The Threats In Richard Collins's The Most Dangerous Game

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if need be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure "(8). The short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Collins is about two men who are passionate about hunting. However, these two men both have different philosophies when it comes to if their prey is equal to or lower than themselves. The first hunter, Rainsford, believes that hunters should respect their prey, and that the prey is equal to the hunter. Although, there are only two types of people in the world: the hunter and the hunted. General Zaroff presumes that the weak are here for the strong to prey upon. Based on both philosophies and evidence the book gives, the reader may then conclude that there are two types of people: the hunter and the prey.

It demonstrates the vast number of different animals that all have prey, and the animal they are the prey of. For example, a lobster eats other fish and other lobsters. The lobsters prey would then be fish that they have to hunt for or the other lobsters. Therefore, the lobster would be higher than the other fish and lobsters making them superior like the hunter to its prey. Although, the hunter, the lobster, is also the prey of a superior species that is humans. If this situation were to be connected in a way to The Most Dangerous Game, the reader could make the conclusion that General Zaroff is indeed the hunter making Rainsford his target. Consequently, the world is created with two types of people the hunter and the prey because in the food chain the superior species are the hunters, Zaroff, and the weaker species are the prey,