Sanger Rainsford vs. General Zaroff
In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell, Sanger Rainsford, a famous hunter, finds himself on Ship-Trap Island after falling overboard a yacht. After arriving on the island, he meets its owner, General Zaroff, another avid hunter. He soon discovers that General Zaroff has grown bored of hunting animals, and now he hunts men he traps on the island. The protagonist, Rainsford and the
antagonist, General Zaroff have conflicting morals, character, attitudes, and
personalities. These differences cause them to become mortal enemies, pitted against each other in a game to the death. During the rising action of the story, General Zaroff explains to Rainsford that he hunts humans because he has become
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bored of hunting animals.
Rainsford is disgusted by Zaroff, and says, “Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff. This is a grisly joke,” (8). Zaroff dismisses Rainsford’s feelings and refuses to believe “that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life,” (8). In the narrative only one of these men go through changes in their character. Rainsford is a dynamic character who goes from disregarding how the “huntee” feels, to keenly understanding their fear and pain. During the exposition of the story, Rainsford tells his hunting partner, Whitney, “Who cares how a jaguar feels?” Then, during the falling action of the story, he takes the place of a huntee, and he is able to understand what they feel. Rainsford also experiences a shift in morals considering he declares during the rising action that his experience in the war did not make him “condone cold-blooded murder” (8). In the resolution, the general says, “One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford.” Rainsford fights Zaroff and feeds him to the hounds,
which reveals a change in his belief. Zaroff, on the other hand, is a relatively static character. From the moment he is introduced he does not value human life, or any form of life, except for his personal entertainment. He disregards the thoughts and feelings of his game and kills men for sport. Not only are Rainsford’s and Zaroff’s morals in contrast, but their attitudes while hunting are vastly different. The general is an overall conceited person. Soon after the game begins, he has a chance to kill Rainsford and end it. However, he smiles and leaves the spot where he could have gotten an easy kill. Rainsford realizes that, “the general was saving him for another day’s sport!” (13). Rainsford, however, is anxious while he and Zaroff are hunting. He is focused on surviving and continues to repeat the sentence, “I will not lose my nerve,” (13) to himself. Finally, their personalities largely differ. Zaroff lives on a secluded island with only his bodyguard, Ivan, and his hounds. From this information, it can be inferred that Zaroff cares more for his game than he does having company. Rainsford, on the other hand, lives in New York City, which is densely populated. Zaroff also treats Ivan as though he is property, rather than a friend. When Ivan dies, Zaroff thinks to himself, “it would be difficult to replace Ivan.” (15), much like his reaction to losing his best hound. Rainsford, however, treats Whitney as a friend, rather than just a hunting partner. When Whitney and Rainsford are speaking about what an animal feels, Rainsford replies to Whitney with a laugh, “Nonsense. This hot weather is making you soft,”(1). The way he speaks to Whitney and treats Whitney shows that Rainsford thinks of him as a friend. In the end, Zaroff and Rainsford discover who is the most dangerous game. Rainsford saves himself and ends the slaughter on Ship-Trap Island when he kills Zaroff.
In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” Rainsford was justified in killing General Zaroff. Rainsford is a hunter. He was on a yacht that crashed and he was the only survivor. The island that he swam to was named “Ship Trap Island.” This where General Zaroff lived. He is also a hunter. He has hunted anything you can think of. Even… people. He has the survivors from the ship wrecks “play” his “game.” The survivors go out into the jungle and General Zaroff goes out and finds them. They have three days to survive. If they don’t get caught in those three days, they win. If they lose… they are killed. This happened to Rainsford. Rainsford, thankfully, won the “game.” He shot General Zaroff after his win.
The most dangerous game began as a sport for one man. His name is Sanger Rainsford. In Richard Connell’s story “The Most Dangerous Game,” Sanger Rainsford, an avid hunter, is lost at sea, stranded on “Ship-Trap” Island-every sailor’s worst nightmare. Rainsford goes through a series of events that prove to be life-altering. Even though Sanger Rainsford went through many trials and tribulations, he never lost his intelligence, composure, or his bravery.
In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford was justified in killing General Zaroff. Rainsford is a hunter. He was on a yacht until he fell off the boat. He swam all the way to shore because Rainsford heard three gun shots. He walked upon a gigantic mansion. This house was for a man named General Zaroff. He was an hunter just like Rainsford in a hunt , but hunted humans instead of animals. General Zaroff wanted to kill Rainsford in a hunt with the General. Also, the General threaten Rainsford if he doesn’t hunt with him; he will be sent with Ivan.
In both film and story, Rainsford expresses his lack of sympathy for his prey. Similar to the story, Rainsford meets Ivan first and can’t get through to him and then, he’s greeted by Zaroff. In the film, Zaroff knows that Rainsford is a famous hunter and has read his books, just like in the story. Moreover, Zaroff reveals that a cape buffalo gave him the scar on his head. In the same manner, Zaroff tells Rainsford how he stocks his island with human prey. Just as the film showed Zaroff has a room filled with human heads, and that’s also mentioned in the story. Furthermore, Rainsford uses the same traps (Malay Mancatcher, Burmese Tiger Pit, and a native Uganda Trick) in the film as he did in the story. In addition, Rainsford kills Ivan with the same native Uganda trick. Both film and movie, unveils that Rainsford kills
In the short story “the most dangerous game”, Rainsford was justified in killing General Zaroff.
