sentences, using powerful description to show only what is there without embellishment; Rainsford's inner thoughts also become more frenzied as his options run out.

First, suspense is created through the context. Rainsford is on a ship in a remote place. The setting is mysterious and dangerous. Right from the beginning this tone is struck. Notice the words that Connell uses:

"OFF THERE to the right--somewhere--is a large island," said Whitney." It's rather a mystery--" "What island is it?" Rainsford asked. "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--"

Second, when Rainsford meets the general, the general's appearance gives off a vibe of eeriness. The reader knows that all is not well and that something ominous is going to take place. Here is how Rainsford describes him: 

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.

Finally, when the hunt begins, Rainsford is completely the underdog. General Zaroff has a huge companion of a man, Ivan, and dogs to hunt down Rainsford on his island. This means that he has the advantage in every possible way.  The reader wonders: What will happen next? Will Rainsford survive? Suspense, therefore, is embedded in the text to the end of the story. In fact, there is no resolution until the last sentence. 

The title creates suspense in three ways. 

First, the word, "most," is a superlative. This means that there could be nothing more than dangerous than the most dangerous. By using this word in the title, it grabs the reader's attention and makes him or her wonder what the most dangerous game might be. This word, "most," therefore, invites curiosity and suspense. 

Second, the word, "dangerous," also increases the suspense, because there is something about this game that is not ordinary. The game that is in view is something that can cause harm. The connotations of life and death are present. 

Finally, the fact that the word "game" is used also creates great suspense. Games usually have a winner and loser. Therefore, the reader wonders who will win and who will lose. They readers also wonders what winning and losing will entail. 

If we put all that together, the title is brilliant. It nicely describes what will take place and casts an ominous tone.  Suspense is the outcome.

"The Most Dangerous Game" is rich with literary devices. Other contributors have already discussed a number of these, so I will instead turn towards two that have not yet been addressed.

The first is situational irony. "The Most Dangerous Game" is a deeply ironic story, which involves Rainsford, a big-game hunter, himself becoming the quarry in Zaroff's hunt. There is a reversal of fortunes, by which Rainsford has been put in the same position he has placed innumerable animals in his own life: facing death and terror for someone else's entertainment.

The second literary device that stands out is this story's use of foils. Ultimately, "The Most Dangerous Game" revolves around two characters: Rainsford, the protagonist, and his enemy, General Zaroff. However, what is particularly interesting in this case is the degree to which Zaroff holds up a dark mirror to Rainsford himself, revealing the sort of person Rainsford might have been (or might potentially become) were he to lose all moral compass.

Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" contains quite a few literary devices. I will try to add a couple more to the previous post.  

"The Most Dangerous Game" makes use of foreshadowing. There's actually quite a bit of foreshadowing. In the beginning of the story, Whitney and Rainsford are talking about the mysterious island off to the side of the ship. Whitney tells Rainsford that sailors have a dread of the island. Readers also learn that it is called "Ship-Trap Island." Readers will eventually discover why it is called that, and sailors do have reason to dread the island.

Another thing that is foreshadowed is hunting an animal that can reason and feel. Whitney feels some sympathy for the jaguar, and Rainsford tells him that is ridiculous. Rainsford will soon be put into a situation where he personally experiences the fear that prey probably feel.

I'll include an idiom that this story uses.  

He lived a year in a minute.

An idiom is a phrase that is not meant to be interpreted literally. Obviously, Rainsford didn't actually live a full year in a single sixty seconds. The text is saying that Rainsford had a lot of time pass through his mind in a very short amount of time. Perhaps you have heard somebody say that their life passed before their eyes in an instant. That is similar to what the narrator is trying to describe.

There are many literary devices used in Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game".

1. The following quote contains personification (the giving of human characteristics to nonhuman/nonliving things):

dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht.

This is an example of personification given night cannot physically press itself against something (this is a characteristic and human possesses, not something night can typically "do."

2. The next example is a simile. A simile is the comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".

"Ugh! It's like moist black velvet."

Here, the night is compared to black velvet.

Another example of a simile is:

The sea was as flat as a plate-glass window.

Here, the sea is compared to a window.

3. "Bleak blackness" is an example of alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound (typically used in poetry). Here the "b" sound repeats and creates exemplifies alliteration.

