“The Most Dangerous Game” Review for Quiz on October 7th

Rainsford on the yacht Rainsford is an established hunter from NYC. When we meet him, he is on a yacht traveling to go hunt jaguars. He has a conversations with Whitney discussing that hunting is ok as along as you are the hunter and not the prey. This is foreshadowing on what is to come in the story. Whitney says that he is a little spooked when they go by Ship-Trap island. Whitney goes to bed and leaves Rainsford on the deck of the yacht. Rainsford thinks he may have heard gun shots in the distance towards the island. As Rainsford drops his pipe, he falls into the dark sea.

Rainsford finds safety on the island Rainsford knows that the yacht will not turn around for him and he begins to swim towards the island with the gun shots because that is his only way he can survive. After he swims to the island and sleeps, he comes across an enormous building. A very large man answers the door with a gun in his hand. The owner of the house meets Rainsford and introduces him to the giant Ivan.

General Zaroff Rainsford is greeted by General Zaroff. General Zaroff is familiar with Rainsford and has read his books on hunting. General Zaroff begins to tell Rainford that he began to get bored with hunting. The General says that he got the island and began to make up his own hunting game. It is clear that General Zaroff has a lot of money. The reader starts to become suspicious of the new hunt that Zaroff is referring to.

The “New” Hunt General Zaroff explains that hunting became boring because the animals could not reason or think. The General begins to hunt other humans that become ship wrecked and end up on the island. He justifies this behavior saying that it is survival of the fittest. The rules of the hunt: The prey gets a knife and three hours head start – but the rules seem unfair since the General gets a gun and has a pack of dogs. If the prey isn’t caught in three days, then he wins.

The General tells Rainsford that they will hunt Rainsford immediately tells the General NO! The General gives Rainsford a choice – either Hunt or be given to the giant, Ivan (we can assume immediate death) Rainsford has no choice but to say yes to the hunt.

The General VS. Rainsford Rainsford is given his knife and a three hour head start. Rainsford makes an intricate trail in the jungle and starts to think like a sly fox. He finds a tree and hides in it for the night. When day breaks, the General has followed Rainsford’s trail. The General makes a sly smile letting the reader and Rainsford know that he knows he is in the tree. We can assume that the General did not end the hunt because he wants it to go on another day. Rainsford begins to set traps – something the at the General enjoys because it is making the hunt more difficult for him. Rainsford kills a dog and Ivan in his traps. Right before the General could get Rainsford – he jumps off a cliff into the ocean. The General and the reader assume that Rainsford committed suicide rather than be hunter by the General.

Later that evening The General enjoys a fancy meal and expensive wine. As he goes to bed, he discovers that Rainsford is hiding behind the curtain. Rainsford swam around to the chateau (house) and hid in the bedroom waiting for the General. The reader can infer that there was a fight and Rainsford wins with his comment about sleeping in such a comfortable bed.