Character and Conflict in "The Most Dangerous Game"
Conflict and Character in “The Most Dangerous Game”
There’s a popular worship song called “Love Knows No End” by Hillsong. Although it may be simply sung at church, I find it relative to General Zaroff, a hunting fanatic in “The Most Dangerous Game”. His ardent passion for the thrill of hunting led him to seek a greater challenge. Since he had already perfected the art of killing all of his quarry without exception, he decided to pursue a new creature; one that could reason and provide a more perplexing chase – humans. Unfortunately, Rainsford accidentally stumbled across Shiptrap Island, the location where General Zaroff hosted his malevolent game. Undoubtedly, conflicts have brought out the true character of everyone. As in the case of Rainsford and General Zaroff, from “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell, it was seen that the dilemmas and obstacles either contributed to creating a dynamic or static character. Without conflict, there would be no brilliance or appeal to a story. It is a vital element in literature that presents the character a challenging struggle from an opposing force, whether it be nature, an antagonist, or the character himself. Such as, “‘Rainsford,’ called the general, ‘if you are within sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher’” (Connell 13). This demonstrates a competition for General Zaroff, granted that he was a hunting prodigy. Very rarely, has someone been close to winning the game, Rainsford being one of them. General Zaroff recognized that possibility and perhaps have had glimpses of fear and uncertainty. On the other hand, “Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That was postponing the inevitable” (Connell 14). This was the climatic struggle for Rainsford from the story because of his hopelessness. He could not dismiss the fact that at one point, he would die from the
There’s a popular worship song called “Love Knows No End” by Hillsong. Although it may be simply sung at church, I find it relative to General Zaroff, a hunting fanatic in “The Most Dangerous Game”. His ardent passion for the thrill of hunting led him to seek a greater challenge. Since he had already perfected the art of killing all of his quarry without exception, he decided to pursue a new creature; one that could reason and provide a more perplexing chase – humans. Unfortunately, Rainsford accidentally stumbled across Shiptrap Island, the location where General Zaroff hosted his malevolent game. Undoubtedly, conflicts have brought out the true character of everyone. As in the case of Rainsford and General Zaroff, from “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell, it was seen that the dilemmas and obstacles either contributed to creating a dynamic or static character. Without conflict, there would be no brilliance or appeal to a story. It is a vital element in literature that presents the character a challenging struggle from an opposing force, whether it be nature, an antagonist, or the character himself. Such as, “‘Rainsford,’ called the general, ‘if you are within sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher’” (Connell 13). This demonstrates a competition for General Zaroff, granted that he was a hunting prodigy. Very rarely, has someone been close to winning the game, Rainsford being one of them. General Zaroff recognized that possibility and perhaps have had glimpses of fear and uncertainty. On the other hand, “Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That was postponing the inevitable” (Connell 14). This was the climatic struggle for Rainsford from the story because of his hopelessness. He could not dismiss the fact that at one point, he would die from the