. He need not play that game if he doesn't wish to. If he does not wish to hunt, I turn him over to Ivan. Ivan once had the honor of serving as official knouter to the Great White Czar, and he has his own ideas of sport. Invariably, Mr. Rainsford, invariably they choose the hunt’” (Connell 6). Zaroff shows how he is a cruel character by forcing people to either play his game or to be killed by Ivan. He forces people to be hunted and as such be killed. Connell shows us that by nature, some people are inherently …show more content…
All throughout the story violence is very prevalent. Zaroff explains and even justifies his violence with “A trace of anger was in the general's black eyes, but it was there for but a second; and he said, in his most pleasant manner, ‘Dear me, what a righteous young man you are! I assure you I do not do the thing you suggest. That would be barbarous. I treat these visitors with every consideration. They get plenty of good food and exercise. They get into splendid physical condition. You shall see for yourself tomorrow’” (Connell 8). It seems as if General Zaroff even enjoys violence which is why he hunts other people. Zaroff says that the violence is in his nature saying “'A simple fellow, but, I'm afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage.’‘Is he Russian?’‘He is a Cossack," said the general, and his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth. ‘So am I.’” (Connell 7). Zaroff indirectly says that he is a savage by saying that Cossacks are savages, and Zaroff is a Cossack, and as such he is a savage. Zaroff’s actions further prove that he a violent person.
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is the story of Rainsford, a hunter who gets trapped on an island in the Caribbean Sea. Rainsford has to face off against General Zaroff, another hunter whose favorite game is man. In the end Rainsford kills Zaroff by pushing him out of the window into his courtyard filled with his hunting dogs. Three main themes are
“You’re a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?”. The story “The Most dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell introduces an adventurous type of thriller with two main characters named Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff. Both of which are hunters who in the story play a “game” invented by General Zaroff out of pure fear of becoming bored of the hunt. General Zaroff is a big fan of the hunt and everything he says about the hunt is to be taken serious. Rainsford and General Zaroff are described to be excellent hunters through the traps Rainsford makes, all the big game Zaroff has hunted, but Zaroff is better at hunting through the fact that the hunt has began to bore and he needs more of a challenge hunting humans.
Being hunted on an island is an experience like no other, whether it is a film or a short story. “The Most Dangerous Game” started off as a short-story, but was later turned into a film. Like many other films, the director has done some adjustments that differ from the short-story. The plot, setting, and characters were revised from the original form in the short-story. However, the difference in the characters was the most influential part that changed throughout the film.
After reading the stories “The Most Dangerous Games” and “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Most Dangerous games” is my treasured of the two stories. The reason why I like “ The Most Dangerous Games” as a result the story is about hunting and I love to hunt. For example on the first day of the hunt for Rainsford, Rainsford tried to make a hard to follow him. After that he made a log and tied it to gather and then he put some of the strings over a branch and hid behind a log less than one hundred feet away. Next traps Rainsford dug next to the Quicksand and he put long like stakes pear in the bottom of the pothole and then climb a tree not far away. His plan didn’t direct the way he intended . He had retrieved a couple of the mongrel instead
A skilled hunter sprints desperately through the woods, realizing the futility of hiding from his greatest foe: his own kind. Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is the story of a hunter that becomes the hunted. The story explores the sense of extreme terror the protagonist feels being pursued by a psychopath living on a mysterious island. This protagonist, Rainsford, has many traits that aid him in his battle with the general. By demonstrating his cunning, sly, and remorseful traits, Rainsford shows the story’s theme of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”.
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
The author of “The Most Dangerous Game” is Richard Connell. Richard Connell is an American author and journalist, who wrote a lot of short stories and few novels. His short stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly. While he was still in high school, Richard Connell was hired as the city editor for sixteen dollars a week. He studied college at Georgetown University, while working as a secretary for his father, who had been elected to Congress. After his father’s death, he moved to Harvard, and started writing for two college newspapers. After graduating, he transferred to New York, but he also left a brief stint in the army during World War |. After that, he moved to Los Angeles and began to write screenplays for major Hollywood movie studios. Richard Connell’s most famous story is “The Most Dangerous Game”, which is still widely read, even nowadays. It has inspired many movies and it’s probably the most frequently anthologized American story.
