Conflict On Character Change In The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connel

Sophia Beaudoin

Mrs. Silver

Honors English 9

7 March 2023

The Effects of Conflict on Character Change in “The Most Dangerous Game”

Conflict is huge in today’s world-almost anything can be debated from human rights to what they should have for lunch. One of the most prominent topics is how humane hunting is, and whether the killing of animals as a way of entertainment is wrong. This is shown in “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connel. The story starts out when experienced hunter Rainsford falls off a boat and swims to an island where he meets a devoted hunter named General Zaroff. Though Zaroff initially appears to be a huge fan of Rainsford and a good man, it is soon revealed that the general spends his time hunting humans out of boredom,

In “The Most Dangerous Game”, the direct person vs person conflict between Rainsford and Zaroff causes Rainsford to become empathetic toward the prey he hunts.

Before being hunted by Zaroff, Rainsford shows little empathy toward the various animals he hunts. This is first shown when Rainsford is talking about hunting with Whitney before he falls off the boat. Whitney observes that though hunting may be fun for Rainsford, it is not as much so for the jaguar, to which Rainsford replies, “‘Who cares how the jaguar feels…They’ve no understanding’” (54). In this passage, Rainsford is clearly stating that he does not care, nor even pretend to care, about the feelings of the animals he hunts. He hunts for sport and only cares about the fun of it for him, not how the prey is feeling.

The transformation begins when Rainsford sees himself as similar to the animals he hunts. As he attempts to escape Zaroff, Rainsford compares himself to the things he has hunted using the different strategies for self-defense he had once heard about in a fable. ,“‘I have played the fox; now I must play the cat of the fable’” (69). As Rainsford becomes the prey he usually hunts, he gains a deeper understanding of their fear and their need to strategize quickly, as well as the battle they face between their instincts and their mind. This newfound understanding of his prey’s emotions gives Rainsford the ability to empathize with his prey. Rainsford’s increase in empathy towards prey is shown once again after he wins the game. Upon winning the game, Rainsford sneaks into Zaroff’s bedroom, where he decides to end the general’s hunting once and for all. Rainsford states, “‘I am still a beast at bay…get ready General Zaroff” (74). Rainsford had every opportunity to leave the island and flee for his life, as the general thought he was dead. He could have gone back to a life of comfort and hunting, but he instead chose to risk his life against the powerful general with the hope that he would end the man and his hunting endeavors. Rainsford fights to stop more of Zaroff’s prey from dying by his hand and the only reason why he would do this at the possible cost of his