The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

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Recommended: various themes in the hunger games

An author’s main goal is to entice readers with their stories. In order to do so, they use various literary elements. The literary elements create mood, plot, and much excitement. Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” tells the story of Rainsford, who becomes trapped on an island and must fight. Suzanne Collins's trilogy The Hunger Games is the story of how Katniss must defeat the odds pitted against her. Connell and Collins use the elements of foreshadowing, allusion, and irony to create a sense of fear in their writings. An allusion is a reference to a statement, a person, a place or an event. In "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell makes use of allusions frequently. In the very beginning of the story, Whitney says, "I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey's" (Connell 19). Purdey’s is a famous manufacturer of shotguns and rifles, and Connell includes it in the story so readers will come to understand that Whitney and Rainsford are fervent hunters. Furthermore, General Zaroff labels Ivan as a "Cossack”; Cossacks were known for their remarkable battle-skills. Thus, Zaroff shows Ivan as a fierce hunter whom Rainsford should fear. Also, as Rainsford hurries through the forest trying to comprise a plan to baffle General Zaroff, Zaroff sits in his home humming a tune from Madame Butterfly-a famous opera by Puccini. Then, right before he is about to go to bed, he reads "from the works of Marcus Aurelius”, a Roman emperor. Connell makes these references to help readers to benefit from some foreknowledge concerning his story and the characters/situations in it. Suzanne Collin’s has a way with words when it comes to using allusions. The Hunger Games is basically one over-arching allusion to Ancient Rome. The G...

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"The Most Dangerous Game Allusions & Cultural References." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. .
"The Most Dangerous Game." Elements of Literature Third Course. N.p.: Holt, 2009. 16-36. Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Hunger Games Allusions and Cultural References." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. .
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Hunger Games Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. .
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Most Dangerous Game Competition Quotes Page 1." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. .

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