The Most Dangerous Game
To hunt is to search for animals in hopes of killing them. To murder is to kill another human being. In the story “The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connell combines these two for a stunning and unpredictable plot. It tells the readers how the topic is introduced, displayed, and comes to a climax before the resolution. “The Most Dangerous Game” should be read next year, for it was different than the other stories and convivial to read. In the first place, “The Most Dangerous Game” is a different kind of story. Throughout the story, a new subject is revealed: a person hunting not animals, but people. General Zaroff remarks, “It had become too easy.” This means that the General wants an animal who has courage and the ability to reason. Rainsford is shocked at the idea of murder, and condones it immediately saying, “Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder.” Since the majority of stories do not speak of a person hunting people, “The Most Dangerous Game” should be read. Rainsford appears to be shocked at the idea of murder, saying “Civilized? And you shoot down men?” General Zaroff seems to think it is perfectly okay. This presents some unique character vs. character conflict. Furthermore, the story presents irony, as Rainsford overcomes odds and makes it out alive. The odds are very much stacked against his favor, but in the end Rainsford survives. That is another example of “The Most Dangerous Game” being a different tale. It also makes a person think. They may imagine what it would be like if it was them who were being hunted, and what they would do to protect themselves against the hunter. The majority of people would not have been able to outsmart people like Rainsford did. “The Most Dangerous Game” puts a unique twist on the idea of hunting. The second example of why this short story should be kept in the ninth grade curriculum is the suspense that constantly builds as the story goes on. The suspense starts out when Rainsford swims