TheGothic elements of the short story create a blood-chilling, eerie mood. From the gargoyle doorknocker to the animal heads as trophies on the wall, the story reeks with elements of the grotesque and sensational. Juxtaposed with this is cosmopolite refineness (James Bond style) as Zaroff pours Rainsford champagne and serves him lavish dinners. The mixture of barbarism and high culture adds to schizophrenic profile of Zaroff, who plays the intermittant roles of gentleman and devil.

Another aspect creating tension in the story is the "no way out" situation Rainsford finds himself in. He is stuck on Zaroff with no way to possibly escape and must meet the hunter on his own ground. Doubling back to the castle instead of staying in the jungle or tempting his chances at sea is Rainford's means to finally reverse the situation and win. By catching Zaroff off guard and unarmed, he finally beats the psychopath hunter at his own game.

The ambivalent role of Rainsford at the end of the story is also disquietening. Although killing Zaroff in pure self-defense, Rainford feels no remorse but sleeps very soundly that same night. If Rainsford has indeed escaped bodily harm, can the same be said of his soul? Will he 'calll it a day' and go home or will he be tempted to stay and rule the island as his own?

In the first few paragraphs of the short story, the ominous setting and dark subject matter discussed between Whitney and Rainsford creates suspense. At the beginning of the short story, both Whitney and Rainsford are traveling on a yacht in the middle of the Caribbean Sea during an extremely dark, eerie night. Rainsford mentions that their surroundings are like "thick black velvet," which adds to the suspenseful conversation regarding the "God-forsaken" island that they are passing. Whitney proceeds to describe the foreboding island by telling Rainsford that it has a terrible reputation, which makes even the crew "a bit jumpy." Whitney then says he believes that evil is sometimes a tangible thing. He thinks that the nearby island broadcasts evil vibrations. After Whitney heads below deck, Rainsford hears gunshots coming from Ship-Trap Island, which also adds to the suspense of the story. Overall, the suspense in the first few pages is created by the ominous setting, the dark subject matter of Whitney and Rainsford's conversation, and the enigmatic gunshots Rainsford hears coming from Ship-Trap Island.

Authors use many techniques to create suspense, but one of the most common is the use of setting. To answer this question, you need to ask yourself " what is it about this story's opening that makes me curious, or anxious to know more and continue reading". 

In the first few pages you have a setting involving a dark moonless night in the Caribbean that is described as being like "moist black velvet". This gives the setting an exotic location and the extreme darkness creates an uncomfortable situation. There is also the conversation of "Ship Trap Island" and how the island has a reputation so horrifying that Whitney states that "even cannibals wouldn't live in such a God-forsaken place". This gives an element of danger to the story. All of these details in setting, plus many more, help develop suspense. 

You can also look at the conversations between Rainsford and Whitney and pull more details from characterization that make you want to read on. 

The first suspenseful situation in "The Most Dangerous Game" occurs when Sanger Rainsford falls off the yacht unnoticed and must depend on himself to swim to safety in the dark and unfamiliar waters.  And in doing so, he hears the inhospitable sound of a pistol shot and an anguished cry from shore.

A second suspenseful situation occurs when Rainsford spends his first night in the jungle evading General Zaroff; he watches from a tree branch as Zaroff smokes a cigarette below.  Zaroff's gaze travels up the branches of the tree but breaks off before he lays eyes on Rainsford, who realizes, once the general walks away, that he had actually been spotted but let go for the time being.

A third suspenseful situation occurs when Ivan, with a pack of hunting hounds on a lead, pursues Rainsford's scent with General Zaroff following close behind.  Rainsford is able to quickly rig a knife to a sapling with some knowledge he picked up on a hunt in Uganda; it kills Ivan and buys Rainsford the few moments he needs to jump into the sea and lose the dogs and Zaroff. 

Your question identifies what this short story is so famous for, and why it is so successful. 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.

Connell usese foreshadowing in several places throughout "The Most Dangerous Game."  This use of a literary device that encourages the reader to feel a sense of anticipation about what will happen to Rainsford is foreshadowing.

In the beginning of the story, Rainsford and Whitney discuss the blackness of the night and the boat's close proximity to Ship-Trap Island.  Whitney's insistance that sailors have a "curious dread of the place" leads the reader to wonder why they would feel that way.  The reader begins to anticipate the possibilities of that night and location.  Connell's use of phrases such as "thick warm blackness" and "moonless Carribean night" turn the reader's mind toward eerie suggestions.  When the discussion turns to hunting, the idea of danger and death come into play.

