The Most Dangerous Game Themes

The Most Dangerous Game Themes

Rainsford, a noted hunter, falls off a ship and swims to a foreboding island. He finds there the evil General Zaroff who, with the help of his brutish assistant, hunts humans for sport. After three days of fighting for his life in the jungle while Zaroff hunts him, Rainsford surprises Zaroff and kills him. At the story's end, it is not clear if Rainsford will leave the Island or take Zaroff's place.

Violence and Cruelty

Essentially an action-packed thriller, Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" builds around explosions of violence. The violence of his malicious host, General Zaroff, initially shocks Rainsford, but as he fights to stay alive he becomes caught up in Zaroff's game. Zaroff attempts to justify his violence with "civilized" arguments. He poses as a modern rationalist and argues against "romantic ideas about the value of human life" and then scolds Rainsford for being "extraordinarily droll" in his response...
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