Captain Nelson told him, "This place has an evil name among seafaring men, sir" (1). The ominous, forebodingatmosphere surrounding Ship-Trap Island foreshadows Rainsford's terrifying experience on the island, where he is hunted by General Zaroff.

Connell once again foreshadows General Zaroff's sadistic game when Rainsford finally arrives on the island. As Rainsford is walking through the forest, he discovers a .22 caliber shell and remarks,

That's odd. It must have been a fairly large animal too. The hunter had his nerve with him to tackle it with a light gun. It's clear that the brute put up a fight. (3)

Rainsford's discovery of a small-caliber shell being used to hunt a fairly large game foreshadows the fact that Zaroff is hunting humans on the island. Typically, a larger caliber bullet would be used to hunt big game. However, the general only needs a .22 caliber gun to kill a human. At this point in the story, Rainsford is perplexed by his finding and continues to walk until he discovers Zaroff's palatial chateau.

During Sanger Rainsford's first dinner with General Zaroff, Connell foreshadows the general's maniacal nature in his description of Zaroff's appearance. Connell writes

Rainsford's first impression was that the man was singularly handsome; his second was that there was an original, almost bizarre quality about the general's face ... His eyes, too, were black and very bright. (4)

The bizarre quality of Zaroff's face and his dark eyes suggest that something is ominous and unsettling about his nature. His description is not one of a light-hearted innocent fellow but is rather intimidating and perplexing. The reader soon discovers that although Zaroff presents himself as a civilized aristocrat, he is a maniacal murderer who hunts defenseless people throughout his island for fun.

Some examples of foreshadowing in "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell are the warning about how sailors feel about Ship-Trap Island, the conversation between Whitney and Rainsford about hunting and the jaguar, and the scream Rainsford hears as he swims.

When Whitney points out the island, he explains to Rainsford that "sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why. Some superstition—." Rainsford is so focused on the island that he ignores the warning and just tries to see land through the dark night.

Connell foreshadows what happens on the island by alerting readers that something is wrong with it. While not all superstitions are based on reality, it's clear that something is amiss. If Rainsford had paid more attention to Whitney's words, he might have avoided the entire encounter with General Zaroff.

Another example of foreshadowing in the story is the conversation between Rainsford and Whitney about hunting in the Amazon; they're traveling there when Rainsford falls off the ship. Connell writes:

"The best sport in the world," agreed Rainsford.

"For the hunter," amended Whitney. "Not for the jaguar."

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?"

"Perhaps the jaguar does," observed Whitney.

Rainsford goes on to tell Whitney that the world has two classes: the hunters and the hunted. Rainsford identities himself and his companion as hunters. Unfortunately for him, he'll experience the fear and panic of the jaguar soon when he arrives on Ship-Trap Island and plays the game with General Zaroff.

Finally, the scream that Rainsford hears when he swims toward the island foreshadows the game that Zaroff hosts. It says that the sound "came out of the darkness, a high screaming sound, the sound of an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror. He did not recognize the animal that made the sound." Connell goes on to say that Rainsford didn't even attempt to identify it.

The sound of the animal screaming in pain—likely a human—foreshadows Rainsford becoming the hunted as Zaroff pursues him across the island later in the story.

To examples of foreshadowing in “The Most Dangerous Game” are the name of the island, “Ship-trap Island,” and the conversation between Rainsford and Whitney about whether or not animals have feelings.

Foreshadowing is an author’s hint of what is to come. Authors use it in scary stories like “The Most Dangerous Game” to increase the suspense and make the story more exciting so the reader wants to keep reading.

The first example is from the very beginning of the story when Rainsford and Whitney discuss the name of the island they are passing. It is called “Ship-trap” island, a very ominous name.

"The old charts call it 'Ship-Trap Island,'" Whitney replied. "A suggestive name, isn't it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why. Some superstition—"

Although Whitney dismisses the meaning of the name as superstitious, it is a not-so-subtle hint to the reader that something is not quite right with the island. Zaroff seems to have chosen the island because of its name, not the other way around, because it was named as such on old charts.

The second example of foreshadowing is the conversation between Whitney and Rainsford about hunting. Rainsford is a famous hunter, and he has written books on the subject. Rainsford comments that hunting is the best sport in the world and that he does not care how a jaguar feels.

