Premium Essay

The Predator In Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game

Submitted By
Words 435
Pages 2
How does it feel to be the prey instead of the predator ? In the story “The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell, the main character, Rainsford, learns what it is like to go from the hunter to the hunted and back to the hunter. Rainsford is a dynamic character and is the protagonist of the story. He loved the art of hunting because he was always the hunter. For example, Rainsford explained his feelings about hunting when he stated, “Great sport of hunting, the best sport in the world of hunting.” This quote explains the art of hunting from his point of view. Another example that represents his point of view of hunting is found on page 216 when Rainsford states, “The world is made up of two classes, the hunted and the hunters. Lucky you …show more content…
He realizes the true feeling of being hunted and being the prey. From pg. 231 a quote he states, “I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable.” The true meaning of this statement means Rainsford is now the prey. In addition, he states on pg. 232 “ The Cossock was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.” In this statement he knew that this is the fight to the death and he will have to do anything to survive.
Throughout the story Rainsford is made to be the prey, thus forcing him to quickly learn how to be the better predator. He has now experienced what it’s like to hunt for survival. On page 235 it says, “Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay feels.” The quote means Rainsford knows how a prey feels since he is in the same situation. Furthermore, another quote Rainsford states, “ I congratulate you, you won the game,” said the general. In addition, Rainsford said “ I am still a beast at bay. Get ready General. ” Rainsford is getting revenge against the general and returns to being the hunter instead of being hunted. Finally, throughout the entire story Rainsford was a dynamic character who experienced first-hand the feelings of being a hunter and being a prey. After this grueling experience, he is changed forever. He know longer disregard the animals he hunts, however, since he became the prey he no longer thought of hunting as a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Most Dangerous Game Literary Analysis

...“The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell is a short story about conflict. The two main characters are the world renowned hunter, Mr. Sanger Rainsford, and Russian Cossack General Zaroff. In the story, Rainsford is on a friend’s yacht, and while he is on the yacht he is smoking a cigar. He hears a sound that intrigues him. He is curious because it sounded like a gunshot. Curiously, he hops on the railing. While teetering on the yacht’s railing, his cigar falls out of his mouth. He tries to catch it, but it falls into the ocean and he falls off the railing. While struggling to keep afloat in the ocean, Rainsford yells at the top his lungs hoping that someone aboard the yacht will hear him and tell the captain to turn the yacht around. However,...

Words: 1500 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Fictional Essay

...Irony, Conflict and Theme in “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Destructors” English 102 Composition and Literature Spring 2016-D15 LUO Belinda Joseph–L27213212 APA Thesis Statement and Outline “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Destructors” Thesis Statement: Connell and Greene reveal with the use of irony, conflict and theme, mankind’s human nature, exposing man’s most primal instincts and desires through their characters. I. Irony A. The hunter becomes the hunted. 1. In a conversation about Jaguar hunting with Whitney, Rainsford exclaims, “You’re are a big game hunter, not a philosopher, who cares how a jaguar feels?" (Connell, 1924, p.1). 2. Rainsford is in the place of the prey and Zaroff has the advantage. “It was Rainsford who knew the full meaning of terror”. (Connell, 1924, p.11). 3. Roles reverse and Rainsford kills him in the end. “He had never slept in a better bed”. (Connell, 1924, p.13). B. Unexpected behavior. 4. Trevor the son of an architect becoming a gang leader. (Greene, 1954, p. 1). 5. Moral about Old misery’s money “We aren’t thieves....Nobody is going to steal anything from this house.” (Greene, 1954, p. 6). 6. Food and a blanket is taken to Old Misery “We don’t want you to starve Mr. Thomas” (Greene, 1954, p. 10). II. Conflict C. Rainsford struggle with “Man vs. Self” 7. Rainsford’s survival to stay alive. 8. Rainsford’s wits and state of mind...

Words: 1137 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game Hunter

...As a hunter stalks its prey, it has no fear, and it feels the strongest of animals. It feels as if nothing can hurt it. The hunter will always perceive itself as strongest, but that is not always the case. In Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game", big game hunter, Sanger Reinsford, discovers he has three challenging lessons ahead: strong versus the weak, the value of life, and becoming what he fears. Each challenge will test his will to survive while he holds to his moral beliefs. First Reinsford must endure the challenge of strong versus the weak. He is like weak prey against a strong, knowledgeable predator. Reinsford is weak both mentally and physically due to being unfamiliar with the terrain, and he had to run a great...

Words: 381 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Comparing Most Dangerous Game 'And Hunters In The Snow'

...Hunter versus the Hunted Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” and Tobias Wolff’s “Hunters in the Snow” are fictional short stories that share a common theme of the hunter versus the hunted. In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Sanger Rainsford, an avid big game hunter, finds himself trapped on an unforgiving hideaway known as Ship-Trap Island. Meanwhile, in “Hunters in the Snow” a group of young men venture into the wilderness for the thrill of killing a wild animal. In both stories, the protagonists are portrayed as the hunted, as the hunters, and finally, as the victors. Rainsford has seen war, had numerous near death experiences with wild animals and continues to engage in the sport for the love of hunting. He and his shipmates are off to...

Words: 556 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Most Dangerous Game

...Fiction Essay ENGL 102 Composition and Literature APA Abstract Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” and Thomas Wolfe’s “The Child by Tiger” have many similarities in the stories. Two men face conflict of good and evil, but in different perspectives because the two types of literature are wrote differently. “The Most Dangerous Game” is escape literature; it’s adventurous and unrealistic, written for pleasure, while “The Child by Tiger” is interpretive literature it teaches about the world around us and helps one understand deeper issues. In both stories, the characters show different sides to themselves they show their good side and fool people thinking they are someone they are not and eventually show their evil side. Fiction Essay In both “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Child by Tiger” both men are portrayed very civilized and kind, but both authors show how people can change in an instance and become murderers. In “The Most Dangerous Game” Sanger Rainsford is the story protagonist he is an intelligent renowned hunter who believes the world consist of only predators and pray. As he is traveling on a yacht for Rio de Janeiro with a friend named Whitney she points out a mysterious island that people named Ship-Trap Island. Whitney becomes tired and wants to go bed, but Rainsford stays ups to have another smoke. While he is up, he hears gunshots in the direction of the island. Rainsford leans to far over and falls overboard, he calls for help no one hears...

Words: 1609 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Life Sketch

...Second Coming could look like. Turning and turning in the widening gyre (line 1) Yeats imagines the world in a cyclical sphere known a gyre (shape of a cone). In Yeats' note on the text, he states that "the end of an age, which always receives the revelation of the character of the next age, is represented by the coming of one gyre to its place of greatest expansion and of the other to that of its greatest contraction" (2036). Yeats believes that the two thousand years of Christianity will be coming to an end, and after a violent reversal a new age will take its place. The widening part of the gyre is supposed to connote anarchy, evil, and the loss of innocence. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; (2) The falconer in this analogy is most likely God (or Jesus), and the falcon is the follower (or devotee). Humanity can no longer hear the word of God, because it is drowned out by all of chaos of the widening gyre. A wild falcon can symbolize an unconverted Gentile; someone who has sinful thoughts, and does sinful things. A tame falcon (one who listens to the word of God) is a Christian convert. In the Egyptian culture, the falcon is used to represent sky deities (or in Christian terms, God). Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, (3-4) Everything will fall into chaos if there is not a guiding morality such as God. The world cannot stay at the center of the gyre, because it would mean complete destruction. There has to be a reversal...

Words: 23171 - Pages: 93