The Most Dangerous Game

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David Michalak Mr. Shannon English 1301.04 December 6, 2012 “The Most Dangerous Game” The protagonist in short story The Most Dangerous Game is Sanger Rainsford who is an avid hunter. He is on his way to the Amazon to hunt jaguars. Rainsford falls asleep on the deck of the yacht and is startled by gun fire. In his frightened state he falls overboard. Rainsford swims many miles to reach the gun shots he heard. He ends up on an island known as Ship-Trap Island. There he meets General Zaroff who is a hunter from Cossack. Zaroff owns the island and takes in Rainsford and provides him with clothing and very expensive food. Over dinner they talk about their hunting experiences and about big game. General Zaroff explains he has hunted everything and has become bored with it. When Rainsford discovers the General is suggesting the idea of hunting humans he does not approve and calls Zaroff a murderer not a hunter. After refusing to go hunting with Zaroff, Rainsford is now in the reverse role of being the hunted. In Richard Connell’s short story, The Most Dangerous Game, Connell shows irony in a dramatic and verbal way. He provides the reader with imagery and suggests moral lessons of humanity. At the beginning of the story Rainsford refers to the animals as not having any understanding. He discusses this with his friend Whitney who suggests that animals have “fear of pain and fear of death.” Rainsford replies to this comment as “nonsense.” When Rainsford plays the reverse role of being hunted and not the hunter, he now feels the fear of pain and death. Rainsford attempts to use traps on Zaroff as though he was an animal. After failing to kill Zaroff he gains respect with his traps. The tables turn again when Rainsford starts to hunt Zaroff. This story ends with Rainsford sneaking into Zaroff’s bedroom as waits for his prey. The author Richard

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