"Perhaps the jaguar does," observed Whitney.

"Bah! They've no understanding."

"Even so, I rather think they understand one thing—fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death."

This foreshadows the fact that Rainsford is going to be the hunted soon, not the hunter. He is about to find out exactly how the jaguar feels, and his experience may change how he feels about hunting forever.

These two examples, and other instances of foreshadowing in the story, create suspense for the reader and make us want to keep reading to find out where the creepy story ends up!

First, Rainsford's thoughts during his conversation with Whitney, his hunting partner onboard their ship, gives off a sense of foreboding when he tells the reader, "What I felt was a -- a mental chill; a sort of sudden dread."  Additionally, the gunshots he heard sounding off in the distance also foreshadow the later events in that they establish some sort of presence from the island the sailors so feared, known as Shiptrap Island, a name which on its own could be foreshadowing the later events in that they are on a ship and the island's name leaves a sense of danger in the air.

Other examples of foreshadowing in "The Most Dangerous Game":

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how the jaguar feels?"

Rainsford will soon find out for himself how it feels to be hunted. Later, after he has fallen overboard, he hears "the sound of an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror." But, there is something peculiar about the sound.

He did not recognize the animal that made the sound; he did not try to; with fresh vitality he swam toward the sound. He heard it again; then it was cut short by another noise, crisp, staccato.    "Pistol shot," muttered Rainsford, swimming on.

He will soon find out that the sound is not that of an animal, but a man.

After reaching the chateau, Rainsford shares a meal with General Zaroff, who the visitor notices is studying him carefully. When Rainsford remarks that the Cape buffalo is the most dangerous game of all, Zaroff disagrees.

For a moment the general did not reply; he was smiling his curious red-lipped smile. Then he said slowly, "No. You are wrong, sir. The Cape buffalo is not the most dangerous big game." He sipped his wine. "Here in my preserve on this island," he said in the same slow tone, "I hunt more dangerous game."Rainsford expressed his surprise. "Is there big game on this island?"The general nodded. "The biggest."

Rainsford will personally find out what this mysterious game is.

Within the first sentence of the story, Whitney says, "Off there to the right - somewhere - is a large island... It's rather a mystery."  Not knowing exactly where the island is, and calling it a mystery both build suspense.

My favorite piece of foreshadowing comes with a few of Rainsford's words. Rainsford and Whitney discuss the feelings of the jaguar. Rainsford thinks they don't have feelings, but Whitney presents the idea that maybe they do... Rainsford comments:

Nonsense. This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees.

Not only does this foreshadow the fact that there is going to be a hunt, but it ironically stages Rainsford to believe that he is fairly sure about what side or which class he resides in.

Each sound is both foreshadowing and suspense. Suspense because the sounds are scary sounds: a scream and a pistol shots. Foreshadowing because there will be further screaming and further shooting.

There is plenty of suspense and foreshadowing in this story.  I think that it starts right at the beginning of the story.

The first thing we see is that Sanger Rainsford's yacht is near an island called Shiptrap Island.  We are told that sailors are very afraid of the place.

A second bit of foreshadowing comes a bit later when Rainsford talks about hunting.  He says that no one cares how the hunted animal feels.  This foreshadows the fact that he will become a hunted animal himself.

A little later, Whitney talks about how he felt evil -- a sudden dread -- when they got near the island.

Then, when Rainsford drags himself onto the shore of the island, the whole description of the island is scary and causes suspense.

"We should make it in a few days. I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey's. We should have some good hunting up the Amazon. Great sport, hunting."

• Refers to James Purdey & Sons, which is a gun manufacturer founded in 1814 in London. Connell uses this name to suggest that the men are experts in hunting and use only the finest weaponry.

"He is a Cossack," said the general, and his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth. "So am I."

• Refers to people from Southern part of Russia and Ukraine. They are well known for their prowess in battle and military situations. Zaroff wants Rainsfield to know that both of them are highly competitive and not to be trifled with.

"Then be sat down, took a drink of brandy from a silver flask, lit a cigarette, and hummed a bit from Madame Butterfly."

"The Most Dangerous Game" is often cited in anthologies for the structure or plot, not to mention its great suspense. To identify a symbol is a bit of a stretch in this work, but there are items worthy of use.