Later in the story, General Zaroff states that his mind "is an analytical mind...Doubtless that is why I enjoy the problems of the chase."  Zaroff also informs Rainsford that

...hunting had ceased to be what you call 'a sporting proposition.' It had become too easy.  I always got my quarry.  There is no greater bore than perfection...Instinct is no match for reason...

This information causes the reader to ask himself how Zaroff dealt with his problem of boredom.  Suspense is built as the reader realizes that they prey can only be human, which Zaroff soon admits, and that Rainsford must either become the hunted or join Zaroff.

The Most Dangerous Game is a short story that features a great deal of foreshadowing and irony. The first scene in the story, in which the protagonist (Rainsford) and his friend Whitney discuss hunting and in which Rainsford posits that animals "have no understanding" and therefore feel nothing, is filled with foreshadowing.

After their boat sinks and Rainsford finds himself on a mysterious island, more foreshadowing occurs in the form of Count Zaroff, the antagonist, and his pack of dogs. The dogs help Zaroff hunt, but what is he interested in hunting? Due to the set up, the reader slowly catches on to the fact that there can only be one ultimate animal to hunt: man. The dogs, who will soon be hunting Rainsford, represent situational irony (especially since they are "man's best friend").

Suspense is important in this story because once the reader becomes aware that Rainsford will be the quarry, each scene unfolds on the premise that he could be captured, but in each subsequent scene, he finds a clever way to outwit Zaroff. As he barely escapes capture, the hounds baying in the background, Rainsford's fate is still not clear. It is impossible to tell if he will survive, as his chances seem limited given that Zaroff is a skilled hunter who has an assistant, dogs, and plenty of food and water. Does he deserve to live, given all the animals he has hunted and killed?

Suspense drives much of the plot in The Most Dangerous Game. Without suspense, the story would not move forward, since the story is a very simple one. Due to the nature of the subject and the implicit assumption that experienced hunters usually capture their prey—and Rainsford has been such a hunter—it seems as though his fate should be to die at the hands of Zaroff. Yet, the reader can't help but root for him.

The suspense is not resolved till the final act, when Rainsford shows up inside the castle and the evil Zaroff is foiled. Therefore, throughout all of the story after the exposition, suspense is a key element.

Connell's use of suspense keeps the reader interested and excited throughout the story as they wonder whether Rainsford will survive the dangerous game. At the beginning of the story, Connell creates suspense when Rainsford accidentally falls into the sea. He is forced to swim towards the enigmatic, foreboding island in the dark. After Rainsford discovers that Zaroff will be hunting him for three days throughout Ship-Trap Island, the reader sympathizes with Rainsford's dire situation and is filled with excitement, anxiety, and tension.

During the game, there are numerous suspenseful moments when the reader believes that either Rainsford will be murdered or Zaroff will die. At the beginning of the game, Connell creates suspense while Rainsford is hiding in the tree and Zaroff slowly approaches before suddenly turning back. Other suspenseful moments include Rainsford watching as Zaroff narrowly survives the Malay mancatcher and the Burmese tiger pit. Connell also creates suspense towards the end of the game when Zaroff is closing in on Rainsford. Rainsford is forced to jump into the sea in order to survive. The short story even has a suspenseful ending—when Rainsford challenges Zaroff to a fight to the death. Overall, Connell's use of suspense drives the plot while keeping the reader interested and excited throughout the story.

Suspense is key to the impact the story makes to the reader. The title itself says that suspense should ensue because this "game" is a dangerous one. The reader is kept on the edge of his or her seat as Rainsford tried to elude General Zaroff in order to keep his life. It is very suspenseful when Rainsford is hiding in the tree after making what he thought was an impossible trail to follow and Zaroff is standing just below him. It is suspenseful as the chase is underway when Rainsford sets the Malay trap that kills Ivan. Finally when Rainsford leaps off the cliff to what we think is his death and then he appears in Zaroff bedroom we are suspended wondering what Rainsford's final move will be.

Zaroff, Rainsford, and Ivan all have different strategies they employ during the hunt. Rainsford, forced to act as the prey for the first time, uses all of the tricks that he has learned from a lifetime of hunting to evade Zaroff. He doubles back, changes his tracks, and eventually pretends to have died in the ocean. Zaroff, meanwhile, is a hunter of equal or even greater skill than Rainsford, and while he is reactive in his strategies, he always seems able to overcome Rainsford's obstacles. Zaroff even avoids Rainsford's traps, complimenting Rainsford on the skill of their construction. The two men are very well matched in their strengths, and the only reason that Rainsford survives is because he decides the risk of a free death is better than dying as a hunted animal.

