The Most Dangerous Game Summary

In the middle of the Caribbean Sea, Sanger Rainsford, a big game hunter, had fallen overboard in the boat he was traveling in to the Amazon. He swam to the shore, and was stranded on Ship Trap Island. Rainsford finds a large home in the middle of the forest, and meets General Zaroff, a Russian aristocrat, and Ivan, a servant. Zaroff invites Rainsford into his home and provides him with food, clothes, and rest. However, Rainsford had learned a horrifying fact while conversing with the general. He hunted humans for game. An unsettled Rainsford tries to make his visit short and leave, but Zaroff says that to leave the island, Rainsford must win a game where he is hunted. Rainsford has to survive for three days, and sets traps to outmaneuver Zaroff, Ivan, and his bloodthirsty hounds. Rainsford gets cornered, and decides to leap off
a cliff into the sea. He survives the fall and makes his way back to Zaroff’s house… Rainsford was tired and angry from all the torture he has been through. He wanted to get back at Zaroff for what he’s done. He trudged through the forest in a silent, but cold demeanor. Once he reached the large house, he opened the door and decided to wait for Zaroff’s return. He thought of many scenarios and ways on how he would destroy Zaroff. While he was waiting in the dark, Zaroff had returned from the hunt. He was tired and ready to sleep. The general opened the door, annoyed that he’d have to replace Ivan, and that Rainsford had escaped. Once he’d gotten inside, he felt a cold presence in the air, but laughed it off as chills from excitement of the night. He headed towards his bed, ready to rest. There was a slight shuffling sound in the dark, then a thump. The general stood still, and grabbed his revolver. A giggle was emitted from the darkness. Zaroff creeped silently towards the sound. Another giggle was heard, but it was louder this time.
“Who goes there!?” Zaroff yelled in a demanding voice.
Silence was answered back to him. In a quick motion, Zaroff turned on the lights and pointed his gun into the room. No one was there. The giggling started back up again, but it sounded like it was behind him. He quickly turned, and no one was there.
Getting irritated and losing interest in this “game” he shouted, “Who are you!? Reveal yourself now!”
This time, it was a maniacal laughter, and it came from all directions. Zaroff was slightly frightened, but kept his ground.
“STOP IT THIS INSTANCE!” He screamed while covering his ears.
He looked in every direction trying to find someone or something that was the source of this laughter. There was a frantic look in his eye. Darkness had surrounded the whole house. The lights had been cut out, and the laughter had stopped too. The only light source was from the window, where the moon was shining brightly through. Zaroff started trembling, and tried to see into the darkness.
“Zaroff…,” whispered Rainsford in the darkness.
“Rainsford? Is that you?” Zaroff asked.
“What is this emotion that I’m feeling? It feels great and satisfying, yet hungry for more,” Rainsford said with a smile forming on his lips.
“What do you mean?” Zaroff didn’t understand what Rainsford was talking about.
Rainsford continued as if he didn’t hear Zaroff’s question.
“You can’t even imagine the things that I’ve been conjuring in my mind. The fear that I’ve experienced during this hunt of yours. The feeling of being chased and knowing that in the end you might be dead. I want you to experience it all Zaroff. I can’t wait to share it with you,” Rainsford said in an enthusiastic voice.
Before Zaroff could register what Rainsford had said, Zaroff felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. The world had gone completely black.
At midnight, Zaroff had been forcefully woken up. Where was he? Why was he stripped down to only his undergarments? How did he get here? So many questions, yet they couldn’t be answered. It seemed that he had been taken into his basement and chained. The side of his head hurt and he felt groggy. Rainsford stood before him with a knife in hand, and wore a big smile.
“Hello Zaroff, I could not wait for morning to come. I wanted to start right away.”
Zaroff began to quiver in fear, and look at Rainsford with a look of terror.
“Don’t get scared now darling, the fun hasn’t even started,” Rainsford said while sharpening his
knife.
For the next few weeks, Zaroff had been tortured to the point where he feared the very voice of Rainsford. He had many cuts and bruises upon his body. However, he had grown awfully thin as well, and his bones would break easily from any hard impact put on his body. Rainsford was intrigued in the beginning of this new “game”, but he had grown bored with it. He wanted a new person to torture, and he wanted to feel the thrill again. Zaroff, already looking half-dead, was thrown into the area where the hounds were. The hounds had not been fed in days, so they looked at Zaroff with a look of hunger. They attacked Zaroff in a frenzy, wanting to eat every single piece of meat and bone available. Screams filled the air and lasted for only a few minutes before the noises of the forest was heard again. Rainsford was going to set off and find new victims to torture, but there was a loud knock at the door. He opened the door, and saw a few sailors who said that they were stranded on the island. They asked if Rainsford could let them stay the night and rest. Rainsford had just found his new torture dolls.
“Come on in fellows, I’d be glad to help you,” Rainsford said with a smile.
“Stay as long as you need to.”
That was the last time they were ever heard from.