Jumping the Hurdle Most people tend to think that they behave differently than the characters that are portrayed in books, magazines, and movies. However, most of them imitate the characters behavior, whether it is the way they overcome a challenge, or deal with an issue. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connell tells of Sanger Rainsford, a hunter, who must overcome an obstacle using his wits, logic, and hunting skills to outsmart General Zaroff at his own game; hunting. Humans overcome obstacles by using past knowledge, by staying calm during stressful situations, and by using logic and reason.
Humans overcome obstacles by using past knowledge. After being released into the jungle, Zaroff survives Rainsfords first snag …show more content…
In the pitch black of the night, Rainsford fell off his yacht into the dark ocean, and “Desperately he struck out with strong strokes after the receding lights of the yacht, but he stopped before he had swum fifty feet. A certain cool-headedness had come to him” (21). He acknowledges that to be able to think clearly he would have to calm himself down. Putting his circumstance into perspective he is able to relax himself. Rainsford, given hunting clothes, food and a weapon from the General, was thrown into the outskirts of the jungle to be “plunged along, spurred 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). Being put under the pressure of a life or death situation, can cause one to lose control and make rash decisions. Even though he is panicking and in a stressful situation to stay alive, he can still calm himself and take control of the circumstance. Lastly, Rainsford in an attempt to escape Zaroff, figures out that the General “was the cat; [Rainsford] was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror. ‘[Rainsford] will not lose his nerve. He will not.’…. His face was set and he forced the machinery of his mind to function” (32-33). Rainsford realizes that he is being toyed with and by being able to identify this, he is prepared to calm himself and come up with a plan. …show more content…
After calming himself down Rainsford shouts with power to the crew on the yacht. Realizing they cannot hear him, “Rainsford [remembered] the shots. They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength” (21). People typically react to a pressuring situation with panic, or the opposition of giving up. Rainsford in this case allows himself to relax and recall information. Late in the afternoon, outside of the jungle, Rainsford had a strike of hunger and a remembrance that, “‘where there are pistol shots, there are men. Where there are men, there is food.’ …. ‘The last shot was when [the General] trailed it here and finished it’. [Rainsford] examined the ground closely and found what he had hoped to find-the print of the hunting boots” (22). Rainsford used logic and reason associating sound with men and men with food. Using logic to figure out where his next meal is coming from, with the thought of hunger, has to do a lot with his stellar and keen hunting skills and eye sight. Later in the evening, after Rainsford was welcomed into the home of General Zaroff. The General instructed Rainsford to follow Ivan, “Ivan laid out an evening suit, and Rainsford, as he put it on, noticed that it came from a London tailor who ordinarily cut and sewed for none below the rank of duke” (24). Rainsford observed that Zaroff had to be of or at the rank of duke;
Humans overcome obstacles by using past knowledge. After being released into the jungle, Zaroff survives Rainsfords first snag …show more content…
In the pitch black of the night, Rainsford fell off his yacht into the dark ocean, and “Desperately he struck out with strong strokes after the receding lights of the yacht, but he stopped before he had swum fifty feet. A certain cool-headedness had come to him” (21). He acknowledges that to be able to think clearly he would have to calm himself down. Putting his circumstance into perspective he is able to relax himself. Rainsford, given hunting clothes, food and a weapon from the General, was thrown into the outskirts of the jungle to be “plunged along, spurred 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). Being put under the pressure of a life or death situation, can cause one to lose control and make rash decisions. Even though he is panicking and in a stressful situation to stay alive, he can still calm himself and take control of the circumstance. Lastly, Rainsford in an attempt to escape Zaroff, figures out that the General “was the cat; [Rainsford] was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror. ‘[Rainsford] will not lose his nerve. He will not.’…. His face was set and he forced the machinery of his mind to function” (32-33). Rainsford realizes that he is being toyed with and by being able to identify this, he is prepared to calm himself and come up with a plan. …show more content…
After calming himself down Rainsford shouts with power to the crew on the yacht. Realizing they cannot hear him, “Rainsford [remembered] the shots. They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength” (21). People typically react to a pressuring situation with panic, or the opposition of giving up. Rainsford in this case allows himself to relax and recall information. Late in the afternoon, outside of the jungle, Rainsford had a strike of hunger and a remembrance that, “‘where there are pistol shots, there are men. Where there are men, there is food.’ …. ‘The last shot was when [the General] trailed it here and finished it’. [Rainsford] examined the ground closely and found what he had hoped to find-the print of the hunting boots” (22). Rainsford used logic and reason associating sound with men and men with food. Using logic to figure out where his next meal is coming from, with the thought of hunger, has to do a lot with his stellar and keen hunting skills and eye sight. Later in the evening, after Rainsford was welcomed into the home of General Zaroff. The General instructed Rainsford to follow Ivan, “Ivan laid out an evening suit, and Rainsford, as he put it on, noticed that it came from a London tailor who ordinarily cut and sewed for none below the rank of duke” (24). Rainsford observed that Zaroff had to be of or at the rank of duke;