Extended Character Analysis

Sanger Rainsford is the protagonist of Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Hailing from New York, Rainsford is a World War I veteran as well as a famous hunter and author. At the outset of the story, he is traveling by boat to Rio de Janeiro with his friend Whitney in order to hunt jaguars. As he discusses the nature of hunting with Whitney, Rainsford remarks that “the world is made up of two classes—the hunter and the huntee.”

When Rainsford falls overboard, he initially attempts to swim after the boat. However, he quickly realizes that this is a pointless endeavor and instead swims towards the gunshots that drew his attention earlier. This rational decision highlights Rainsford’s ability to maintain his composure under duress. Even after washing up on the shore of Ship-Trap island naked and starving, he remains self-assured and logical. It is only after hearing about Zaroff’s unorthodox hunting games that Rainsford begins to show concern. He adamantly declines Zaroff’s invitation to join him on a hunt, accusing Zaroff of murder. Zaroff derides him for being prudish, intimating that Rainsford’s distinction between humans and animals is arbitrary and naive.

Rainsford and Zaroff’s ideas about hunting are very similar: they both draw a distinction between hunters and prey and believe that it is the right of the hunter to enjoy the sport of the hunt without questioning the feelings of the prey. Rainsford’s objections to Zaroff’s actions stem from his belief that humans are superior to animals. He fails to notice that his beliefs are otherwise identical to Zaroff’s. The similarity between the two sets of beliefs asks readers to question why some forms of violence are more permissible than others. Zaroff suggests that the only difference between himself and Rainsford is age and experience. Indeed, Zaroff mentions having traveled to South America to hunt jaguars—exactly what Rainsford had been planning to do—only to be disappointed by how easily he found it.

Despite his prior clearheadedness and self-assurance, Rainsford quickly succumbs to instinct and adopts a prey-like mentality at the outset of the hunt. He runs aimlessly in the opposite direction of the chateau, trying to get as far away from Zaroff as possible. However, he eventually recollects his wits and begins strategizing. In a twist of fate, he takes inspiration from animals he has hunted in the past. Rationality is the trait that Zaroff considers most important in humans, but Rainsford often struggles to resist his instincts and think logically. He constantly reminds himself to maintain his “nerve” lest he give in to his more primal instincts.

Through his experience of being hunted by Zaroff, Rainsford is forced to confront the sensations felt by the animals that he himself has hunted. However, whether or not this reversal changes Rainsford’s views about hunting is left ominously ambiguous. The final line of the story suggests that Rainsford kills Zaroff, with Rainsford remarking that Zaroff’s bed is the most comfortable one he has ever slept in. His motives can be interpreted in different ways. By one reading, Rainsford kills Zaroff out of desperation. As he confronts Zaroff, Rainsford remarks that he is still a “beast at bay,” indicating that he has fully succumbed to the mindset of a hunted animal. Unable to guarantee his own safety with Zaroff still alive, Rainsford kills him rather than pursuing more civilized forms of justice. Rainsford’s decision to sleep in Zaroff’s bed is merely a temporary measure as he recuperates from his ordeal. This interpretation emphasizes Zaroff’s madness and maintains Rainsford’s moral superiority. Even if his primary motivation for killing Zaroff is revenge rather than mere practicality, Rainsford is still only guilty of murdering a murderer.

However, an alternate reading suggests that Rainsford’s agenda is ethically questionable. The text does not say whether Rainsford frees Zaroff’s other prisoners. This, combined with Rainsford’s apparent pleasure over sleeping in Zaroff’s bed, introduces a reading wherein Rainsford merely replaces Zaroff as the master of the island. Having killed Zaroff, Rainsford has overcome “the most dangerous game” and proved himself the superior hunter. Unlike Zaroff, who hunted all other types of big game before moving on to humans, Rainsford has more quickly attained the experience of hunting humans. According to Zaroff’s philosophies, no other hunt will be able to satisfy Rainsford now. An optimistic reading suggests that Rainsford will give up hunting entirely after having experienced the terror of being prey. However, Rainsford’s comments to Whitney at the beginning of the story suggest a grimmer future: If the world is indeed divided into hunters and huntees, then will Rainsford ever accede his dominant place in that duality?