Most Dangerous Game Analysis

In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell and the poem “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning, the authors use characterization and imagery to convey that the desire for power can drive man to psychotic actions.

People are blessed with the ability and sense to perceive things from another’s eyes, or in other words, from another’s point of view. The tragic part is we often don’t take the opportunity to use this gift. Many times we don’t take into consideration how others may feel until we are put into a similar situation. Rainsford's views on hunting are revealed in the early conversations with Whitney. "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 have no understanding" "Even so, I rather think they understand one thing—fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death." Therefore, Rainsford hunts only for the sport and has no sympathy for the hunted.

It had been a week since Rainsford managed to kill the nefarious General Zaroff. The challenging part was almost over or so it seemed. There was not a clear way for Rainsford to escape. As days passed, Rainsford tried to escape. He tried making a boat from driftwood that he found, he tried swimming, he even tried sending a signal by using a flashlight. Rainsford had become so desperate that he even tried some ridiculous plans like trying to pole vault across the ocean. As a result, Rainsford ended up having huge gashes in his left leg ,which got infected, and he had to amputate it. As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Rainsford had lost hope and became bitter.

“The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees.” In the short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ which was written by Richard Connell there are two main characters, Rainsford and General Zaroff. Rainsford thought that General Zaroff wanted to hunt with him when in all reality General Zaroff wanted to hunt him(Rainsford) himself. Richard Connell uses irony, theme and characterization to develop the plot and characters. The use of these literary devices suggests that Connell wanted to make the story more interesting and suspenseful so the reader can enjoy reading it.

Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" is a very exciting story of a manhunt. This story made me think about the morality of hunting: Humans are the cleverest creatures on earth, but does it give them a license to kill the other animals and even human beings weaker than themselves? I give below a short summary of the story to set the scene and then I will explore the ethics involved in hunting as a sport. "The Most Dangerous Game" presents the story of a hunter, General Zaroff, who finds hunting human beings as the most dangerous and fascinating sport.

What is human nature? The Bible says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all fallen, sinful and depraved, all of us are. Humans are evil. Genesis 1-3 shows us that God made us whole and good, but we have ruined his perfect plan. The greatest of men were all sinners. Moses, the leader of Israel was a murder (Exodus 2:11-15), David slept with Bathsheba and then killed her husband (2 Samuel 11-12), Paul murdered christians (Acts 9), and the list goes on and on.

Imagine turning up on an island with a psychotic man, a man who hunts humans. This is what General Zaroff does, on Ship-Trap-Island. General Zaroff is a rich hunter who hunts most animals, even the most dangerous. This is the story written by Richard Connell, called The Most Dangerous Game, It is about a psychotic man with a hunting obsession. Once Zaroff gets bored with the hunting animals he turns to something new, humans. The author thinks that hunting is normal, that people have a killer instinct. That it is our human nature to hunt, and kill. The author also thinks that it is human nature to look for new challenges and to live strong. Much like Zaroff, the author believes life, is for the willing.

Resourcefulness is being able to overcome difficulties quickly and in a clever way. Resourcefulness can also be using one’s surroundings for his/her benefit with prior knowledge and experience. In Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the main character Rainsford shows these skills of resourcefulness as he tries to survive the hunt. Rainsford is an experienced big game hunter that is trapped on a tropical jungle covered island with another big game hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff has gained so much experience in hunting, due to this he has lost interest in hunting animals and now enjoys the hunt of humans. Rainsford is put in the position to be torched or participate in a game of hunting. When Rainsford is challenged to this game of hunting he is forced to try and survive. Rainsford is able to survive the hunt because he uses his resources and prior knowledge to weaken Zaroff helping him win the hunt.

At the beginning of the story Rainsford is talking to Whitney about how a jaguar cannot feel anything and is only an animal to be hunted and killed, by the end of the book Rainsford has become the huntee and now feels the true fear of being hunted.

Where do you draw the line in hunting? Is it at the point where you feel pity for your prey? Is it the fact your prey feels pain? Or is it just that you’re stronger and they’re weaker so it doesn’t matter. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell is a story about learning and experience, how the hunter becomes the hunted and moralities tested and learning the hard way. The main protagonist Rainsford is a well established hunter who has slaughtered many animals with great joy. He views his prey as aggressive creatures that are lower that lack any reason to live other than hunting. Through the story Rainsford ends washed up on a mysterious island where his ideals about hunting are pit against those of an eccentric Cossack General. Through

In the beginning of the book,Rainsford does not care for the animals he hunts.Rainsford and whitney were talking about what it would be like to be the hunted and how a Jaguar feels.

Rainsford, from the beginning, reveals his arrogance to the readers. “This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters.” (Connell 63). The context is that Rainsford is speaking with Whitney and he believes that the animals have a sense of understanding and fear, but Rainsford does not. Rainsford is impudent towards his friend by criticizing his beliefs. He is moreover conceited when he places himself in the higher class of society. The protagonist is being insensitive to Whitney and to the living, fearful animals, commencing the separation from morality, shown throughout this short story. The antagonist, General Zaroff, numerously illustrates his hubristic personality.

To begin, the main character Sanger Rainsford believes that animals don’t have emotions nor do they feel pain therefore hunters should not feel sympathy for the animals when there being hunted. “The world is made up of two classes-- the hunters and the huntees”(Connell 3). This scene foreshadows that Rainsford doesn’t feel sympathy for the animals when he’s hunting them because he believes that they don’t have emotions nor has pain. Connell uses foreshadowing to forecast how Rainsford states that animals don’t have emotions nor can they feel pain. When Rainsford being hunted by Zaroff he learns that the huntees have to use their surroundings

For your final follow-up assignment for the “Most Dangerous Game” you will choose ONE of the following activities.

While on the ship looking at some islands, Whitney brings up a controversial hunting subject, whether or not an animal is capable of feeling fear. On this topic Rainsford continues to say “Who cares how a jaguar feels?" and "Bah! They've no understanding.". This was at the beginning of the story when Rainsford had felt to show no remorse for killing any type of animal until he realized what it was like to be the hunted.