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The Most Dangerous Character Analysis

Decent Essays

Picture a ballroom dance, beautiful, elegant, and intriguing. Now remove the dancers from the stage, and now the stage is empty, dull, and pointless. Much like a story without dynamic characters. In “The Most Dangerous” written by Richard Connell, dynamic characters effectively engage the audience. One character that shows this is Rainsford, a big game hunter lost on a tropical island. On the island he comes across General Zaroff who is also a hunter, but not in the conventional way. Beatrice (Tris) from the Divergent series, written by Veronica Roth, is also a great example of a dynamic character effectively engaging an audience. In post apocalyptic Chicago the society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to different morals - …show more content…

Connell writes, “The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror” (Connell 34). This quotes shows Rainsford being terrified by his plight for the first time. The audience is left wondering if Zaroff’s mind games will be Rainsford’s Achilles heel. Knowing that Rainsford is a dynamic character adds suspense because he has to change physically and mentally to survive, and the audience doesn’t know if he is capable of that. If a character doesn’t change then the story is predictable and simple. Dynamic characters are a necessity in creating suspense and engaging an audience. Not only do dynamic characters create suspense, but they also make for a more complete story. Another way is that dynamic characters make for a more complete story. Had Beatrice not had been a dynamic character there would be no story. Once every year all sixteen-year-olds must select a faction in which they will dedicate their lives to, and put faction over family. Beatrice must decide staying with her family or be who she really is. Beatrice is also hiding a life threatening secret. What starts her change is when Beatrice chooses to switch out of her faction, Abnegation, and into Dauntless, and when she changes her name to Tris. In the beginning of the book Tris is dependent on others and is obedient.

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