Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Most Dangerous Game

Good Essays
288 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Most Dangerous Game
“Man is the cruelest animal” Friedrich Nietzsche. In this story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell there is a character named Zaroff. General Zaroff loves to hunt he lives on an island. He seems very civilized. Zaroff is a devoted, wicked, and confident man. The moral of this story is that appearances can be deceiving. General Zaroff is very devoted to hunting he loves the sport. “My whole life I have been a prolonged hunter”. His father gave him his first gun when he was only five and ever since then he has been hunting. “You see I have read all books on hunting published in English, French, and Russian. General Zaroff loves the sport so much that he read many books about hunting. That is how Zaroff knew who Reinsford was because he has read his book. Although Zaroff is a devoted man he is also very wicked.
“But no animal can reason,” objected Reinsford. “My dear fellow” said the general, “there is one that can.” “But you can’t mean-”gasped Reinsford. “And why not?” “I can’t believe you are serious general Zaroff. This is a grisly joke.” “Why should I not be serious? I am speaking of hunting.” “Hunting? General Zaroff what you speak of is murder.” General Zaroff got bored of hunting animals so he began to hunt human beings, because he believes its more amusing. “Life is for the strong to be lived by the strong and if need be taken by the strong. The weak were put on this world to give the strong pleasure.” By general Zaroff bad talking about the weak he does not believe that the weak and the strong should be treated equally. General Zaroff believes the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In "Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Cornell, Zaroff reveals strength, ingenuity, and a selfishness through his murderous and questionable methods of hunting.…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Most Dangerous Game

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is composed of character, setting and conflict. One of the critical themes in the short story is irony, which plays a major role in the story. There is irony in the setting, a remote jungle island, the conflict, murder verses hunting, and the characters, General Zaroff who is a crazed man-hunter and Mr. Rainsford, his prey.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “The Most Dangerous Game”, a short story by Richard Connell, is about… Sanger Rainsford that has lived his life hunting, but abruptly becoming the hunted. By a man named General Zaroff that made a game where he hunts human beings. General Zaroff was also grew up hunting. When Rainsford entered his dining, the hall was bewildering by all the heads of animals and the tasteful silver, linens, and china. Soon after he forced Mr. Rainsford to play his game, he started playing with Rainsford by smiling before he saw him on the tree and when Rainsford arrived in his bedroom, he didn’t act defeated he said someone will be sleeping in this…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    General Zaroff is a man who has hunted every kind of animals. He doesn’t have……

    • 115 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rainsford will not take over General Zaroff’s game of hunting other humans. For instance, when General Zaroff asks Rainsford to go hunting, he says, “Thank you, I’m a hunter, not a murderer.”(25) Rainsford classifies himself as someone who hunts animals, but not humans. He disapproves of General Zaroff’s game and most likely still does. In addition, while Rainsford is being hunted, he thinks, “The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.”(31) Rainsford is truly afraid at this point just like other humans are when they are being hunted. He has had the horrifying experience and probably doesn’t want anyone to feel this fear. As a result, Rainsford is a gentleman and animal…

