A Good Rewrite is Hard to Find In his short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” Richard Connell tells the thrilling story of a skilled hunter named Rainsford, who washes up on a mysterious island where he falls captive to General Zaroff, a psychopathic man that preys on “the scum of the earth” simply for the thrill and excitement of the hunt. Connell builds suspense throughout the story through his use of dialogue and character behaviour. Richard Connell predominantly uses character interactions to build suspense as the plot progresses, utilizing dialogue to create a mysterious tone and to foreshadow the predicaments that Rainsford will soon find himself in. During the conversation between Whitney and Rainsford on the yacht, Whitney tells Rainsford that he felt an oddly distinct chill while sailing past the supposedly cursed island, even though "there was no breeze [and the] sea was as flat as a plate-glass window" (Connell 2). Whitney’s depiction of his past experiences with the island has an ominous tone. The eeriness with which Whitney felt a chill while there was no wind gives the impression that something extremely strange and abnormal is present, thereby giving the island an aura of ominous mystery. In addition to creating a mysterious aura, the absence of natural phenomena develops suspense early in the story, as it is associated with frightening scenes. Furthermore, Connell starts the story with a discussion, in which Whitey tells Rainsford about Ship-Trap Island, a place that “Even cannibals wouldn 't live in” (Connell 1). Whitney only tells Rainsford that the island is dangerous and cannot provide an
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Through the use of the both dialogue and character behaviour, Richard Connell creates and builds suspense in his short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Connell uses these two literary devices to build on the danger of the situation Rainsford is in, keeping the audience entranced by forcing them to wonder what future predicaments the protagonist will
Through the use of the both dialogue and character behaviour, Richard Connell creates and builds suspense in his short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Connell uses these two literary devices to build on the danger of the situation Rainsford is in, keeping the audience entranced by forcing them to wonder what future predicaments the protagonist will