Difficult Decisions: The Most Dangerous Game, By Richard Connell

Jasper Swallen

Mrs. Kearney

Lit. Genre and Comp.

5 November 2014

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Writer Elizabeth Gilbert said it best: “The problem, simply put, is that we cannot choose everything simultaneously. So we live in danger of becoming paralyzed by indecision, terrified that every choice might be the wrong choice” (Committed). The problem of making difficult decisions follows every plot, every story, and every book. In “The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell, the main character has to decide the best course of action to allow himself to survive being hunted. Similarly, in “The Lady, or the Tiger?,” by Frank R. Stockton, the main character has to decide whether her lover should get thrown to the tigers or given to a rival woman. Even though the princess

For example, towards the end of “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Rainsford says, “‘I am still a beast at bay’” (Connell 20). This shows that Rainsford’s motivation is revenge for being hunted by General Zaroff. Readers know that this quote shows that Rainsford is seeking revenge because it shows that he has a bloodlust for Zaroff. However, near the end of “The Lady, or the Tiger?,” the narrator asks, “Did the tiger come out of the door, or the lady?” (Stockton 272). This shows that the Princess’s main motivation is either love or jealousy. If the Princess chose the door with the tiger in it, she was motivated by jealousy, as she did not want the lady to be able to have her lover; however, if she had chosen the door with the lady, the reader could ascertain that she had done so out of love for him. The reader could see that Rainsford and the Princess were motivated by different things, as Rainsford was motivated by revenge, while the Princess was motivated by either love or

Specifically, at the beginning of “The Most Dangerous Game,” Rainsford says, “‘Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes -- the hunters and the huntees’” (Connell 2). This is an example of indirect characterization, as the author does not tell what traits Rainsford has. However, from this, the reader could infer that Rainsford has a very self-centered and black-and-white view of the world. In contrast, towards the middle of “The Lady, or the Tiger?,” the narrator says that the Princess, “... hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door” (Stockton 271). This is direct characterization, as the author says exactly what the Princess feels about the lady. This method of characterization is easier to understand but makes for a less stimulating read. These different methods of characterization both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but in the end, each allows the reader to be able to relate with the