C----- ---------Intermediate Writing
January 14, 2010
Literary Analysis
“The Most Dangerous Game”
Crammed with the unexpected, bursting with irony, “The Most Dangerous Game”
is woven with complex settings, characters and themes. Starting out as an exciting
adventure story, this piece takes countless turns and becomes an intriguing and almost
unsettling drama. Two sharp men in a paradoxical battle of wits display drastically
differing worldviews. As the story unfolds, the irony becomes evident through the
settings, characters and themes.
After falling overboard a yacht heading towards the Amazon, the protagonist
swims to an island for refuge. This island presents extreme danger and risk, rather than
safety and shelter from the sea. The protagonist follows tracks through the dense jungle
and comes upon a “palatial chateau.” He unknowingly enters a situation as evil as the
“leering gargoyle for a knocker” represents. At first, he is hosted by the resident with
utmost civility. From the “canopied bed big enough for six men” to the London tailored
evening suit, the chateau’s resident offers luxurious comfort and service. Moreover, the
protagonist immediately discovers that his host shares his greatest interest: hunting. This
story changes mood, however, when the host’s version of pleasure is found to be hunting
humans on his preserved and stocked island. In response to his host’s invitation of
accompaniment on such a hunting expedition, the protagonist declines, saying, “Thank
you, I’m a hunter, not a murderer.” The human-hunter then becomes the antagonist and
initiates a hunt between him and the protagonist in the dense jungle of the island. The
protagonist uses his expert hunting experience to form intricate trails and set traps for his
tracker. He survives three nights by the mocking mercy of the impressed general. At last
the protagonist sneaks into the general’s bedroom and wins the proposed dual.
The characters of “The Most Dangerous Game” strongly display the irony of this
story. Rainsford, the protagonist is an expert big-game hunter. When one suggested that
animals understand fear, “nonsense,” laughed Rainsford, showing skepticism. When the
superstition-surrounded island is said to cause a feeling of a mental chill, Rainsford
responds dismissively with “pure imagination.” He is very cool-headed when in tight
situations. As the yacht raced out of sight, Rainsford counts his strokes and swims with
slow, deliberate strokes to conserve his strength. He is very intelligent and finds his way
through the jungle by observing tracks. Rainsford is an idealist because he views the
general’s sport as cold-blooded murder. He is also very practical and while being hunted,
commands himself to keep his nerve and “take stock of himself and the situation.” He
realizes “it would be insane to blunder on through the dark.” When the general came
upon Rainsford’s jungle hiding place, “fear again gripping [Rainsford’s] heart,” he
“forced the machinery of his mind to function.” Rainsford is a tough, outdoorsy man
whose views on the value of human life are rather romantic. The antagonist, General
Zaroff, has the appearance, manners, speech and hospitality of “a true cosmopolite,” and
is found “a most thoughtful and affable host.” “The one passion in [the general’s] life…
is the hunt.” He “lives for danger.” The general claims that “no animal had a chance with
[him] anymore.” The true character of General Zaroff is summed up by his worldview
statement: “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if needs be, taken by the
strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong.
Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the
earth: sailors from tramp ships—lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels—a
thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them.” The general does not
consider his type of hunting barbarous, but rather “a game,” for these following reasons.
He provides “plenty of food and exercise” for the men he hunts, helps the men to get into
“splendid physical condition,” and offers them an advantageous start into the jungle.
General Zaroff toys with Rainsford during the hunt. He congratulates Rainsford on his
cleverness, but promises to return again. Later he thanks Rainsford for an “amusing
evening.” Soon after the general congratulates Rainsford in his victory, he accepts the
challenge to a dual. The general’s civility was a disguise of his true barbarianism.
The most prominent themes of “the Most Dangerous Game” are: survival of the
fittest, hunter becomes the hunted, and civility. In line with the first theme, General
Zaroff comments that the current men he’s to hunt are “an inferior lot. Poor specimens
and more accustomed to the deck than to the jungle.” “Many of them afford only the
most elementary sort of problems.” The man being hunted last night “made a straight trail
that offered no problems at all. That’s the trouble with these sailors; they have dull brains
to begin with, and they do not know how to get about in the woods. They do excessively
stupid and obvious things. It’s most annoying.” The general proposes playing his hunting
game with Rainsford: “a foeman worthy of [his] steel.” Rainsford managed to injure
General Zaroff with his unique knowledge of making a “Malay mancatcher.” Rainsford
also dug and created a Burmese tiger pit which trapped one of the general’s fine dogs. By
using a “native trick he had learned in Uganda,” Rainsford killed the general’s assistant.
Rainsford was also physically fit enough to swim around the island and to kill the general
in a fight. The next theme, hunter becomes the hunted, initiates while Rainsford makes
these statements to his yacht companion. “Who cares how the Jaguar feels?” and, “The
world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the
hunters.” The following day, Rainsford was greeted at the chateau by a revolver pointing
at his heart. Only a day thereafter a seemingly civilized man hunts Rainsford as a cat
hunts a mouse. That situation lent itself to Rainsford as knowledge of the full meaning of
terror. With baying hound closely following Rainsfor’s scent, he then knew “how an
animals at bay feels,” completely contrary to his initial non-existent concerns of the
hunted. Civility is yet another theme which occurs in “The Most Dangerous Game.”
Rainford’s first impression of the general and his residence was great civility. The
general came across as cultivated and thoughtful, offering Rainsford every convenience
and delicacy, even “pajamas of the softest silk.” The general said of himself, “We do our
best to preserve the amenities of civilization here.” Although the physical and material
surroundings of the general seemed to be evidence of a refined human, the general was
later discovered to be a barbarian. His worldview claims no value in human life.
Rainsford on the other hand possesses the American idealism which causes him to view
the general’s sport as murder. The “Most Dangerous Game” clearly demonstrates these
themes of surviving, hunting, and civility.
As one examines the setting, characters, and themes of “The Most Dangerous
Game,” a hunter gets twisted into being the hunted. The descriptive setting displays
incredible irony of the places being opposite of what they first seem. Of the main
characters, one who is initially perceived to be civilized, is not and the one who does not
appear civilized, is. The themes of hunting, survival, and civility further greaten the
ironic masterpiece: “The Most Dangerous Game.”
This was a good first try at literary analysis, but it fell short in several ways: missing topic and
clincher sentences, a setting paragraph that retold the story rather than focusing on setting alone,
missing elements that should have been discussed (Ivan, symbols, motifs). I advise that you
rewrite this essay and resubmit it, and I will average the two grades. Be sure you submit a printed
copy of this paper with my comments.
I'm seeing much growth in the complexity of your sentence structure and an expansion in your
diction (word choice)--excellent work! Just be certain that the words and phrases you use work
WELL within the context of your essay. Try reading your essay aloud, either to yourself or to a
parent or sibling, noting any sentences that seem awkward or unclear, then go back and revise
those elements. Be very careful when consulting a thesaurus; be certain that the connotation (the
“baggage” a word carries) of a particular word works in the context of your sentence and essay,
not merely the denotation (dictionary definition).
GRADE: 78% C+