After falling off his ship and forced to swim to a mysterious island, Rainsford is faced with a challenge. General Zaroff traps him in a “game” that requires Rainsford to use his skills to survive. He is hunted for three days; where he was chased, tracked down, and shot at. General Zaroff led the hunt to try to kill Rainsford. General was equipped with more firepower and help from his henchman and dogs. But even with his much greater opponent, he was able to survive. Rainsford used his many skills to defeat and kill his enemy. He used quick wit to make traps that would slow Zaroff and kill his dogs and henchman. Then he used his intelligence to escape Zaroff by swimming away, but sneaking back into his own mansion.
Rainsford is known for his extravagant hunting skills, even General Zaroff speaks of Rainsford as is if he has inspired him to become a hunter. Rainsford talks about hunting with passion, while he is speaking to Whitney he tells her it’s “the best sport in the world” (19). Rainsford has no guilt when he kills animals, he even tells Whitney that it’s nonsense when she mention the jaguars have feeling. But Rainsford shows immediate disgust when Zaroff brings up his hunting of humans, “hunting, great heavens, what you speak of is murder” (26). This only the first of many times that he reacts with great displeasure.
A skilled hunter sprints desperately through the woods, realizing the futility of hiding from his greatest foe: his own kind. Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is the story of a hunter that becomes the hunted. The story explores the sense of extreme terror the protagonist feels being pursued by a psychopath living on a mysterious island. This protagonist, Rainsford, has many traits that aid him in his battle with the general. By demonstrating his cunning, sly, and remorseful traits, Rainsford shows the story’s theme of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”.
“You’re a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?”. The story “The Most dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell introduces an adventurous type of thriller with two main characters named Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff. Both of which are hunters who in the story play a “game” invented by General Zaroff out of pure fear of becoming bored of the hunt. General Zaroff is a big fan of the hunt and everything he says about the hunt is to be taken serious. Rainsford and General Zaroff are described to be excellent hunters through the traps Rainsford makes, all the big game Zaroff has hunted, but Zaroff is better at hunting through the fact that the hunt has began to bore and he needs more of a challenge hunting humans.
In the beginning of the story, Rainsford has a conversation with his friend, Whitney, about hunting animals. Rainford does not care about the animals that he hunts. He believes hunting is only a sport to kill innocent creatures. “‘Who cares how a jaguar feels?’” (1) Showing the reader exactly what he thinks of hunting. Rainsford does not understand that the animals he hunts are like the people that Zaroff hunts. They are innocent, and he is murdering them when he hunts them. Rainsford thinks that Zaroff is insane for murdering people, but Rainsford is also a murderer. When Zaroff hunts Rainsford, the protagonist realizes the terror and pain the jaguars must have felt when he hunted them. Now the roles are reversed, and Rainsford is the one being hunted. “The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. The general was saving him for another day’s sport! Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.” (17) Rainsford has changed his feelings about hunting animals now, and he has become a better person. He now takes into account how his prey feels. His interactions with people will also be different, because instead of being extremely overconfident, he realizes that he is not perfectly adept at hunting, and everyone has feelings that matter. In conclusion, Rainsford is now more humble and less overconfident than he was when he began his
First, Rainsford had too much pride for his own good. “‘The best sport in the world,’ agreed Rainsford. ‘For the hunter,’ amended Whitney. ‘Not the jaguar.’ ‘Don't talk rot, Whitney,’ said Rainsford. ‘You’re a big game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how the jaguar feels?’(60).” Rainsford never tried to put himself in someone else's shoes, even when someone like Whitney tried to tell him and make him see empathy. Later on in the story, the General gives Rainsford and chance to hide, then sets out to hunt him. Only after being hunted does Rainsford understand what Whitney was talking about when he said, “‘Not the jaguar’(60).”
Rainsford was forced to choose between life and death by Zaroff. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he hunts people as a type of wild game and takes them hunting first then gives them a few survival things and have to survive for three days in order to win.
General Zaroff used hunting tactics when they were eating “the last supper” at Zaroff’s house. Every time Rainsford looked up, he said, “he found him studying him, appraising him narrowly” (Connell 66). By this, the reader can tell that Zaroff is trying to notice Rainsford’s tendencies. Knowing these can make hunting him easier. Also at dinner, Zaroff explains to Rainsford that “God made him a hunter” and how his father believed that “his hand was made for the trigger” since he was ten (Connell 85). Zaroff sharing this with Rainsford is proof that this man is a talented hunter and has been for a long time. Rainsford is quite the hunter himself. So much so, that Zaroff knew who he was when he arrived. The General stated, “It is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home” (Connell 52). Also during the hunt when Rainsford set up the Burmese tiger pit and claiming one of Zaroff’s dogs, Zaroff tells him, “You’ve done well, Rainsford” (Connell 194). If his enemy believes that he is a great hunter, then he must be. Especially because Zaroff thinks so highly of himself. Going back to when Rainsford was
When Rainsford falls off of the boat, he has to try his best to stay afloat until he can find something to latch on to. He swims vigorously until he reaches Ship-Trap Island. "Jagged crags appeared to jut up into the opaqueness... dense jungle came down to the very edge of the cliffs." It is midday and he is just searching for a place to rest when he runs into Ivan, the astonishingly large guard of the island. Zaroff, the owner of the island, joins in on their conversation about hunting. The conversation is interesting to say the least. Zaroff says, "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?" Zaroff is trying to point out that he finds interest in hunting humans, and he wants to know if Rainsford will rise to the challenge. Rainsford is left with a choice to make; will he fight Zaroff, or will he decline and get killed by Ivan. The choice in this situation is pretty self- evident.
Rainsford overcomes many obstacles, and in return he receives that special feeling of satisfaction in his body. To start, he overcomes the thought of him being weak. Furthermore, he conquers learning the value of even an animal’s life. Not to mention, he defeats becoming the hunted, when he is the hunter. In the short story Sanger Rainsford outwits General Zaroff in the battle of “The Most Dangerous