Most Dangerous Game Character Analysis

Richard Connell, a now deceased author, has written many books, one of them being the short story “The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon.” Even though many books have had the honor of being written by the hand of Richard Connell, the one most referenced with his name is “The Most Dangerous Game.” Sanger Rainsford is the protagonist of the story that goes up against a psychotic General Zaroff, who kills men for pleasure and sport. Sanger Rainsford has a very particular set of survival skills that helped him persevere through the traumatizing life predicament. First of all, he was notoriously strategic.

In the short story ‘’The Most Dangerous Game’’, Richard Connell uses irony and human savagery to explain how the character, Rainsford, develops through his thoughts and emotions. Connell used irony to show how Rainsford’s feelings (or emotions) changed throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford thought that the prey that he hunted felt no emotion, as if they were unable to feel and emotion while they are being hunted. This all changes when he finds out that he has become the prey when Zaroff starts hunting him. He starts off feeling a bit of fear and anger, but then it escalates to only one thing: fear.

In Richard Connell’s, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Connell utilizes rising action, suspense, and characterization of Rainsford to convey the theme of power of mind against the power of authority. When Rainsford was in the forest being hunted down by General Zaroff, Rainsford had to make a quick decision when he thinks, “He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide” (p.14). In this quote, Rainsford thinks about his odds of surviving and what he needs to do or what General Zaroff wants him to do, which is to die.

From the beginning of the story, Rainsford stuck to the belief that humans were hunters, and everything else was a “huntee.” Once his own life was on the line, he got up and did anything possible to protect

In the short story, Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth that Rainsford was playing with him was greatly evident. Rainsford’s inner conflict involves him not becoming panicked but if he faced the reality, the outcome of the “game” could have turned out better for him. As a

Rainsford knew that he was unable to retreat and forced to face danger. Rainsford realized that animals felt and how they had to face the danger just like how he did.

This example shows that Rainsford had to use his wit and mind to survive and out play his foe. Towards the end of the story Rainsford escapes by jumping off a cliff into the ocean to get away from General Zaroff. Rainsford escapes the island in a very clever way: “He reached it. It was the shore of the sea ...

He is willing to risk his life than to be caught in the hands of Zaroff and his hounds. From these two particular acts, we learn that Rainsford is a courageous man, of one's own accord, commits actions that could lead to possible

He continues to keep a calm head throughout his stay. He knows what the right thing to do is and he does it every time. Rainsford will have to use his intelligence to win, at “The Most Dangerous Game.” Rainsford knows what is right and shows it throughout the story.

(Connell, 31)By stating this Connell shows Rainsford’s conflict with himself. Secondly, this also presents that Rainsford is incisive and clever in recognition towards what can be an obstacles in his survival. Moreover, going through many hardships at last Rainsford has reached his hunter, who is now his victim. Stated in the story, “I am still a beast at bay, he said in a low, hoarse voice. Get ready, General Zaroff.”

"‘But no animal can reason’ objected Rainsford. ‘My dear fellow,’ said the general, ‘there is one that can.’ ‘But you can't mean--’ gasped Rainsford”(Connell, Paragraph 106-108) He knows that General Zaroff is about to hunt him. When General Zaroff asks Rainsford to “play the game” he immediately reverts to himself as a soldier in World War One, in the sense that he knows he has to fight even if he doesn’t want to.

This hinted at the events to come later in the story, with him being hunted himself. These ironies play into the central theme of Reason vs. Instinct because, although Rainsford escaped his death, the animal instincts within him told him to go kill his hunter instead of escaping the island. The

General Zaroff said “I’m going now to have my wound dressed, it is only a slight one, but I shall be back.” (Connell, 26) The author states that Rainsford is very intelligent. He uses his hunting experiences to try and outsmart Zaroff and uses his knowledge to figure out what to

The Most Important Word “The Most Dangerous Game” is a story about a man named Rainsford who washes up on an island owned by a man named Zaroff who hunts people there. Rainsford is hunted by Zaroff for the majority of the story. In the end, Rainsford defeats Zaroff and ends up sleeping in Zaroff’s bed. It was quite difficult to single out the most important word in the entire story, but some stories do have a word, that if it were not there would affect the entire story. The most important word in Richard Connell's “The Most Dangerous Game” if removed wouldn’t change the whole story, but it would change some of the subliminal messages.

He had to fight himself to stay on track. He was so scared in the jungle while the General was trying to hunt him. On page 186, it says “He could not say where he was. That was suicide.” This shows the reader that Rainsford may be thinking of what could go wrong, and is not thinking on the positive side of things.