Literary Terms In The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell

Literary Terms: The Most Dangerous Game

“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.” {CS Lewis} In the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connel, a dangerous situation arrives. The description of this event makes the imaginary feel realistic. Rainsford, in the beginning of the story, is saved by General Zarhoff, but eventually is now in a game where Zarhoff is trying to kill him. Connel uses literary terms like characterization, mood, and imagery to show Rainsford never gives up even through big trials, which shows his character.

Characterization is an important part of a story because it gives us a description and a visual of the main characters. For example, in “The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connel describes the antagonist, General Zarhoff. This occurs when Rainsford first meets him and he is described by saying, “Rainsford’s first impression was that the man was singularly handsome; his second was that there was an original, almost bizarre quality about the general’s face. He was a tall man, past middle age, for his hair was vivid white; but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night as the night as which Rainsford had come.” This example tells the qualities of the general’s full appearance and paints a vivid picture in the reader's head.

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At the end of the story Zarhoff, through an ironic sentence, makes it apparent that he lost and now is going to die. He said, “Splendid, one of us is to furnish a repost for the hounds.” The quote shows that he is going to be a meal to his own hounds. The general lost the game he proposed to Rainsford, and the punishment for losing the game is death. Rainsford now gets everything Zarhoff owned. The most obvious mood is an accomplished mood because Zarhoff got what he deserved. Mood is something that can be different for every reader because it is what the reader