How Does The Character Rainsford in The Short Story, The Most Dangerous Game Change by The End of The Story?
How does the character Rainsford in the short story, The Most Dangerous Game change by the end of the story?
Change In Rainsford
Imagine being on a mysterious island filled with screams and gunshots during the night. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell that is exactly where the story takes place. An experienced hunter ends up upon the doorstep of a crazed man who begins a life or death game to see who the superior hunter is. From the beginning to end of the story, Rainsford changes from an arrogant, thoughtless hunter to a more understanding anti-hunter.
Rainsford was a famous, self-centered hunter who traveled the world to hunt big game. He had no care for what an animal goes through in his sport. He said, “Who cares how a jaguar feels… They’ve no understanding” (Connell14). This shows how much of a careless fool Rainsford was, for he didn’t spend a minute to even think about what hunted animals go through. After being shot, animals usually die a slow, painful death just for one man’s joy. Rainsford continues to show how self-centered he was when he said, “The world is made up of two classes- the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters” (Connell14). One would think that if Rainsford believes he is lucky to be a hunter that he would have at least felt slightly bad for killing the innocent animals, but unfortunately he wasn’t. In the beginning of the story, Rainsford is clearly a thoughtless fool.
Throughout the middle of the story Rainsford starts to show signs of change. When General Zaroff introduces his new animal Rainsford says, “But you can’t mean-“ (Connell21). It is at this point that Rainsford starts to realize the cruelty of hunting. Then in his continuing conversation with Zaroff Rainsford says, “Hunting? Good God, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder” (Connell21). This shows how Rainsford was starting to see the comparison between murder and hunting. Obviously, by the middle of the story Rainsford starts to realize that hunting is a harmful and cruel sport.
By the end of the story Rainsford shows significant signs that show he is a completely changed man. During the hunt between General Zaroff and Rainsford, “…it was Rainsford who knew the full meaning of terror” (Connell26). Rainsford was in the same position as the animals he hunted and he truly realized how awful it is for those animals that are hunted. Also, after winning the “game”, Rainsford confronts General Zaroff in his room and says, “I am still a beast at bay” (Connell28). This means that Rainsford experienced being the hunted, realized how cruel the sport is, and that inside he is an animal because of the incident. With all of the situations Rainsford experienced in the hunt, you can clearly tell he will no longer be a hunter.
Rainsford, who now is an understanding man who is against hunting, went through a huge change to get to where he is now. After being in a life or death game of hunting it is no surprise Rainsford is no longer thoughtless or arrogant. Anyone who goes through a life changing event is guaranteed to change in some way. Luckily, in Rainsford’s case the change was positive, which made him a much better person.