Fear In Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game

Rainsford is a hunter, but he is other things as well. He is a soldier and has fought wars. He had been a philosopher. Even though he is a soldier, he cannot stand the idea of killing other men. He doesn’t care, or even think about, his prey’s feelings. As far as he knows, they have none at all.

In the story General Zaroff states, “Simply this, hunting had ceased to be what you call `a sporting proposition.' It had become too easy. I always got my quarry. Always. There is no greater bore than perfection." (pg #7) In this statement General Zaroff is being very arrogant in saying that hunting has become too easy, he is perfect and he was becoming bored of it. Also the in the text, Zaroff states, "No animal had a chance with me any more. That is no boast; it is a mathematical certainty. The animal had nothing but his legs and his instinct. Instinct is no match for reason. When I thought of this it was a tragic moment for me, I can tell you." A sense of arrogance is also implied in this sentence in which the General is saying that no animal out there has a chance against him. He is practically saying he’s too good for all the animals and he is saddened by this. In both statements he is boasting in saying these

When Rainsford is put into the game, he thinks of a plan to throw off General Zaroff and says to himself, “‘I'll give him a trail to follow,’ muttered Rainsford, and he struck off from the rude path he had been following into the trackless wilderness. He executed a series of intricate loops” (Connell 34-35). Then Zaroff talks about his life, the war, and brags while saying, “‘I have hunted every kind of game in every land. It would be impossible for me to tell you how many animals I have killed’” (Connell 29). Not only are Rainsford and General Zaroff both hunters, but also they are very good and smart hunters. Rainsford says this during the hunt and it describes him making an intricate trail for Zaroff. He is using all of his skills and being very smart to try to lead Zaroff in the wrong direction. Likewise, General Zaroff says that he has hunted every type of animal. This shows that he is a good hunter and he has hunted so many he couldn’t even tell him how many he’s killed. This displays their similarities as hunters and people because they are very smart. In the very first scene, Rainsford and Whitney discuss hunting in the Amazon and they begin to say, “‘The best sport in the world,’ agreed Rainsford. / ‘For the hunter,’ amended Whitney. ‘Not for the jaguar.’ / ‘Don't talk rot, Whitney,’ said Rainsford. ‘You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?’ / ‘Perhaps the jaguar does,’ observed Whitney. / ‘Bah! They've no understanding’” (Connell 22). Later, Zaroff tries to persuade Rainsford into hunting humans because he thinks, “‘Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong’” (Connell 30). Another similarity the two hunters have is that they don’t care how others feel. Rainsford doesn’t care

The harsh truth of island life reveals that Zaroff’s idea of civilization includes personal pleasure derived from murder .Zaroff explains his “game.” Zaroff has become bored with hunting because the animals do not provide a challenge for him, so hunts the only animal that can think and reason—man (Connell 74).He believes that he deserves the challenge, so it is morally right to hunt men. This is not civilized behavior. It is murder. He tries explains why it is right. “‘If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth—[…]’”(Connell 75).Zaroff believes that his social status and wealth give him the right to kill those in lower classes. This

In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game”(by Richard Connell) General Zaroff was a rich man due to his father’s wealth. General Zaroff is a great hunter and he has adapted many skills from hunting dangerous game. General Zaroff is a very interesting character in the story because of all the traits that describe him. The story starts out on a yacht bound for Rio de Janeiro where a passenger named Whitney points out Ship-Trap Island in the distance, a place that sailors dread and avoid. He and his friend Rainsford are big-game hunters bound for a hunting trip in the Amazon River basin. As the yacht sails through the darkness, the two men discuss whether their prey actually feels fear. Rainsford believes that the world

When the story begins Rainsford acts to be selfish and very arrogant, you can tell by the way he acts when he talks to fellow hunters and people. While reading on page 789 in the beginning Rainsford says “Who cares how jaguars feel.” To another hunter named Whitney who has a different view of animal life. So Rainsford obviously doesn’t feel that jaguars and other living things are equal to humans. Later on, in the story in Rainsfords hunts particularly or even him

