The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

631 Words2 Pages

Hunting big game animals for sport was a popular pastime with the wealthy classes following World War I. The morality of killing for sport was not questioned in reality, but in this short story the author does question it by taking it a step further and having the protagonist, Sangor Rainsford, hunted by the antagonist, General Zaroff.In a short story full of irony, one of the greatest ironies of Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is that General Zaroff repeatedly tells Rainsford that he maintains a sense of civilization on his island. General Zaroff believes that he is a civilized aristocrat. While eating an elegant dinner, Zaroff mentions the food and drink. “Half apologetically General Zaroff said: ‘We do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. Please forgive any lapses’”(Connell 72).Even though the meal is indeed elegant, he feels the need to point out the possibility that better could be had elsewhere. Zaroff cares a great deal about maintaining an elegant and civilized home and entertaining graciously. He wants his guest to believe it. Later, Zaroff ...

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