Ivan's strategy, in contrast, is simple and direct; he is a large man who has gotten by on his muscular strength, and has not needed to develop a wider skill base. Consequently, he holds the dogs during that portion of the hunt, and since he is not paying attention, he falls prey to one of Rainsford's traps:

[...Rainsford] saw in the shallow valley that General Zaroff was still on his feet. But Ivan was not. The knife, driven by the recoil of the springing tree, had not wholly failed.
(Connell, "The Most Dangerous Game," classicreader.com)

Ivan wasn't prepared for trickery the way that Zaroff was prepared; he expected nothing more than the typical men who ran in straight lines, not the trap. These three strategies are examples of action/reaction for Rainsford and Zaroff, and linear thinking for Ivan.

"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell is full of suspense, but it is most evident at the beginning of the story, when the readers do not yet know what doom is coming next.

The first example of suspense happens on the ship. Whitney is explaining the mystery surrounding Ship-Trap Island as they are passing by it in utter darkness that night. Whitney says:

"This place has an evil name among seafaring men, sir." Then he said to me, very gravely, "Don't you feel anything?"--as if the air about us was actually poisonous. Now, you mustn't laugh when I tell you this--I did feel something like a sudden chill.

Once Sanger Rainsford is alone on the deck of the ship, he is enveloped by darkness on this thickly tropical night. 

An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times.

We know that Rainsford drops his pipe and falls overboard in an attempt to catch it. What happens next is the beginning of all kinds of mysterious behavior. Rainsford is forced to swim in the blood-warm water until he reaches the rocks, and then he has to navigate those. In the middle of his efforts to arrive safely on land, this happens:

Rainsford heard a sound. It came out of the darkness, a high screaming sound, the sound of an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror.

Rainsford is an experienced hunter, and he knows the sounds of animals who are in terror. He cannot identify the sound of this one, which adds even more to the suspense of the story.

All of these examples serve to build the suspense until the narrative reaches its climax later in the story. 

Suspense is generated in "The Most Dangerous Game" with skillfully crafted foreshadowing, atmosphere, characterization, incomplete actions, and sensory details.

In the exposition of this story, there is considerable foreshadowing as the main character converses with his friend Whitney. He tells Whitney that there are only two classes of men: "the hunters and the huntees." He adds that he feels no sympathy for anyone or anything that is hunted. Shortly after this, the friends peer into the dark, and Whitney remarks,

Off there to the right—somewhere—is a large island. . . It's rather a mystery—

Further, Whitney mentions that the crew on their ship seem "a bit jumpy," causing him to feel "a mental chill; a sort of sudden dread." Such words create a tension in the narrative.

Suspense is certainly created when Rainsford falls from the ship as he lunges for his pipe. Sensory details are used as Rainsford is dangerously distanced from the ship despite his efforts in the dark water. The lights of the yacht grow faint and are "blotted out entirely by the night." Struggling to find a safe place, Rainsford swims for an "endless time." He does not know how long he can continue. Then, he hears "a high screaming sound. . . an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror" and, after this sound, there are pistol shots. Rainsford swims toward the sounds and reaches a rocky shore where he finds a flat place on which to lie.

Rainsford does not awaken until the following afternoon. The atmosphere certainly generates suspense as Rainsford wonders what kind of men are in such a "forbidding" place. He follows the path of a hunt, but night begins to blacken out the sea and jungle. After a while, he sees a lighted chateau that stands strangely alone on a high bluff of the island. The huge Cossack who opens the door has "a menacing look in his eyes" that does not change as Rainsford explains how he arrived on the island. Once inside, Rainsford meets General Zaroff, who has a "bizarre quality about [his] face."

At dinner, Zaroff relates his background and tells Rainsford that he now hunts "more dangerous game" than that which he used to kill. Further, his host informs his guest, "You'll find this game worth playing." When Rainsford objects, Zaroff suggests that Rainsford has no choice.

Once the "most dangerous game" begins, there is much suspense as Rainsford finds himself the prey of the sadistic Zaroff. He calls upon all his hunting skills to escape the general and his man, Ivan. As Rainsford hides in a tree the first day, holding his breath and believing that "only the devil himself could follow that complicated trail," he is shocked when the general appears and looks up. Strangely, Zaroff smiles. Terrorized, Rainsford realizes that the general "was saving him for another day's sport!" As he experiences "cold horror," Rainsford tries to last two more days since the agreement is that he can go free if he is still alive after three days. Suspense builds with both the external and internal conflicts.

