Suspense in The Most Dangerous Game (first draft) “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell tells the dark, twisted story of hunter versus the hunted. This short story follows world-class hunter, Sanger Rainsford, who becomes stranded on a strange, remote island after falling off his ship. He soon finds a chateau inhabited by another big-game hunter by the name of General Zaroff. However, Rainsford and the audience quickly come to discover that this particular hunter is not satisfied with typical game. Rather, Zaroff hunts humans instead. The plot then takes a series of twists and turns, whilst the element of suspense leaves audiences on the edge of their seats, and allows them to get emotionally involved in the storyline. Throughout
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Rainsford, an expert hunter hears a gunshot and an unusual shriek as he is sailing past the jungle, but is unable to identify the animal. Later on he finds the bullet and remarks, “A twenty-two. That’s odd. It must have been a fairly large animal.” This strange situation foreshadows the fact that it is not animals, but humans that are hunted on this island. However, with the audience still unaware of this, it leaves one to wonder what living thing the “agonizing screams” could have possibly come from. This is furthered by the knowledge that Rainsford is a world-famous hunter who has pursued various types of game on almost every continent, yet even he is startled by the event. As Rainsford ventures deeper into the jungle, he comes across the chateau belonging to General Zaroff, who also provides insight into future events. Zaroff reveals he hunts the biggest, and most dangerous game – a challenge he relishes in. “Here in my preserve on this island,” he states, “I hunt more dangerous game. No real thrill left in tigers, no real danger. I live for danger, Mr. Rainsford. This interaction similarly implies that is it not animals hunted on the mysterious island, but something more disturbing. It creates anticipation in the reader, at this point clamoring to know what exactly the hunted creature is. With these subtle hints, a mood of suspense and mystery is
Rainsford, an expert hunter hears a gunshot and an unusual shriek as he is sailing past the jungle, but is unable to identify the animal. Later on he finds the bullet and remarks, “A twenty-two. That’s odd. It must have been a fairly large animal.” This strange situation foreshadows the fact that it is not animals, but humans that are hunted on this island. However, with the audience still unaware of this, it leaves one to wonder what living thing the “agonizing screams” could have possibly come from. This is furthered by the knowledge that Rainsford is a world-famous hunter who has pursued various types of game on almost every continent, yet even he is startled by the event. As Rainsford ventures deeper into the jungle, he comes across the chateau belonging to General Zaroff, who also provides insight into future events. Zaroff reveals he hunts the biggest, and most dangerous game – a challenge he relishes in. “Here in my preserve on this island,” he states, “I hunt more dangerous game. No real thrill left in tigers, no real danger. I live for danger, Mr. Rainsford. This interaction similarly implies that is it not animals hunted on the mysterious island, but something more disturbing. It creates anticipation in the reader, at this point clamoring to know what exactly the hunted creature is. With these subtle hints, a mood of suspense and mystery is