Theme of Hunting in The Most Dangerous Game Essay Example

As arrogant as it sounds, General Zaroff had a point when he said “there is no greater bore than perfection.” In the short story “The most dangerous game” by Richard Connell, Zaroff states he became bored with hunting animals as he had perfected the craft. He explains that he wants to hunt something more intelligent. The theme of hunting, the conflict between man vs man and how the colour red is symbolized throughout the short story, All contribute to the significance of the quote. The significance of the quote “there's no greater bore than perfection” is shown throughout the story. 

The theme of hunting is echoed throughout the whole story, as it's one of the main themes. Both Rainsford and Zaroff are hunters, but are told they have totally different views on what to hunt. "Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?" (Connell 1). Rainsford stated this to Whitney after she tried to reason with him that hunting is only the best sport for hunters. “The world is made up of two classes--the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters.” (Connell 1). In both quotes Rainsford explains that he is a definite hunter, and doesn't particularly care about how the huntee feels. This characterizes Rainford's lack of empathy towards animals, and the sport until he eventually experiences being the huntee. When  Rainsford meets Zaroff they hit it off right away, conflict doesn't start happening until their disagreement on what to hunt.          

The conflict of man vs man is shown through the conflict between Zaroff and Rainsford. Their disagreement on what to hunt is a big conflict in the short story, with Rainsford hunting animals and Zaroff hunting humans. “The cat was coming again to play with the mouse” (Connell 13). Referencing Zaroff as the cat going out to kill Rainsford, the mouse. Zaroff and Rainsford have very different views on what is appropriate to hunt. When discussing the “perfect hunt” as hunters, Zaroff learns that Rainsford draws the line at human life. While Zaroff's passion for hunting and boredom of just hunting animals lead him to devalue human life. Even though Rainsford eventually kills Zaroff, it was justified because it was a dilemma to kill or be killed. It was also justified because if Rainsford didn't kill Zaroff he would have continued to hunt humans. When they were first talking about the game Zaroff wants Rainsford to hunt with him, but Rainsford refuses when he learns that Zaroff hunts humans. After not being able to convince Rainsford, he makes him the prey. This shows their differences in what they like to hunt, and shows that Zaroff doesn't have any empathy towards taking human lives. And really shows that Zaroff really believes what he is doing isn't wrong. When Zaroff ultimately decides that he wants Rainsford to be the prey, is when the game really begins. 

In this short story the colour red is a significant symbol, as it foreshadows the danger that Rainsford eventually will go through. “The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea dosed over his head.” (Connell 2). And “ One patch of weeds was stained crimson.” (Connell 3). Both of these quotes reference the colour red as blood, symbolically marking him as a target of future violence. The colour red as a whole symbolizes danger and reinforces the atmosphere of violence and death. “They were eating borsch, the rich, red soup with whipped cream so dear to Russian palates.” (Connell 5). The borsch is significant because it is the meal Zaroff fed Rainsford when they first met and because of its deep red colour. Similar to the colour of blood, this symbolizes Zaroff's bloodthirstiness. The thirst for blood and the atmosphere show that the quote has significance because when rainsford first came to Zaroff's mansion. He noticed blood on the grass, but automatically thought it would be animal blood. Zaroff's bloodthirstiness that evolved from animals to humans, puts Rainsford in great danger. 

When Zaroff and Rainsford first meet, they learn they both like hunting and are hunters. The conflict starts to arise between Rainsford and Zaroff, when they learn they have different views on what is appropriate to hunt, and their difference in opinion about the value of human life. And the significance of the colour red, as blood is the first thing Rainsford sees when he gets to Zaroff’s mansion. The quote “there is no greater bore than perfection” holds great significance, as Zaroff wanted to hunt something with more intelligence than animals.