“The world is made up of two classes-- the hunters and the huntees.’’ Rainsfords states this at the beginning of The Most Dangerous Game. What he meant was that we are all like animals, some strong others weak. Rainsford is the main character in “The Most Dangerous Game” that is written by Richard Connell. In the story there is a conflict between the main character, Rainsford, and the villain, Zaroff. The story takes place in an isolated tropical island in the Caribbean. Zaroff and Rainsford share a character trait that determines Rainsford fate in the end of the story. Both are hunters and hunting for them is a lifestyle. Zaroff challenges and leaves Rainsford with no other choice but to be hunted. It’s Rainsford's
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is a story about a man, Sanger Rainsford, whose ideals and overall character change throughout the story, specifically about hunting, due to his encounter with General Zaroff. At the beginning of the story Rainsford is a stuck up man. He could not care less about any other living things other than humans. He believes all living wildlife are expendable and only there for his pleasure of hunting. During the story Rainsford has to make many quick and overall difficult decisions during his encounters with the ocean, General Zaroff, and the island wilderness to survive, that change how he thinks about animals. His decisions ultimately do help him survive in the long run, while making him a better person
Hey there today we are telling a story that is called The Most Dangerous Game. It is a very good story to read and twisted. There are two main character in this story and they both have very interesting stories about their life, but they will fight for victory and one will die and who will it be the good guy Rainsford, or the villain Zaroff. General Zaroff is chasing them through the jungle, He sees something in the cave he shoots his arrow and then…...
“No animal had a chance with me...I had to invent a new animal” (7), General Zaroff brags to the captivated Rainsford in Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game.” At the heart of the story is a fight for survival: winner takes all and survival of the fittest. General Zaroff’s perverse thinking creates a need in the reader to find out how the plot will unfold. The author’s use of suspend disbelief and imagery create anticipation in the story.
In the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff. One of the reasons why Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff is on the island the only way to live is to hunt or to be the one being hunted. Secondly, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff because Zaroff wanted to die. Lastly, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff because killing Zaroff is going to be the only way Rainsford will escape the island from a psychopath.
Rainsford becomes the new general of ship trap island. There are many theories to explain why this is true like he is more violent throughout the story and he is very similar to General Zaroff.
Instead of being fearful and wanting to give up, Rainsford became zealous; a fearless survivor. “ Twenty feet below him the sea rumbled and hissed. Rainsford hesitated. He heard the hounds. Then he leapt far out into the sea.” (27). When he throws himself off the cliff into the rocky waters below, he knows that he may not live, yet he becomes fearless and takes the risk. Rainsford's instincts arose and he wanted to survive, but he did it in a manner where he stood his ground, retained his strength, and grew valiant. “In his hand the man held a long-barreled revolver, and he was pointing it straight at Rainsford's heart… ‘Don't be alarmed,’ said Rainsford with a smile…” (9). Rainsford, in this situation, displayed a smile to show he wasn't the enemy nor was he fearful. Not only does Rainsford survive the gunman and the great fall from the cliff, but he shows the great audacity to go before Zaroff and return to finish the fight. Rainsford is a survivor. Furthermore this shows a change is Rainsford's paradigm from the parts of the story where he believes animals have no
In “The Most Dangerous Game”, the darker action was Rainsford killing General Zaroff. The intention for this was because of their agreement. General Zaroff challenged Rainsford by saying, “I’ll cheerfully acknowledge myself defeated if I do not find you by the third day.” So, Rainsford accepted the challenge, and on the third day, he fooled the General by swimming back to the house and hiding behind the bed curtain. When General Zaroff went to his room, to sleep, Rainsford surprised him and
