Richard Connell
Bibliographic information:
The Most Dangerous Game was also published as The Hounds of Zaroff by Richard Connell the 19th of January in 1924 in Collier's Magazine with its illustrations by Wilmot Emerton. The story is inspired by the big-game hunting safaris in Africa and South America that were particularly fashionable among wealthy Americans in the 1920s, so it was set in around that time period in the 20’s as well.
Historical context:
Only a couple of days passed throughout the story in the year of .This short story was, at first, set in a yacht sailing through the Caribbean at night, but then, the setting shifts to a dense jungle at the very end of cliffs before describing the large castle in which the characters reside before continuing to navigate the tangle of trees that is the jungle.
Summary:
Rainsford was aboard a yacht in the Caribbean smoking his pipe when he was startled with gunshots that made him drop his brier. While trying to catch his pipe, he tumbled over the railing into the ocean and swam to the nearest shore he came across and tumbled into a deep sleep. Subsequent to waking up, he searched for the origin of the gunshot sounds and found himself in front of a large castle where a tall Cossack giant opened the door for him, and a man named General Zaroff welcomed him. After giving Rainsford a room to shower along with a fresh change of clothes, he met him in the dining hall where they ate and drank. General Zaroff then confessed he had read about Hunter Rainsford before, coming from a father who had taught him to hunt as a child, so he invited Rainsford to hunt together in the afternoon. Of course, Rainsford was pleased to do so, that was until General Zaroff kept on talking and he realized the latters true intentions.
General Zaroff admitted that, after so many years of hunting, he had grown quite bored of it, which was unfortunate for him, seeing as his life has always revolved around hunting and he had a great love for it. The reason why he grew bored of hunting animals was because it became too easy for him, “There is no greater bore than perfection,” he said. For this reason, he decided he would create a new animal, far more intelligent, and much funner to hunt.
Rainsford was disgusted when he realized he was talking about humans and immediately declined his offer to join the hunt, thus deciding to sleep it off. Alas, the next morning, he was forced by the general to last 3 days alive in the jungle with little food, clothing, and a knife. Since General Zaroff was looking for fun in his game with his experienced victim, he let Rainsford off after easily finding him hiding in a tree, and later, after getting a minor injury in the shoulder from a trap Rainsford set in the weeds, left to his castle until the following night.
Rainsford then prepared an unsuccessful trap for the General, who left once again to his castle after only managing to kill one of his hounds. Growing desperate, Rainsford places his final trap; a leafy spring attached to the hunting knife he was given, and hides, only to realize he killed Ivan the Giant instead of the General. His only option was to run, and so he did, until the hounds cornered him on the edge of a cliff, so he decided to jump into the sea instead of facing the hounds.
Disappointed in his prized hunter, General Zaroff returns to his castle, when suddenly he finds Rainsford hidden in the curtains of his bedroom. He congratulated Rainsford for winning the game, and told him one of them would be eaten by the hounds while the other would enjoy his excellent bed. And that night, Rainsford decided he had never slept in a better bed.
My opinion:
“Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if need be, to be taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not?"
If I’m being honest, I had never read a short story as captivating as this one before. Since short stories are supposed to be short, I’ve never immersed myself too much in a story or connected myself to one before this one. I like that it was not overly descriptive enough to bore me, yet still included every detail necessary for me to imagine the story in my head. I found the storyline very interesting and I would have never expected the plot twists in it. I wouldn’t believe it is apt for the younger audience, yet it doesn't linger too much on a certain description or dialogue for it to be boring for someone who isn’t used to reading much. For this, I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get out of a reading slump or someone who wishes to begin reading and doesn’t know where to start.
By Sofía Lencioni, Step 9
