Preview

The Suspenseful Tone in "The Most Dangerous Game"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
563 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Suspenseful Tone in "The Most Dangerous Game"
The Suspenseful Tone in “The Most Dangerous Game” In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Sager Rainsford, is faced to fight against general Zaroff by being an animal. To understand the suspenseful tone Connell conveys in “The Most Dangerous Game”, you have to look at the three settings of the story, the yacht, the jungle, and the mansion through diction, details, and sensory imagery, that help the author reveal the danger of the game. The yacht Rainsford was on in “The most Dangerous Game” presents a suspenseful tone, which is shown by diction, details, and sensory imagery. Rainsford is on a yacht, which shows his relaxing life. The words that Connell uses to describe Rainsford on the yacht make the story seem like nothing is going to happen but then he starts to describe the “moist black velvet [air]” (17), and you start to think that something is going to happen. Connell says that Rainsford was not able to see “four yard” (17) through the “thick warm blackness” (17). These details make you feel like you are actually there and you can feel what’s happening. “The moonless Caribbean night” (Connell 17) really makes you feel like you can actually see what is going on and you can picture the scene in your mind. All of this detail adds to the suspenseful tone. Rainsford then falls off the yacht with no one to here him and he swims to the mysterious island where he then begins his journey exploring the jungle. The suspenseful tone is also shown when in the jungle, presenting diction, details, and sensory imagery. Connell describes the jungle as “blackness” (24). This presents a suspenseful tone because you really don’t know what’s coming next and when that happens it presents a suspenseful tone. He uses details like “the silence of a dead word” (Connell 27) to show the quietness of the jungle. Connell then says that Rainsford was almost sucked in by the “death swamp” (29). You are almost able to picture this “death swamp” (Connell 29) and how

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, the three settings described in the book, the dark night, General Zaroff’s mansion, and the jungle, create suspense in the story Most Dangerous Game. The details in the dark night make the scene feel ominous and give the readers the feeling that something bad is about to occur. General Zaroff’s mansion is seen as to good to be true and there seems to be a sense of danger in the scene. The jungle is dangerous with its predator lurking in depths, which is terrifying for the characters and for the readers. These characteristics are all similar to suspenseful and add special qualities to the…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” Sanger Rainsford is hard hearted and does not care about the animals that he pursues; however, when Rainsford is being hunted he realizes the fear of the prey, and his perspective shifts, therefore, he gains empathy for the quarry.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One way the author foreshadows that something is going to happen was the name of the island. The name ‘Ship-Trap Island’ implies that the ship might crash or that they might become stranded on the island. The superstition that surrounds the island also foreshadows that something bad may happen. If there were enough incidents to create a whole superstition about the island then the problem must reoccur fairly often. If it happens often then what’s there to say that it won’t happen to Rainsford. You could also take the sudden change of emotion from Rainsford as foreshadowing. This is seen when he has a ‘mental chill; a sort of sudden dread’ as they neared the island. This leads us to believe that once they’re passing the island something bad may happen. Finally, the three gunshots heard by Rainsford would be one of the bigger events that foreshadows something unusual may happen. The gunshots mean that there is someone on the island, but not only that, this person just killed…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    People’s characteristics and actions can determine what will happen to them. This is true in Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Rainsford’s key characteristics such as his creativeness, toughness, and moral values are crucial to his survival.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even when the protagonist was still onboard the yacht, the author tried to build up as much suspense as possible. “The place has a reputation—a bad one.”(Whitney, 1); said by one of Rainsford’s friends. This alone persuades the reader to ask themselves to what is so special about Ship Trap Island. Also, during Rainsford’s conversation with Zaroff, Zaroff explained to Rainsford that he has recreated hunting. “Here in my preserve on this island … I hunt more dangerous game.”(Zaroff, 7) Again, just as Rainsford, the author made the readers desire and lust for the answer to the mystery. This quote helped the cause of building suspense. Moreover, during the hunt, whenever Rainsford managed to make the General retreat, Zaroff stated that “… I shall be back.”(Zaroff, 17) To make things worse, after his second retreat, “… Ill see what you can do against my whole pack...”(Zaroff, 17) What’s gonna happen to Rainsford? How is he going to escape Zaroff? These are just the types of questions that the reader might have asked themselves. To hunt or to be hunted, and only the strongest will survive, this is the logic behind the madness of this monstrous persona. Ironic as it is that Rainsford is also a hunter, now he is the mouse and Zaroff is the cat. Also, as the story is about over, Rainsford managed to ambush Zaroff in his room. “I’m still a beast at bay” (Rainsford, 20), Rainsford stated to Zaroff, as soon as the reader discovers this; their lust for the emotionally satisfying ending kicks in. Who would win the final fight? Even in the end, Richard Connell still gave us something to think about when Zaroff, who used to be the hunter, switches roles with Rainsford to be the…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Most Dangerous Game, Connell describes Rainsford, the protagonist, as a renowned hunter. Connell uses the opening conversation between Rainsford and Whitney, Rainsford’s companion on the yacht, to enlighten the reader to Rainsford’s attitude of indifference concerning the prey that he hunts. As fate would have it, Rainsford is marooned on an island where he meets another hunter, General Zaroff. As the story progresses, Rainsford begins to see the façade of civility disappear and the real nature of the General come to surface. The General explains how hunting man is the logical progression of their art and that they are actually kindred souls. Rainsford is appalled by the comparison of their two natures and clings to the moral high ground. That is until the General forces Rainsford to now become the prey. Rainsford, now the prey, calls upon not only his vast knowledge and experience of the hunt but also his primeval instinct of survival. Connell takes the reader through many twists and turns giving hope for Rainsford around each corner only to take it away. Due to the cunningness and resourcefulness of Rainsford, the General is given literally the best hunt of his life. In the end, Rainsford outsmarts the General…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the story, The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell shows that Rainsford is regretful, anxious, and fearful. First, it is shown that Rainsford is regretful due to the fact that General Zaroff gives him the option to play the most dangerous game or be whipped by Ivan, to which Rainsford chooses to play the game. Rainsford tries again and again to fall asleep at night, but he is helpless with his choice replaying in his mind. “Rainsford could not quiet his brain with the opiate of sleep.” Second, Rainsford’s anxiousness is shown because he is uneasy about the thought of not being able to see the day after next. Although he is a marvelous hunter, there is a possibility that he may be no match to someone who is undefeated in assassinating humans.…

