Power Of Authority In Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game

In the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell, the darker action was when Rainsford killed General Zaroff. Richard Connell’s characters in the story follow the actions that were based off Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. In “The Most Dangerous Game”, the darker action was Rainsford killing General Zaroff. The intention for this was because of their agreement.

In “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Rainsford comes upon an island named Ship-Trap island and he meets a man named Zaroff on it. Zaroff is a big game hunter and he says that he is bored because, it no longer challenges him. He moved to Ship-trap island to find and capture sailors and hunt them. Zaroff gives them a three hour head start then sets out to kill them. Any captives who can elude Zaroff for three days are set free.

“Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That was postponing the inevitable” (Connell 21).

Heroes fall. Villains get what they deserve. People who have succeeded for ages will fail. Some would find it ironic that the “undefeatable” will be defeated. The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is a prime example of this.

In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” the author Richard Connel uses vivid imagery at the beginning of the story to set the mood and foreshadow the conflict for readers. For example, after Rainsford, the main character, fell off the boat, the author wrote: “The light of the yacht became faint and ever-vanishing fireflies (page 63)” This certain description sets up the mood of the description, both desperation and hopelessness and presents it to the audience. Nevertheless, the author also wrote: “...a high, screaming sound… in an extremity of anguish and terror.(page 63)” to illustrate the upcoming conflicts adroitly.

“Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell uses both internal conflict (character vs. self) and external conflicts, including character vs. character and character vs. nature, the author uses all of these conflicts consequently it makes the reader tense. This story uses ordinary plot structure: exposition comes 1st, then rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Richard Connell wrote the story this way so that the readers meet the character first, then get slowly excited until it goes to the climax. This story’s exposition happens when Rainsford gets introduced when he and Whitney talk in the ship. Rising action takes place when Rainsford falls from the boat.

“The strongest people aren't always the people who win, but who don't give up when they lose” (Recovery Experts.com). This quote changed people's perspective of the characters in the short story The Most Dangerous Game. For example, Rainsford had very little resources and Zaroff had a lot like a gun, plenty of food, nice clothing, dogs, and a butler while rainsford had little food supply, the outdoors to rely on, and a knife. So Rainsford was not the strongest bt he did not give up and he won. One important lesson the readers learn from Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is don't think you will win just because you are stronger.

Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" showed many good factors throughout including the setting, plot, and characters developement. It developed the theme of the hunter versus the hunted and had many strengths and weaknesses. The setting was well-developed and gave good explanation of the feeling and description, Connell made the setting an important factor in this story. one example is where the setting is, which was shit-trap island, what was said to be mysterious and "Sailors have a curious dread of the place.

In Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” , Rainsford is the positive force in a classic good vs. evil showdown against a psychopathic man-hunter. For example, Rainsford non - evilness is displayed when he declines General Zaroff’s “ We will hunt - you and I,” (10). This is substantial evidence towards Rainsford morals and integrity as a human. Based on the short story, a good and decent person would not want to hunt someone, it is an act of cold blood.

In the short story The Most Dangerous Game, the author Richard Connell shows that Rainsford needs control of his emotions, patience , and expert hunting and decision making skills in order to defeat Zaroff. Rainsford needs to gain control of his emotions to outthink Zaroff, who symbolizes Rainsfords "steep hill". When he finds that he is going to be hunted his natural instinct is to run and panic, but then he stops to look around and get a grip on the task at hand. Then at a critical moment when Zaroff finds him in a tree, Rainsford panics again because he realizes Zaroff is on his trail and is toying with him. Once again, he gains control of his emotions and formulates a plan.

Everyone has to overcome adversity in their life. In Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” the main character, Rainsford, fell of his boat at night time On the Island, Rainsford finds a home where General Zaroff lives. The problem is that the only way he can leave the island is if he survives a “game”. Where General Zaroff is hunting him. So Rainsford has to survive for three days.

"‘But no animal can reason’ objected Rainsford. ‘My dear fellow,’ said the general, ‘there is one that can.’ ‘But you can't mean--’ gasped Rainsford”(Connell, Paragraph 106-108) He knows that General Zaroff is about to hunt him. When General Zaroff asks Rainsford to “play the game” he immediately reverts to himself as a soldier in World War One, in the sense that he knows he has to fight even if he doesn’t want to.

Did you know that authors use many different literary devices to tell a story? A literary device is a technique writers use to make their stories unique and interesting. Literary devices like simile, metaphor, suspense, personification, allusion, irony, foreshadowing, and imagery are used in lots of stories. In the short story ¨The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connell uses literary devices such as suspense and simile to help the reader gain a clear understanding of the story. In this essay, I will provide two examples of literary devices used throughout Richard Connell’s short story.

Fear is not real. It is the product of thoughts you create. Danger is very real, but fear is a choice. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the main character Rainsford is being hunted which creates fear in him. He is scared of dying but overcame his fear by facing the danger of the hunting game.

In Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the setting has a significant effect on the story. By utilizing the island as the main setting, Connell forms the story and helps create character development as it goes on. If the story was set anywhere else, it would be a different story. Through using this specific setting, Connell is able to create and form the plot.