In Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game", the protagonist Rainsford, a hunter, finds himself stranded on a mysterious island after falling accidentally into the side of his boat. He is greeted at the door by General Zaroff, a Cossack nobleman who lives on the dangerous island. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he is a fellow big game hunter and that he has exhausted hunting all the animals in the world. Now he has chosen to hunt humans, and Rainsford is his next dangerous game. 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Connell creates suspense in the story through the use of imagery. For example, when Rainsford is on the ship with Whitney, he struggles to see through: "The humid tropical night was palpable as it pressed its warm darkness onto the yacht." Connell integrates the word “dank” which means unpleasantly damp or humid. This evokes an eerie feeling in readers by displaying a suspenseful atmosphere; the “thick, warm darkness” can also show how Rainsford does not know what is in store for him in the darkness. Furthermore, when Rainsford hears gunshots from afar, he runs towards the ship's side and Connell states that, "The scream was cut off when the warm water from the Caribbean Sea poured over his head." Connel uses imagery in this sentence to tell readers that the sea is a less than ideal color because no one wants to imagine going to bloody seas. Gunshots can also mean that there is someone dangerous somewhere nearby. Finally, when Rainsford is on the island, he sees how “the sea licked greedy lips in the shadow.” Connel uses personification to give the sea human traits and show how the sea is hungry to eat people. This suggests that Rainsford is in an unknown location, which could foreshadow what may come next. To conclude, Connel keeps his readers on the edge of their seats through the use of vivid imagery. In addition to imagery, Connell also uses foreshadowing to create suspense in his narrative. For example, the title of the story has multiple different meanings. When readers first look at the title, the first thought that comes to their mind is that the story is about a real game that people can play. As readers progress through the story, Rainsford talks to Zaroff about the game, which is now revealed to be a hunting game; however, this interpretation is also wrong in relation to this story because in Zaroff's mind the most dangerous hunt is precisely the hunt for human beings. Furthermore, when Rainsford and his crew were passing Ship-Trap Island, Whitney states that "the sailors have a strange terror of the place." Readers feel a feeling of dread when they think of the unknown place Rainsford and his crew are sailing through and in addition to that, the crew is already afraid of the place due to a superstition, which makes the situation even more suspenseful . The narrator mentions Ship Trap Island because the name itself can make anyone on a ship feel apprehensive; the author wants to prefigure dangerous events that could occur in relation to the place that everyone is constantly afraid of. Finally, when Rainsford conversed with Zaroff about hunting, the general said that, “Hunting stopped interesting me a few years ago. I've exhausted their options, you see. No thrills in the tigers, no real danger. I live for danger, Mr. Rainsford.” The general mentions how the tiger is not a real danger, which leaves the reader with fear.”
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