In the beginning Whitney and Rainsford discuss the jaguar. As they talk, Whitney points out that even an animal can contain fear, while Rainsford laughs the thought away. Although this is a great moment of foreshadowing and as it is later fulfilled we see the irony of an animal's capacity to fear, I think Connell uses this animal to represent the innocence of all animals. This story was written as a reflection of the big game hunting that was done for sport in the early 1900s. Connell uses this animal to later illustrate what it would feel like if a human had to endure the fear of being hunted for days on end.

Similarly, the cry that Rainsford hears while swimming close to shore after hearing small caliber gun shots, symbolizes the torment and agony animals go through when hunters aren't responsible about their sport. A kill shot is a necessity for many moral hunters because they actually care about wildlife game management. They don't want to put animals through pain, but I think Connell uses this cry to demonstrate that hunting creates pain, and that death is painful, no matter how it is done.

The term game is used to have a double meaning, thus it is often a play on words when used in the story to mean either or both the animal and the sport. I think you could use game as a symbol to demonstrate that their is a win and a loss. Connell would like his audience to understand that hunting may be a loss for us in the long run.

These may be some stretchers, but the work has many other devices that it is regularly recognized for. I hope you can use some of these.

There are several instances of foreshadowing in the short story.

The most obvious foreshadowing in "The Most Dangerous Game" is the extreme dark seen by Rainsford in the beginning.

"The old charts call it 'Ship-Trap Island...'"

"Can't see it," remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht.(Connell, "The Most Dangerous Game," fiction.eserver.org)

This foreshadows the method General Zaroff uses to trap his prey, by  luring ships into a rocky deathtrap with lights that mimic a safe channel. Ships cannot see the island and its rocks in the dark, and Rainsford is both lured in by a gunshot from the dark and then hunted by Zaroff in the dark.

Another element of foreshadowing is Rainsford's offhanded statement that the world is composed of "hunters and huntees." This idea is taken to its extreme by Zaroff and rejected in spirit by Rainsford, but he finds himself needing to conform to it by the end of the story. When he confronts Zaroff, he describes himself as "a beast at bay," to Zaroff's hunter. This brings his personal journey full-circle, from hunter to prey and then back to hunter.

The Most Dangerous Game places two characters, Mr. Rainsford and General Zaroff in opposition over the ideas and ideals of hunting. In the beginning of the story an ominous outcome is foreshadowed when Rainsford and his friend, Whitney, hear a gunshot off their boat as they are travelling to a hunt. The deep blackness of the night foreshadows the gloom and doom about to occur. The conflict between Whitney and Rainsford foreshadows the same sort of conversation which Rainsford will have with Zaroff only hours from then. Rainsford's insensitivity to the plight of animals that he hunts foreshadows the same opinion Zaroff has about hunting humans.

On the island, the house is a gloomy and imposing one inspiring thoughts of gothic horror stories. The very house itself becomes symbolic of the coldness of hunting for mere sport and the nature of both Rainsford and Zaroff, though Rainsford's degree of insensitivity is not quite as developed as that of Zaroff. The darkness of the house mirrors a darkness in the heart of Zaroff and predict his hunting of his guest. Ivan's speechlessness also foreshadows the "silent scream" of the horror of the past dead humans and the future ones. He is little more than a pet of Zaroff's and his humanity has seemingly been wiped by Zaroff as if at one time Zaroff had hunted Ivan himself.

During the hunt Rainsford's panic at first settles into determination, as he hunts Zaroff and avoids him at the same time. When the dog is killed by Rainsford's trap, the foreshadowing seems to suggest that someone will be killed, and the reader fears that Rainsford will be the victim. The number of days of the hunt brings up another oblique symbol of the death and resurrection of Christ; in this case, the span of time between the crucifixion and the resurrection was about this length of time in which Christ visited hell. Why Zaroff doesn't hunt humans for two days or four days seems to point to the key number of three.

Finally, the water that got Rainsford into trouble is the water that saves him in the end. When he swims to safety and lays the trap for Zaroff, he fulfils the hunt in reverse, revealing the change he has undergone. Hence, the panic and fear experienced by hunted animals is now fulfilled in Rainsford, so he has a sincere change of heart and compassion. However, he reserves none of that compassion for Zaroff whom he easily and comfortably kills in raw vengeance.