    • 134 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Rainsford first meets Zaroff, Zaroff is courteous, hospitable, and honorable; he takes Rainsford in, gives him clothes, dinner, wine, and a place to stay. However throughout the course of the evening and dinner, Zaroff's character takes a drastic and radical darkening. "The weak [men] of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure," (Connell 799) says Zaroff over a glass of wine. "I am strong," (Connell 799) he continues to say. Zaroff hunted captured humans as a hobby and a sport! Rainsford is appalled at this, and Zaroff eventually continues to tell Rainsford of his intention to hunt him: "You'll find this game worth playing...Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value, eh?" (Connell 801). Zaroff is so corrupt that he doesn't even understand what he is doing is wrong; he appears so nice on the outside, but his words and actions show his…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hollern Men and Beasts One might shudder at the thought of being hunted by another man. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” Richard Connell reveals the idea of being hunted and slain by another man is all too real. In this story Rainsford finds himself stranded on an island whilst being hunted by General Zaroff who happens to be a skilled hunter in his own right. In this short story the line between man and beast is clouded and the fight between logic and instinct ensues. In this story Rainsford finds that the difference between man and beast is a thin one.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “You were surprised that I recognized your name, You see, I read all books on hunting published in English, French, and Russian.”(p.4, Richard Connell) This use of direct characterization shows that Rainsford is a smart, educated man, because he has written a known book about hunting. In the story Rainsford also says “Thank you, I’m a hunter, not a murderer.”(p.6, Richard Connell) This shows the reader that Rainsford knows what’s right from wrong, and how humans should be treated, rather than how Zaroff treats the men that cross his path.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Initially the setting of the story is on a yacht in the Caribbean. Rainsford is involved in small talk with his friend, Whitney, and the conversation is about their favorite hobby, hunting big game. The fact that these men could afford a hunting trip to the Amazon speaks of their wealth, and these men have apparently taken several trips together. General Zaroff is not unlike Rainsford in this respect. From his childhood, Zaroff has been living in the lap of luxury. The General's father owned "a quarter of a million acres in the Crimea," and gave his son a gun when his son was only five years old. From this early indoctrination into the hunt, the General became a man that not only enjoyed hunting, but his fulfillment in life depended on the hunt. Both Rainsford and Zaroff are wealthy, and both love hunting, but their views of the subject are radically different.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Connell makes the reader question the ethics of the characters driving the plot. For example, in the beginning of the story Rainsford can be seen having a very Darwinistic attitude towards hunting animals while General Zaroff has the same approach towards hunting humans. However, General Zaroff has lost sight of the value of human life entirely. He is blinded by the fact that he no longer is able to find game worthy enough for him to hunt anymore and is baffled by the fact that Rainsford refuses to agree with him. “The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong.”(Connell 18). This adds more conflict to the storyline while simultaneously placing Rainsford in a position where the hunter becomes the hunted. “I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life.” (Connell 17). At this point Rainsford is now really placed within an animal 's shoes and it is safe to say that these events have caused a drastic change to his mindset. This clash in ethics can be heavily associated with concepts of literary…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Everyday I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry of which I can match my wits, (8).” Zaroff speaks his mind about how bored he is with hunting animals. Rainsford hunts animals because he loves the sport of hunting. “It’s the best sport in the world,” as Rainsford calls it. Considering what both men say, it shows they have different morals about hunting and life. Those two points of view about hunting go against each other as Zaroff challenges Rainsford to hunt. Another main way General Zaroff and Rainsford aren’t alike is that General Zaroff believes that humans are on the Earth to provide himself entertainment and Rainsford believes they deserve respect. General Zaroff says, “ I hunt the scum of the Earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, Whites, mongrels--...,(9).” To rephrase it, Zaroff obviously gives no consideration about human life as he shows in the story. Rainsford believes the opposite of that, he says, “But they are men, (9).” in response to what Zaroff says.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dangerous Game

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The smile and the action of turning back caused Rainsford to believe that Zaroff knew where he was hiding. Also the action of letting the smoke to hit Rainsford nose, and looking up the tree but stopping right below where Rainsford is, suggests that Zaroff is playing with Rainsford. I agree with Rainsford because in the story it is said “ ...its pungent incense-like smoke floated up to Rainsford’s nostrils. Rainsford held his breath. The general’s eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree..... But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face.” This phrase gives a hint that Zaroff has sensed Rainsford’s existence.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Richard Connell, the author of, "The Most Dangerous Game," depicts the theme, the most dangerous things are often well hidden; you never fully know how dangerous something is until it is right in your face and the hints are all out. Mr. Zaroff is the perfect example of how the most dangerous things are well hidden; in the article he says, "' I had to invent a new animal to hunt.'...'...It must have courage, cunning, and above all it must be able to reason.'" this shows that the most dangerous things are often well hidden because the animal he is talking about is humans; we are the the smartest species in the world. General Zaroff is hinting at the fact that he is hunting humans, Mr. Rainsford is not quite picking up on the hint…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most dangerous game

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages

    People have always sought to escape their mundane realities through fantastic stories. Richard Connell “The most dangerous game” provides this type of reprieve from reality. Through hyperbolic, stock protagonist and antagonist, a simplistic conflict, and a happy end “The most dangerous game” presents itself to be purely commercial fiction.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Most Dangerous Game

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Both men enjoy hunting—although Zaroff savors it in more ways than Rainsford. Rainsford hunts for sport and has less experience. He writes about the animals he hunts, like snow leopards in Tibet. Zaroff has hunted everywhere and hunted everything and yet he says that it no longer thrills him. Altogether, both are expert hunters and both have military experience—Zaroff from being a Cossack and Rainsford from fighting in France in World War 1.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays