Ever played a dangerous game? Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” expresses several literary terms throughout the story, using interesting writing techniques to captivate the reader. This narrative of danger and excitement includes three important literary terms: plot, suspense, and conflict. Connell does a fantastic job of employing these terms, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat the entire time. First, we begin with plot. Plot is what happens in the story, or the storyline. One example of plot in the story is, “He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation: his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized
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Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces, setting, or characters. Conflict can be man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, or man vs. society. One example of conflict in the story is, “He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation: his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea closed over his head.” (21) Rainsford has now fallen into the water. He has to swim all the way into shore, since his boat is long gone. This leaves him tired, wet, and with no supplies on a strange island. Another example of conflict from “The Most Dangerous Game” is, “His whole idea at first was to put distance between him and General Zaroff, and, to this end, he had plunged along, spurred on by the sharp rowels of something very like panic. Now he had got a grip on himself, had stopped, and was taking stock of himself and the situation.” (31) Rainsford realizes what it’s like to be hunted, and not the hunter. He has to survive outside for three nights in order to win the game, but the whole time Zaroff is hunting him, which makes this no easy
Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces, setting, or characters. Conflict can be man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, or man vs. society. One example of conflict in the story is, “He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation: his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea closed over his head.” (21) Rainsford has now fallen into the water. He has to swim all the way into shore, since his boat is long gone. This leaves him tired, wet, and with no supplies on a strange island. Another example of conflict from “The Most Dangerous Game” is, “His whole idea at first was to put distance between him and General Zaroff, and, to this end, he had plunged along, spurred on by the sharp rowels of something very like panic. Now he had got a grip on himself, had stopped, and was taking stock of himself and the situation.” (31) Rainsford realizes what it’s like to be hunted, and not the hunter. He has to survive outside for three nights in order to win the game, but the whole time Zaroff is hunting him, which makes this no easy