When General Zaroff is first introduced in the story, it appears that he is a civilized person. It is not until you read farther into the story that you begin to see why he is quite the opposite. While having dinner with Rainsford, General Zaroff explains to him that, while he used to hunt big game animals, it had begun to bore him. None of the game provided a challenge to Zaroff anymore. He came up with another way to get the thrill of hunting, while finding something that would keep it interesting and challenging. Zaroff decided to hunt humans.
An author’s main goal is to entice readers with their stories. In order to do so, they use various literary elements. The literary elements create mood, plot, and much excitement. Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” tells the story of Rainsford, who becomes trapped on an island and must fight. Suzanne Collins's trilogy The Hunger Games is the story of how Katniss must defeat the odds pitted against her. Connell and Collins use the elements of foreshadowing, allusion, and irony to create a sense of fear in their writings. An allusion is a reference to a statement, a person, a place or an event. In "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell makes use of allusions frequently. In the very beginning of the story, Whitney says, "I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey's" (Connell 19). Purdey’s is a famous manufacturer of shotguns and rifles, and Connell includes it in the story so readers will come to understand that Whitney and Rainsford are fervent hunters. Furthermore, General Zaroff labels Ivan as a "Cossack”; Cossacks were known for their remarkable battle-skills. Thus, Zaroff shows Ivan as a fierce hunter whom Rainsford should fear. Also, as Rainsford hurries through the forest trying to comprise a plan to baffle General Zaroff, Zaroff sits in his home humming a tune from Madame Butterfly-a famous opera by Puccini. Then, right before he is about to go to bed, he reads "from the works of Marcus Aurelius”, a Roman emperor. Connell makes these references to help readers to benefit from some foreknowledge concerning his story and the characters/situations in it. Suzanne Collin’s has a way with words when it comes to using allusions. The Hunger Games is basically one over-arching allusion to Ancient Rome. The G...
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.
Zaroff gives the appearance that he is well-educated, sophisticated and distinguished. He is a cultured man. He comes from great prosperity, sumptuous living and strong military spirit, all of this makes Zaroff think he is entitled and therefore should not be denied what he wishes in life. In the short story, one of the ways that Zaroff demonstrates these characteristics is by how he lives. He has a beautiful and well decorated Chateau on a remote island. The way in which he speaks indicates a certain level of intelligence. “You’ll find the game worth playing, the general said enthusiastically. Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess!”. The General views his game as a contest of intelligence, ability, knowledge, skill and experience just like those that play the game of chess....
“The Most Dangerous Game” is about a man named Rainsford. When Rainsford falls off a yacht and has to swim to the nearest island, he meets a general named, General Zaroff, who became disinterested with hunting animals, so he switched to hunting humans as a game. He tricks ships into thinking that there is a channel they can sail through, but then
Rainsford is an intelligent man. Early in the story, “Rainsford remembered the shots. They had come from the right, and he doggedly swam in that direction” (34). Rainsford had just fallen in the water, swam fifty feet further out, but he kept his senses in the right direction. In total darkness, Rainsford used his intelligence and intellect to reach the land. Also, I don’t think that Rainsford knew he was being sized up when Zaroff was staring at him, but when “Rainsford’s bewilderment showed in his face” (100), he quickly understood what Zaroff was leading too. Rainsford wasn’t a murderer. Sure he liked to hunt game, but he wasn’t bored as Zaroff was. Rainsford never bought into all the old tales. ‘“One superstitious sailor can taint the whole ship’s company with fear”’ (20). He never got worked up or stressed out.
If animals were humans, then General Zaroff would almost be as bad as Adolf Hitler. General Zaroff, a character in Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” should be considered a negative character because of the way the author portrays him though indirect characterization, such as what he does, what he says, how other characters react to him, and what he looks like. Although there is plenty of indirect characterization, there is little to none direct characterization.
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.
G. Zaroff is a cruel person because instead of hunting animals, he hunts humans and does not care for the value of life. He displays this quality when he tells Rainsford “I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about value of human life. In this quote he shows his cruelness because he doesn’t care about humans but himself. He also doesn’t care for the value of human life.