Near the end of the story, Rainsford, who now "knew how an animal at bay feels," is forced to take a desperate chance as he "leaped far out into the sea." However, to create more suspense, the author suddenly leaves Rainsford at this point and begins to tell the narrative through Zaroff's eyes. As a result, the reader is unsure of what happens after Rainsford's daring leap. This suspense is redirected when Rainsford surprisingly appears in Zaroff's room, and they engage in a deadly duel at the end of the story. 

Author Richard Connell certainly creates a mood of suspense that continues throughout his famed short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." The very first paragraphs of the story help to create this mood while hunter Sanger Rainsford is still sailing on his yacht. His friend, Whitney, tells of the mysterious island.

"OFF THERE to the right--somewhere--is a large island," said Whitney." It's rather a mystery--"
"What island is it?" Rainsford asked.
"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--"

Other examples include when

• Rainsford hears gunshots on what is supposed to be an uninhabited island.
• He swims ashore (after falling off his yacht) and encounters a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere.
• After meeting the Cossack general, Zaroff, he is told of the "most dangerous game" of them all. We only find out later that it is human game. The reader is left to wonder what plans Zaroff has for his "guest."
• Once Zaroff begins to hunt Rainsford, the author lets the reader wonder what the outcome will be.
• At the end, he has yet another twist in store after it appears Rainsford has escaped.

All of these examples add up to a suspenseful tale of adventure that remains one of the most popular of all American short stories.

There are lots of places in the story where you can see suspense.

Some examples are:

• When Sanger Rainsford has tried to make all sorts of confusing tracks and has then climbed a tree, trying to make no marks on it.  He is lying on the branch and General Zaroff comes and his eyes move up the tree toward the very branch where Rainsford is...  This scenario continues to be suspensful after Zaroff starts to walk away -- is he just toying with Rainsford?
• When Rainsford leaps out into the ocean.  Is he jumping out to his death?  Will Zaroff be cheated of his prey because Rainsford is just commiting suicide?  This could be the end of the story -- Rainsford decides he'd rather die than give Zaroff the satisfaction of killing him.

The general first appears to be a bit of an enigma.  He is obviously well read and very intelligent.  

In a cultivated voice marked by a slight accent that gave it added precision and deliberateness, he said, "It is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home."

He is also wealthy enough to have his own island and stock it with all manner of animals to hunt.  But the reader is not sure how he initially came to be in his current situation.  We learn some of it as Rainsford learns it, but all of our questions are never fully answered.  For me, not knowing details always makes me apprehensive and tense.  That's what occurs in story too.  There is a sense that something is not quite right about the island and Zaroff.

"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--

And this quote that hints at Zaroff's skill. 

The hunter had his nerve with him to tackle it with a light gun.

 The author builds that suspense up and then drops it like a bomb on the reader when we learn that Zaroff's prey of choice is humans.  

"But they are men," said Rainsford hotly.

"Precisely," said the general. "That is why I use them. It gives me pleasure. They can reason, after a fashion. So they are dangerous."

Zaroff lives a secret life on a secret island doing secret murders.  For those reasons, the suspense is quite thick even before Rainsford starts to be hunted.  

Author Richard Connell uses foreshadowing to great advantage in his short story "The Most Dangerous Game." Early in the story, he acknowledges that "sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why. Some superstition--" Later, the captain of Rainsford's yacht remarks that

" 'Don't you feel anything? '--as if the air about us was actually poisonous. Now, you mustn't laugh when I tell you this--I did feel something like a sudden chill."

After falling off the ship, Rainsford hears shots and then screaming. Reaching shore, he notices a spot that is matted where something had "thrashed about." After meeting Zaroff, they discuss the impressive head of the Cape buffalo on the wall. When Rainsford states that the Cape buffalo is the greatest of all big game, Zaroff disagrees:

"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."

A puzzled Rainsford continues the discussion, eventually commenting that no animal can reason.

"My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can."

Rainsford would shortly discover the identity of Zaroff's next prey.

Since the story uses all of the major literary devices, perhaps you could discuss it from a different perspective. For example, how would the story have been different if the setting was moved to a more urban setting? Or how does the story change if they type of narration changes say to a first person narrator?