Both of them have seemed to have different war experiences. Rainsford is in the position of being hunted. Connell also suggests that Zaroff's martial experiences altered him and allowed him to think of other people as worthy prey. Connell is showing the hunter and the prey how to kill or to be killed. The story consists of lots of violence as he hunts for humans. The author wants us to see the cruelty in the hunting for animals, or humans. He shows reason and instinct through Rainsford's friend Whitney, who asserts that animals instinctively feel fear and then confesses that Captain Neilson's description of Ship-Trap Island has given him chills. Rainsford realized that all creatures, including people, rely on fear and their instinct to survive to avoid pain and death. Rainsford was a committed and determined survivor he just does not give up. Being a good hunter meant that he had the ability to improvise and take risks.

The opening of the story introduced the reader to some important themes. One of the first things is the conversation between Rainsford and Whitney’s about the pleasure of hunting. Rainsford is a skeptic and believes that animals do not experience feelings or thoughts. He clearly establishes a hierarchy between man and beast. This relationship is revisited throughout the story.

Rainsford is introduced to the hunt, and the general explains his “new animal”. The general explains, “it supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world. No other hunting compares with it for an instant”(37). As General Zaroff explains the hunt, Rainsford realizes how wrong it is and knows he needs to escape the island. Second, Zaroff explains to Rainsford that he will be the hunted and will be a part of the game. Rainsford shook his head “No general,” he said. “I will not hunt”(41). He refuses to hunt humans and play the game because Rainsford knows it is disgusting and not normal. Therefore, Rainsford knows about the cruelty of the hunt and that he will be the hunted

In Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” the main character, Rainsford, develops from a ruthless and brutal attitude about hunting to a more sympathetic and understanding one due to the scarring experiences of being on the other end of the barrel. While on a hunting expedition to the dangerous Amazon Jungle, Rainsford, discusses with Whitney, his hunting partner, about whether or not animals, especially jaguars, have feelings. Although being a big-game hunter, Whitney suggests that their prey may have sentience, in which Rainsford retorts, “they’ve no understanding” and then goes about telling Whitney how “the world is made of two classes — the hunters and the huntees.” Whitney, being a foil character to portray Rainsford’s

“The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story by Richard Connell. This is a story about someone named Rainsford who travels across a sea and meets General Zaroff. General Zaroff challenges Rainsford to a fight to the death and Rainsford wins. As one reads the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, it can believed that the author is trying to create a hunt or be hunted atmosphere. The purpose to showing a hunt or be hunted atmosphere is to explain to the reader how you must defend yourself in certain situations. One way this can be shown is by General Zaroff taking a leap towards finding a “new animal” to hunt as in a human instead of an actual animal. General Zaroff has lost interest in the hunting of regular animals. (Connell 7) Since the loss of

Zaroff on the other hand, has hunted his entire life. He started hunted animals when he was a child and kept doing that throughout his life. He lives on an island by himself, and has lots of land to practice and get good at it. Another similarity point would be that Zaroff hunts humans. Yes, he started with animals early in his life, but he got bored and switched to humans.

But Rainsford drastically changes his mind when the tables are turned. After falling off the ship and swimming to the shore line, Rainsford meets Zaroff, who has devolved a new hunting "animal". This animal has knowledge, has reason and technic. This "animal" is human.

At the beginning of the book when Whitney and Rainsford were talking about the fear of pain and the fear of death Rainsford had said “be a realist. The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees” (3). Towards the end of the book before they had went to bed the general had said that Rainsford couldn't go with him. The general had said “I expect rather fair sport- a big, strong fellow” (17). Rainsford has similar ideas about hunting that are initially similar to Zaroff’s. Rainsford has the hunters which could be compared to the strong and and the huntees which are the animals being hunted that could be to the weak.

Rainsford went to the room and got ready to go hunting. He dreaded what he was fixing to do. Rainsford loved hunting, but how could he hunt people. People had feelings and families. Maybe animals felt the same thing? Of course animals have fear and instinct, but can animals love and feel happiness? When a dog is happy or exited it wags its tail. The thing that made Rainsford even more concerned is a mother’s care for her puppies. If she didn’t have feelings the puppies would just die. She would just abandon them. Maybe he has been killing people after all.