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Analyzing Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game

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One of the famous short stories that Richard Edward Connell wrote remains “The Most Dangerous Game”; it was published in 1925. His short story had become popular in 1932, they made a movie called The Most Dangerous Game and The Hounds of Zaroff. Connells nature of violence, cruelty, and the ethics of hunting for sport supported his writing style and made his writing extraordinary (“Dangerous game”). Analyzing “The Most Dangerous Game” displays a hunt that is between two men, every twist and turn through a gruesome tale. During this time period the Russian revolution, a time at which Russian communism reduced the privileged life of the noble to a level at or near the life of the Russian proletariat; the “debacle in Russia” refers to the Russian …show more content…

The violence of his mailous host, General Zaroff, initially shocks Rainsford but as he fights to stay alive he becomes caught up in Zaroff’s game. The Generals attempts to justify his violence with “civilized” arguments (“Dangerous Game”). He poses as a modern rationalist and argues against “romantic ideas about the value of human life” and the scolds Rainsford for being “extraordinarily droll” in his response. Zaroff continually defends his murderous desires as the sophisticated and rational extension of hunting animals. Issues of violence and cruelty in “The Most Dangerous Game” exist not only on a literal level but on a symbolic level as well. As Connell directs the reader to sympathize with Rainsford, the reader feels what it is like to be a hunted animal. Zaroff’s shows off his animal heads and after describing his new prey, he refers to his “new collection or heads,” which are supposedly human. Connell mixes violence and cruelty with pleasure to engage the reader and makes a statement at the same time (“Dangerous Game”). Zaroff’s murder, therefore, is not self-defense, as it would have been before Rainsford won the game. It’s either an act of revenge or killing for sport. When he first learns of Zaroff’s sport, Rainsford is horrified. Yet, during the game he kills the dog and Ivan and does not indicate remorse. . He does not set the other “prey” free as soon as he murders Zaroff. Connell thus opens up the possibility that playing the game changes Rainsford (“Dangerous

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