Examples of foreshadowing can be found from the opening paragraphs of the story. There is the immediate description of the ominous-sounding "Ship-Trap Island," where "Sailors have a curious dread of the place." There is the feeling of evil that hangs about the area, the gunshots that are heard on the supposedly uninhabited island, and the unrecognizable animal sounds heard by Rainsford as he swims to shore. Resting after his long swim, Rainsford notes the cliff and the jungle found on the island, but

What perils that tangle of trees and underbrush might hold for him did not concern Rainsford just then.

After meeting Zaroff, Rainsford is presented with clues about the nature of the Cossack's new prey: The Russian disagrees about the Cape buffalo being the world's most difficult prey; instead, he tells Rainsford that "I hunt more dangerous game." Zaroff's talk of being bored with regular big game is another clue that it is not animals that he now hunts. And when Zaroff explains that his new prey can "reason," Rainsford finally understands that it is man that provides Zaroff with his new thrill. Although Rainsford is shocked when he discovers he is to be Zaroff's new prey, the reader should have recognized that the lavish meals and drink and Rainsford's long sleep was meant to put him in a fresh and healthy state in order to make Zaroff's game as challenging as possible.

You have correctly identified what this short story is used by most teachers to teach: foreshadowing. One of the ways that writers create suspense is through foreshadowing, the use of clues that hint at later events in the story. Foreshadowing makes you curious, even anxious, to know what will happen next.

For me, one of the first pieces of foreshadowing that occurs in the story is in the discussion between Rainsford and Whitney. Note what they say:

"The best sport in the world," agreed Rainsford.

"For the hunter," amended Whitney. "Not for the jaguar."

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?"

Of course, this is ironic as Rainsford himself is going to discover how the jaguar feels as he becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.

The second piece of foreshadowing I will focus on comes very close to the first. The evil reputation that the island has clearly forebodes some kind of ill, as we will later discover. Note how this is introduced:

"Yes, even that though-minded old Swede, who'd go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light. Those fishy blue eyes held a look I never saw there before. All I could get out of him was: 'This place has an evil name among seafaring men, sir.'

This clearly hints at some kind of danger that will feature in the rest of the story.

Clearly another highly significant piece of foreshadowing occurs once Rainsford is on the island and he sees the evidence of a hunt, but he is not able to work out what kind of animal was hunted:

Some wounded thing, by the evidence a large animal, had thrashed about in the underbrush; the jungle weeds were crushed down and the moss was lacerated; one patch of weeds was stained crimson.

Of course, later on Rainsford will no precisely the identity of the species of animal that was hunted.

So there you are - three examples of foreshadowing which arguably help to make this a unique story of suspense story and one which keeps the reader engaged.

Foreshadowing is seen early on, when Rainsford and Whitney discuss the morality of hunting. Both are skilled hunters, but Whitney is more empathic towards the prey animals, while Rainsford is more contemptuous:

"This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes -- the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters."(Connell, "The Most Dangerous Game," classicreader.com)

This mindset, that the laws of nature are made to favor the strong and allow the strong to prey on the weak, is seen later in Zaroff's philosophies. While Rainsford simply thinks that thinking man is superior of animals to the extent allowed by hunting -- that is, intelligent man is allowed to hunt animals because they cannot think as humans do -- Zaroff takes the philosophy to its extreme, believing that the strong among humans, including himself, have a moral right to hunt other humans. Rainsford finds out the hard way that rationalizing hunting more than food or fun is a slippery slope.

Richard Connell uses foreshadowing effectively in his short story "The Most Dangerous Game." The story begins on a ship at night, but it does not take long before we (the readers) realize something is not quite right. Whitney is the captain of the ship, and he tells his passenger, Sanger Rainsford, about the island they are passing.

"The old charts call it `Ship-Trap Island,"' Whitney replied." A suggestive name, isn't it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why. Some superstition--"

In this description, we learn the island has a rather ominous name, that sailors have an aversion to even sailing past the island, and there is some kind of superstition associated with it. 

Of course there are more elements of foreshadowing: the water is "blood-warm," Rainsford hears a shot from the island in the dark, and the sailors are quite afraid of Ship-Trap Island. Even Rainsford's insistence that there are two kinds of people, hunters and huntees, is a hint that he may have to rethink that before long.