    • 236 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell, is an original nonfiction story about two hunters who take themselves into the Amazon to hunt down animals. Rainsford, one of the main hunters, ends up finding himself on a mysterious island after an accident occurs. Comparing to the film, the characters throughout the scenes differentiate in many ways. Although, the short story itself is entertaining. The changes such as the shipwreck, a love interest, and character development that the director produces a much more dramatic plot, placing the audience on the edge of their seats.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Perhaps one of the reasons that “The Most Dangerous Game” is still read to this day may be because of the ambiguous ending that this short story has. The way the story is left off leads the reader to many different conclusions as to what happened. Perhaps the two most common inferences would be that either Rainsford realizes that he is becoming like Zaroff, or Rainsford realizes that he is nothing like Zaroff and takes comfort in this. There is much evidence that supports both of these theories.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A boat on the Caribbean Sea is heading to Rio, and a sailor aboard, named Rainsford, falls over the railing into the black waters after hearing gunshots, and swims towards an island with dense jungle and the welcoming General. One example of conflict in the story is when Rainsford hears gun shots fired out in the dark night. This begins the conflict because it is when Rainsford falls out of the boat into the ocean. Zaroff celebrates, "I drink to a foeman worthy of my steel—at last" (Connell 68). General Zaroff is intrigued now that he will be hunting Rainsford, a man with equal wits and skill, in his game. When the knife slingshot set by Rainsford fails to hit the target of Zaroff in the jungle it creates suspense. This means that Rainsford's weapon did not kill his most dangerous enemy and he will have to keep fighting through this game. Richard Connell used conflict to create suspense in "The Most Dangerous Game" to win the reader's attention from the beginning, and go on a frightful journey with Rainsford through the…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” author Richard Connell uses foreshadowing to expose General Zaroff as a cannibal to readers. General Zaroff’s cannibalism is revealed in The Most Dangerous Game through the superstition of the island, the physical description of Zaroff, and the loss of his friend Ivan. Occuring in the exposition of the story, Rainsford and Whitney draw near to an island which is called Ship-Trap Island. Anxiously, Whitney tells of feelings of superstition between the crew amidst the island. During the conversation, Whitney tells Rainsford that the island has a bad reputation, which prompts the following theory from Rainsford: “Cannibals?” (2). Connell uses this scene within the story to plant the idea in…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Suspense is a necessity for any story, facilitating a reason for readers to continue flipping the pages. A powerful literary device indeed, but it is exceptionally hard to master. However, noted author Richard Connell is one of the exceptions. In “The Most Dangerous Game” by Connell, the nigh palpable conflict between the characters is certainly a key reason to turn the pages. Through the utilization of foreshadowing and foreboding words, Connell constructs a rock-solid sense of suspense.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What makes a story suspenseful? Is it imagery? Is it dialogue? The reason for suspense varies for different people. For some, dialogue makes a story suspenseful and others maybe diction or even a combination of two aspects but typically not the same aspects for every person. In a movie, it is usually the sounds and darkness and location. In a book though, there are no sounds so you need other aspects such as diction, dialogue, imagery, plot, etc.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antonia Bala Mrs. Humenansky Advanced English 9 11 November 2016 The Most Dangerous Game: Alternate Ending My alternate ending starts the morning after the apprehensive night that Rainsford was in the jungle. In the story, that morning Rainsford hears the cry of some startled bird that focused him into that direction. He hears something coming the same way he had come.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Rainsford falls from the boat Connell describes Rainsford’s primal attempt for survival in animalistic terms stating that he “Doggedly… swam in that direction [of the Island] …with slow deliberate strokes” (Connell,3). Rainsford did not swim mechanically, nor artistically or even in a human fashion, in his desperation, he swam like a dog. Connell, by describing Rainsford’s swimming as dogged, shows that in dire circumstances, even the most rational and trained person, here characterized by Rainsford, resorts to animalistic behavior. This assertion becomes even stronger as the story goes on, when Zaroff finds Rainsford for the first time “The Cossack was the cat; [Rainsford] was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror” (Connell, 12). Striving to survive, Rainsford thought of himself as a cornered animal, and behaved accordingly, he shows that once man is no longer the hunter but the hunted that we act just like prey by hiding, fleeing or scrambling away from our predator. Finishing his story with what he started, Connell shows that humans, just like jaguars “understand one thing--fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death."(Connel,1). One of the only consistencies we see in humans, is the fact that we will all fight or fly in due to fear. Rainsford, as the personification of humanity, fled his predator, which shows us that we truly…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays