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Essay / Suspense as a Key Element in Richard Connell's Most Dangerous Game
In Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," the protagonist Rainsford, a hunter, finds himself stranded on a mysterious island after being accidentally fell from the side. of his boat. He is greeted at the gate by General Zaroff, a noble Cossack who lives on the dangerous island. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he is another big game hunter and has exhausted hunting every animal in the world. He has now chosen to hunt humans, and Rainsford is his next dangerous play. Ultimately, Connell uses different writing techniques to keep his readers wanting more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Connell creates suspense in the short story through the use of imagery. For example, when Rainsford is on the boat with Whitney, he has difficulty seeing through, "the humid tropical night which was palpable as it imposed its black heat on the yacht." Connell incorporates the word “moist” which means unpleasantly moist or moist. It evokes a strange feeling in readers by displaying an atmosphere of suspense; the “thick, warm darkness” can also show how Rainsford does not know what awaits him in the darkness. Additionally, when Rainsford hears the gunshots from a distance, he rushes to the ship's rail and Connell states that "the scream was cut short as the hot, bloody water of the Caribbean Sea seeped through." above his head. Connel uses imagery in this sentence to tell readers that the sea is a non-ideal color because no one wants to imagine entering bloody seas. Gunshots can also indicate that there is someone dangerous somewhere nearby. Finally, when the Rainsford is on the island, he sees how "the sea licks greedy lips in the shadows." Connel uses personification to give the sea human traits and show how hungry the sea is to eat people. This suggests that Rainsford is in an unknown location, which could foreshadow what might happen next. To conclude, Connel keeps his readers engaged through the use of vivid imagery. In addition to imagery, Connell also uses foreshadowing to create suspense in his story. For example, the title of the short story has several different meanings. When readers first look at the title, the first thought that comes to mind is that the story is about a real-life game that people can play. As readers progress through the story, Rainsford tells Zaroff about the game, which is now discovered to be a hunting game; however, this interpretation is also incorrect in relation to this story because in Zaroff's mind, the most dangerous game is actually hunting humans. Additionally, when Rainsford and his crew were passing Ship-Trap Island, Whitney states that "the sailors have a curious fear of the place." Readers experience a feeling of dread when they think about the unknown place that Rainsford and his crew are passing through and on top of that, the crew is already afraid of this place because of a superstition, which makes the situation even more suspenseful. The narrator mentions Ship Trap Island because the name itself can cause apprehension in anyone aboard a ship; the author wants to foreshadow dangerous events that could occur in a place that everyone constantly fears. Finally, when Rainsford was having a conversation with Zaroff about hunting, the general said, “Hunting stopped interesting me a few years ago. I've exhausted their possibilities, you see. No thrill at all.”