Fear Exposed In Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game

Fear is not real. It is the product of thoughts you create. Danger is very real, but fear is a choice. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the main character Rainsford is being hunted which creates fear in him. He is scared of dying but overcame his fear by facing the danger of the hunting game. Therefore, Rainsford won’t ever hunt again because he is traumatized by his experiences on the island. With all his experiences on the island Rainsford became traumatized. For example when Zaroff tells Rainsford about the type of hunting he does, which he hunts actual men. “Hunting? Good God, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder” (Connell 23). Rainsford was repealed by the fact that Zaroff kills humans for fun. Consequently, Rainsford

It is now hard for him to trust anyone after being forced to be hunted. “The pit grew deeper; when it was above his shoulders, he climbed out and from some hard saplings cut stakes and sharpened them to a fine point. These stakes he planted in the bottom of the pit with the points sticking up” (Connell 34) because of this flashback Rainsford starts to get scared about himself hurting another human being. He won’t hunt again because he remembers his times of desperation and how he felt while trying to kill a living person. Another factor of Rainsford’s nervousness is when he told that the man being hunted the day before lost his head. He wants to leave right away. Rainsford was antsy but after spending more time on the island he became nervous especially when Zaroff said “The hunting was not good last night. The fellow lost his head. He made a straight trail that offered no problems at all. (Connell 30). When Zaroff mentions the fact of a sailor losing his head during the hunt, Rainsford wants to leave immediately but has no choice; he has to stay. Rainsford doesn’t feel like he can trust the General and doesn’t want to agree to take part in the hunting. Rainsford believes that Zaroff can’t be trusted, “Oh, you can trust me, said the Cossack. I will give you my word as a gentleman and a sportsman. Of course you, in turn, must agree to say nothing of your visit here. I’ll agree to nothing