22 pages • 44 minutes read
Richard ConnellThe Most Dangerous Game
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1924A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Value of Human Life
Despite their marked differences, Zaroff and Rainsford ascribe to similar worldviews. Both view humans as belonging to one of two categories: in Zaroff’s view, the weak or the strong, and in Rainsford’s view, “the hunters and the huntees” (1). For Zaroff, this worldview leads him to see sailors as “the scum of the earth” (8) who exist to give him pleasure. Zaroff acknowledges that strong humans, like him, have value, but weak ones do not. Even Ivan, Zaroff’s sole companion on the island, is expendable. He regrets Ivan’s death not because he valued him as a person but because he “would be difficult to replace” (14). After learning Zaroff’s beliefs about people, it comes as no surprise that he does not feel guilty killing them for his entertainment.
Connell uses Zaroff’s character to shock and outrage the reader. He is characterized as a ruthless sociopath with no regard for the innate value of human life. He justifies murder by categorizing the men he kills as animals. Zaroff’s character is clearly wrong, and readers have no problem identifying his behavior as evil.
However, Connell produces a more complex reader response with Rainsford’s character. Although Rainsford also divides the world into two categories, Connell shows that he has a measure of respect for human life. Rainsford is appropriately shocked when he hears that Zaroff hunts men, and he calls him a “murderer” (8). However, by the story’s end, a decided change has come over Rainsford. He sleeps soundly after killing Zaroff, even when he supposedly could have left the island without doing so.
Through Rainsford’s character, Connell creates questions with which the reader must wrestle. Was Rainsford in the right to kill Zaroff, or should he have simply walked away? Do all human lives have innate value? And if so, should Zaroff have been spared? Connell’s use of characterization asks readers to question their view of humanity. Although most people would likely state that all human lives are valuable, the nuances of this issue spill into present-day controversies such as the death penalty, abortion, law enforcement practices, and immigration. Connell’s theme regarding the value of human life remains relevant almost a century after he wrote “The Most Dangerous Game.”
Instinct Versus Reason
The primary quality separating animals and humans is that humans can reason, while animals are driven by instinct. Despite this significant difference, Connell acknowledges (through Whitney’s perspective) a quality that humans and animals both experience: fear of pain and death. When a person’s life is threatened, instinct often takes over, replacing logic and reasoning. Although Rainsford comes to understand “the full meaning of terror” during the hunt (12), he manages to maintain his wits, exercising creative thinking and resourcefulness throughout Zaroff’s pursuit.
For Zaroff, the ability to reason is far superior to instinct. He feels the need for a cunning opponent, and animals are not good enough to match his human abilities to reason. He has enough experience hunting animals that he can predict their instinct-driven decisions. In Zaroff’s mind, reason wins against instinct every time. Zaroff feels he’s finally found a worthy opponent in Rainsford, who has hunting experience, unlike the sailors that Zaroff has been hunting.
Rainsford uses cunning to stay safe for the duration of the three-day hunt, but instinct overtakes him in the end. He identifies himself as “a beast” (15) when he confronts Zaroff in his room. By this point, Rainsford’s survival instincts have taken over his reasoning, telling him he must eliminate the threat to his life. Reason would say that the game is over and that Rainsford can leave the nightmare of the island, yet Rainsford feels compelled to fight Zaroff to the death. Reason keeps Rainsford alive throughout the hunt, but instinct makes him a killer.
Through this push and pull of reason and instinct, Connell suggests the transformative power of fear. Fear can take people to places they never thought they would go and drive them to commit acts they never before considered. He shows that reason may be more productive and safe, but instinct is perhaps more powerful.
Civilization, Sympathy, and Morality
Connell challenges the idea that education, wealth, and refined manners—indications of a highly civilized person—equate with upstanding morals. When first describing Zaroff, Connell suggests that he is a gentleman, a hospitable host with cultivated politeness and a lavish home he willingly shares with Rainsford. However, with Connell’s description of Zaroff’s “red lips and pointed teeth” (4), he begins to show that Zaroff’s seemingly civilized manners are but a thin veil for his evil character. Connell suggests that outward refinement does not make a person civilized. In fact, Connell uses this term ironically when Zaroff states he observes the niceties of civilization on his island (electricity, delicious food, and wine) directly after describing his practice of tricking ships into crashing against the island’s jagged coast. A truly civilized person, Connell suggests, is one with the capacity to judge right from wrong and choose the right path. His message warns the reader that just because a person fits well in high society does not mean he or she is morally superior.
Connell characterizes Rainsford, too, as part of the upper class. Although he may not have the wealth and power of Zaroff, he has enough wealth to travel for hunting, and his speech suggests education and a privileged life. Connell uses Rainsford as an example of how easily a man may lose the morals that once guided him. When driven by fear and self-preservation, one’s morals may easily change. Rainsford expresses shock upon hearing that Zaroff hunts men. However, roles are reversed at the end of the story, and Rainsford becomes the hunter with Zaroff as his prey. At the story’s beginning, Connell shows Rainsford’s moral flaw—he lacks sympathy. He feels no pity for the animals he hunts, nor, it seems, has he even paused to consider what it must be like to be the prey. Connell suggests that civilization requires empathy and morality. When these qualities are lacking, the pretense of civilization can crumble at the first sign of a threat.
