One major theme of Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game is that of inhumanity, put simply as the strong exploiting the feeble. The story provides examples of individuals that act outside of society ignoring the rules and regulations that oversee the general public in which they reside. The protagonist known as Rainsford exhibits a hardhearted attitude toward the animals he hunts as evident in the conversation he has with Whitney aboard a yacht. The conversation of the two reveals Rainsford’s feelings or rather lack of feelings about hunting big game. Similarly, the antagonist, General Zaroff exhibits the same characteristic of hardheartedness as Rainsford towards his prey which is human. The opponent is conducting himself in a way that …show more content…
The discussion on the vessel at the start of the story foretells or offers indications to the theme and its importance.
2. We foresee what could happen to Rainsford when he gets to the island.
3. The theme of inhumanity or the weak and the strong comes out. People are accustomed to being at the highest point of the hunter-hunted evolved way of life. What happens if someone else is at the top?
B. Symbolism
1. Zaroff’s house with all its beauty symbolizes strength, might, and intimidation
2. A metaphor that is of importance to the theme relates to the conversation in the boat where Rainsford states that “the world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees” (Connell). Either the strong or the weak.
3. Zaroff uses a metaphor to explain why he is such a good hunter. He asserts that his hand was "made for the trigger." This comparison drives to the theme of 'some are powerful and others weaker.'
C. Setting
1. Zaroff, the antagonist, needs a very special place to make all his plans happen.
2. Rainsford gets trapped on General Zaroff’s island, and he is oblivious to what goes on there. On the island, Zaroff is the one who decides what a human life is worth. According to him, the ingenious and active should live, and the feeble should kick the