silhouette of a man with one eye open hiding in the jungle

The Most Dangerous Game

by Richard Edward Connell

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In "The Most Dangerous Game," is the characterization direct or indirect?

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In "The Most Dangerous Game," the characterization is indirect.

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Characterization is how an author presents a character's personality. The two methods for doing so are direct characterization and indirect characterization. Direct characterization has the author divulging to the reader a character's personality traits outright ("Jane was a greedy kid"), while indirect characterization generally reveals personality through the character's words or actions (we see Jane hoarding cookies during snack time at the expense of the other kids).

In "The Most Dangerous Game," characterization is indirect. The characters' personalities are not described outright, but they do share their philosophies and motives through dialogue. For example, Rainsford's first exchange with Whitney reveals a great deal about him:

"It will be light enough in Rio," promised Whitney. "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."

"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.

"Bah! They've no understanding."

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

"Nonsense," laughed Rainsford. "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. Do you think we've
passed that island yet?"

Within these few lines, the reader learns Rainsford is a passionate hunter characterized by arrogance and lack of compassion for the animals he hunts. It can also be inferred that he has never known true fear or what it is to be hunted. He never says any of that directly, but the reader is able to glean it from the conversation.

The physical description of Zaroff is also indirect: Rainsford gets the impression of an aristocrat, signifying culture and intelligence, but then he sees that Zaroff has "red lips and pointed teeth," creating a savage contrast with his "handsome" appearance. The narrator never says "Zaroff looked like a predator with his sharp teeth and red lips," because the reader can already make that connection on their own.

These details are meant to make the reader uneasy before it is revealed that Zaroff hunts humans for sport, which is one of the subtle strengths of indirect characterization. Had O'Connell outright said, "Zaroff looked like a monster and he had no respect for human life," the suspense and pacing would have been sacrificed.

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In "The Most Dangerous Game," are characterizations direct or indirect?

Since the first question that was posed has been recently answered, a check with the Questions in "The Most Dangerous Game" will reveal the response needed.  Thus, the second question is the one edited in, as only one question at a time is permitted.

For the most part, Connell employs indirect characterization for the personages of his thrilling short story. 

Here is a list of the elements of indirect characterization:

  • Physical description:

General Zaroff and his servant Ivan are both described as Cossacks who are a group of Eastern Slavic people known for their brutality.  They were military guards for the Russian borders.  Interestingly, while Rainsford's physical description is not given, his impressions of Zaroff are.  The general is an "erect, slender man" with a "cultivated voice marked by a slight accent."  On the other hand, Ivan is

a gigantic creature, solidly made and black-bearded to the waist.  In his hand the man held a long-barreled revolver, and he was pointing it straight at Rainsford's heart.

  • Description of the character's actions

He [Rainsford] examined the ground closely and found what he had hoped to find--the print of hunting boots.....Eagerly he hurried along, now slipping on a rotten log or a loose stone, but making headway.

The general shrugged his shoulders and delicately ate a hothouse grape....He nodded toward the corner to where the giant stood, scowling, his thick arms crossed on his hogshead of chest [Ivan].

Out of the snarl of beard two small eyes regarded Rainsford. [Ivan]

  • Description of the character's thought, feelings, and speeches

Rainsford's first impression was that the man [Zaroff]was singularly handsome; his second was that there was an original, almost bizarre quality about the general's face.

"No thrill left in tigers, no real danger.  I love for danger, Mr. Rainsford." [Zaroff]

"Surely your experiences in the war--"

"Did not make me condone cold-blooded murder," finished Rainsford stiffly.

Connell does, also, employ direct characterization, which  involves the author's telling his/her audience rather than dramatizing or showing as in indirect characterization.  

Here is an example of direct characterization:

Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists....Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.

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