In the middle of demolishing Mr. Thomas’ home, Trevor and Mike comes across “Old Misery’s Saving” and debate steeling it, “We aren’t thieves” “We’ll burn them” ”one by one” Trevor says (Greene, 1954), and the General is just as cunning, telling Rainsford “oh you can trust me”(Connell, n.d.) all the while thinking to himself how to get his next kill. General Zaroff cockiness in hunting is feed by his past accomplishments and even writing a book on the subject. Both of these villains by hook or by crook try to justify the awful crimes that they commit. Trevor willing leads Mr. Thomas to the house he is about to destroy and even helps him over the fence. General Zaroff is the same demeanor shows interest for Rainsford the night before the hunt is set to begin. Its obvious that the lives of anyone means little to either of these villains. In Trevor’s mind, destroying Mr. Thomas’ home and possessions are just a joke, and to General Zaroff, the animals and people he hunts are trophies to add to his
The story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is about Sanger Rainsford ends up on an island with General Zaroff, who hunts humans. Rainsford ends up playing General Zaroff’s game and becomes the huntee while Zaroff is the hunter. Zaroff loses the game and gets killed by Rainsford. Rainsford was justified in killing General Zaroff. During the time Rainsford is in Zaroff’s house they have a conversation about hunting. Zaroff tells Rainsford about him hunting humans. Rainsford says, “I can’t believe you are serious, General Zaroff. This is a grisly joke........... what you speak of is murder” (Connell 5). Rainsford is very astonished by this, if you couldn’t tell.The reader can infer that this isn’t the only time that Zaroff has killed a person because he made a game of it. Usually, when someone commits a murder, they are punished
Some people will go to great lengths to get home safely. They will sacrifice muchPeople will do everything so that they can to survive, but how much are they willing to sacrifice to live?. When people are put into extreme situations, they are forced to do everything necessary to survive. In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Rainsford is stranded in the middle of the Caribbean on Ship-Trap Island. On the island, Rainsford is forced to play General Zaroff’s game. Survive for three days with only a hunting knife and a supply of food while being hunted by General Zaroff. In the ending, Connell suddenly states that Rainsford had never slept in a better bed, cutting General Zaroff’s statement short. Rainsford
In Richard Connell's short story"The Most Dangerous Game," the protagonist Sanger Rainsford is selfish, unsympathetic, and cruel. In the beginning, Rainsford talks to Whitney about the prey’s, in this case, the animal's perspective while being hunted, like how they feel. Rainsford and Whitney butt heads. Rainsford’s philosophy is much like Zaroff's. Rainsford disagrees with Whitney, who believes that animals can comprehend the fear of pain and death. Rainford exposes his selfishness and lack of empathy by saying, “‘Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees. Luckily you and I are hunters’”(2). His actions throughout the story show his cruelty too. Rainsfords profession is killing animals, and while he does
But in the short story Zaroff said to Rainsford,”Tonight said the general we hunt-you and I”(Connell Pg 228)This was a real eye opener because Rainsford is a hunter but yet now he the huntie because General Zaroff is planning on hunting him. It’s not just animals the are being hunted now it is everyone even the humans and if human are being hunted the there is no real top of the line hunter.General Zaroff doesn't even feel bad about it because he believes that he is strong and that all the rest of the humans are weak. He says that the weak is made to pleasure the strong, so he uses hunting people as pleasure for himself. No one or anything is safe anymore because now everything is consider a huntie. In other words there is only the hunties, because nothing is safe
Throughout generations, people have been hunting for food and population control, but in “The Most Dangerous Game” Rainsford thinks that hunting is a sport until he becomes the hunted. In the story, Rainsford met General Zaroff on the island; Rainsford thought he was a nice guy until he started hunting humans. Rainsford didn’t agree with him and refused to hunt, and he wanted to leave immediately, but Zaroff was started to hunt him. Rainsford uses his skills and knowledge to survive against General Zaroff. In “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell suggests to, trust yourself or you won’t succeed. The reader learns that survival is a different world in order to succeed, you need to use instincts, knowledge, and resources.
Characterization is a big part of the overall meaning of the story which is that survival is of those who are smart, cunning, and can adapt to their environment. The protagonist Rainsford is at a constant battle with the antagonist General Zaroff. Throughout the entire short story they both have similar minds sets and then farther along the main character 's mind set develops into something more. The reader can almost sense a self centeredness, and that he believes that there are only two type of people in this world, “the hunters and the huntees”, and he believes that he is the hunter. The personalities of the the protagonist and antagonist play an instrumental role in the overall meaning of the story. Theme also plays a role in the overall meaning of the story.