The Most Dangerous Game

This story consists of two main characters, Rainsford and General Zaroff. Rainsford is an experienced hunter who enjoys the sport and has written a book upon the subject. He hunts because he enjoys it. General Zaroff has been hunting his entire life. Hunting has become dull and he needs something new to hunt. He has hunted the largest most difficult game and still is not challenged. Zaroff then decides to hunt man.

This story takes place on a Caribbean island. The story involves a war between the two main characters. Zaroff is attempting to hunt Rainsford. The geography of the island is a great place for such a thing because it has swamps, thick brush and trees, trails, and quicksand. All of these features cause the characters to display all of their tricks and traps that they have acquired over the years. The setting causes a lot of suspense and excitement because it enables the characters to use traps, display their survival skills, and use their wits to out battle one another.

Rainsford believe that the world is made up of "hunters and huntees." He enjoys hunting so much that he never thinks what its like to be the prey and not the predator. Once he is the predator his beliefs begin to change. Connell then says, "Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror." This is the point in the story where Rainsford realizes what its like to be hunted and how terrible it must be to be an animal and be hunted.

General Zaroff is an intricate character because he shows two sides of himself. When he first meets Rainsford he comes across as a polite, educated, hospitable man, but when they are hunting he is a cunning cold blooded killer.

The theme of the hunters and the hunted is human moral. The story shows the different points of view of each character and why they feel this way. The author shows the reader that if you put yourself in someone else's shoes, it can change your whole outlook on a certain issue. For example, Rainsford did not know how animals felt when he hunted them until he was hunted. The terror he experiences when Zaroff is hunting him is a large impact on Rainsford but the story never says he will stop hunting. At the end of the story Zaroff finds Rainsford in his room and is astounded at his stealthy traits.