I have to agree with #3 on this one. If you go through the story carefully you will find every kind of literary device. Connell bombards us with all the cards in his hand in writing this story as we follow Rainsford's journey and "game" against Zaroff through to his final victory. You would do well to re-read the story and try to identify the elements listed in #3 - good revision!

Your question is what other literary devices could have been used in this story.  I say it has them all.  In fact,  use this story in my senior classes as an opportunity for some quick review of literary devises.  It has: flat/round/dynamic/static/stock characters, all types of internal/external conflict, all three ironies, foreshadowing, plus all the elements of both a basic plot as well as a plot twist at the end.  Symbolism, metaphor, simile...you name it, Connell uses it. 

I would tie symbolism in there as well.  You could talk about the island itself being a symbol.  It is Ship Trap Island after all. You could use the lighthouse as well, describing how it is a false beacon of light that does not help, but draws men to their deaths.  Another idea with symbolism is when Zaroff takes Rainsford to see his "collection of heads."  He describes his new-found prey and talks about his "new" collection that we assume to be human heads.  This can then tie together the belief that hunting (animals--even though legally) is murder.  Perhaps that is what Connell is saying to us through the story.  Any of these examples will work.  They all have enhanced the story to some degree.

There are several different ways that Connell creates suspense in the story. One is through verbal and situational irony. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that things are not as they first appeared to be. Zaroff himself is mysterious, a seemingly "civilized" man with an over-sized, mute servant. The audience quickly learns that he is seeking bigger prey, and discovers with Rainsford not only what the prey is, but also that Rainsford is next. The story also has a lot of classic gothic/horror elements. The jagged rocks, the sailor's legends about the island, the dark setting, the over-sized palace all contribute to the growing mystery and suspense. Rainsford's speculation when he first arrives on the island about what could have put up the struggle he saw evidence of adds to it as well. Finally, the structure of the story itself adds to the suspense. The quick jump from the climax to the resolution, with a very open-ended closing keeps the reader in suspense until the ending.

In Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game, a hunter named Rainsford washes up on the island of General Zaroff, a Russian hunter who lets human beings loose on his private island in order to track and shoot them. Rather than give away the plot of this story outright, or have Zaroff declare his actions immediately, Connell uses inference to lead the reader to the specifics of what is going on. Inference, in the literary sense, is when the conclusion is drawn on from clues and subtext rather than expressly stated.

During Rainsford’s talk with Zaroff, the general explains that “hunting had ceased to be what you call a sporting proposition. It had become too easy.” He goes on to say that he thought of a unique animal—a most dangerous game for himself to track, capable of reason. He does not say what this animal is, despite Rainsford asking him repeatedly: “But the animal, General Zaroff?” The use of inference lets the reader come to the conclusion at the same speed of Rainsford, adding to the dramatic tension.

A different sort of inference is used at the end of the story, when the reader is not explicitly told that Rainsford has killed Zaroff, thereby giving in to his game in the end. Instead, Connell lets the last line linger: “He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.” Which ends the story on a creepy note and lets the reader picture the climactic killing on their own.

Suspense is first built by foreboding. Something suggests an imminent conflict or life-threatening situation. 

When Rainford and his friend are on a yacht, the Swedish captain mentions an eerie feeling he gets whenever he goes by a certain island. Sea lore tells of wrecked ships and sailors lost at sea. Later that night, Rainford hears gunshots from that direction and ends up falling overboard. He has no other choice but to swim to the island. He hears more shots, a piercing scream. He finds evidence of a hunt with much blood.

When R. finally finds human habitation, it is a Gothic-like castle perched on a high cliff with a gorgoyle-like door-knocker. He is first received by a butler (rather a henchman) named Ivan, a deaf brute pointing a pistol at him. Zaroff then approaches, excuses for such a poor reception. Although highly cultivated, he is swarthy with piercing eyes and pointed teeth. He also has a strange way of studying Rainsford, which makes him uneasy.

Zarkoff is flattered to receive Rainsford since they both share the passion of big game hunting. When R. realizes that Zarkoff hunts men as prey, he understands too late (after the reader!) that he too will be Zarkoff's "game." The fact that no one has ever "won" against Zaroff is no comfort; he must pit his wits against Zarkoff's in order to survive.

Who will win? Only the last sentence tells us. Periodic effect also creates suspense by witholding critical information until the very end.