‘The Most Dangerous Game’ Summary

Sanger Rainsford is the main character in The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell. I think that Sanger Rainsford’s trait is that he is smart. Three reasons for this is; one, that he researches his animals to learn their ways of doing things; two, that he knows survival techniques; and three, that he is reasonable. Here is my proof that Sanger Rainsford is smart.

The first reason that Sanger Rainsford is smart is because he researches his animals and learns their ways. One reason that Sanger researches his animals to learn what they do, is because he knows lots of ways to outsmart the enemy, usually the animal, but in this story, the tables are turned, leaving Sanger the hunted running from the hunter. He uses his research from hunting to make false trails and make it seem like he disappeared into thin air.

The second reason that Sanger Rainsford is smart is because he knows survival techniques. One reason that proves that Sanger knows survival techniques is because he knows how to set traps like the ‘Malay Mancatcher’ , and ‘Burmese Tiger Pit’ and a native Uganda trick that involves a knife tied to a springy young tree, the held back to create a powerful recoil when released. His knowing survival techniques contributes to his research of animals that he hunts, because trying to figure out how to catch some animals, you need a specific trap, so I’m guessing that a ‘Burmese Tiger Pit’ probably is used to capture Burmese Tigers. Burmese Tigers are also endangered, so you shouldn’t be trying to catch them anyway. His knowledge of survival techniques shows that he is smart.

The third reason that Sanger Rainsford is smart is because he is reasonable. One reason that Sanger is reasonable is because when he first gets stranded on Ship-Trap Island he hears gunshots and says, “Where there are pistol shots, there are men, and where there is men, there is food.” Details/Craft: This shows that he is reasonable because he reasons that if there is a gunshot, a man shot that gun, probably at an animal, making it food. His ability to reason shows that he is smart.

The theme of “Most Dangerous Game” is that sometimes even though you seem to have the grasp of the objective that you want, it slips through your fingers yet again. You need to figure out a good system, for instance, a false sense of security, until you have it. You can see this when Sanger Rainsford keeps setting bizzare traps that do their purpose, sort of, but in the end, don’t have the desired result. Later on in the story, you can see this theme develop when Sanger is thinking about a fool-proof way to catch General Zaroff, he realized that he could swim right up and sneak into Zaroff’s house, which is exactly what he does, and catches Zaroff at ‘bedtime’. He shows this theme repeatedly, up until the very end, when he finally gets his quarry.

Conclusion

I think that Sanger Rainsford is smart because he researches the animals he hunts to learn their ways, he knows survival techniques, and he is reasonable. He demonstrates these tactics throughout the entire story, showing and proving that he can outsmart the enemy, which is no easy feat, especially when they are smart, or insane, (which General Zaroff is both. [but mostly insane]) He shows his ability to make traps, proves he researches his animals. He also shows that trait by acting like a specific animal, like a fox or cat. His survival techniques proves that he is smart, because most people don’t know any, which makes it helpful knowledge. Researching animals and survival techniques sort of go together, in a way, since traps are also survival techniques. He knows things that typically you wouldn’t because you have no need for it, but as a hunter, he knows that you have to be prepared for anything and everything, in case something goes wrong on a hunt. He proves over and over again in the story that he is brave, quick-witted, and smart. I only chose smart as his trait because he really shows that he is. That is why I think that Sanger Rainsford, the famed hunter, is smart.

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