balance. 

The sailors likely fear the island because their fellows keep ending up disappearing near there.  Once Rainsford washed up on the island, another coincidence is that the island’s only inhabitant is an avid hunter.  Rainsford is not just a famous hunter; he is a writer of several hunting books.  When he runs into Zaroff, the general knows exactly who he is.  If Zaroff hadn’t been a hunter, or if Rainsford hadn’t been either, or if Rainsford had not written books on the subject, Zaroff would not have known who Rainsford was.

"It is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home." …

"I've read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, you see," explained the man. "I am General Zaroff."

Zaroff was bored, and desperate to find better game.  Hunting animals was nothing to him anymore.  Hunting ordinary humans was getting dull. What he needed was an expert hunter, trained in evasion and traps, to make the game interesting.  Rainsford fit the bill perfectly, and Zaroff was practically salivating at the prospect of hunting him.  If Rainsford had not called Zaroff a murderer, he might have hunted with him instead of being his prey, but we will never know.  Rainsford was the perfect prize, after all.

There are several astounding coincidences that occur in Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." The most obvious is how two of the world's foremost big game hunters manage to meet one another on such a remote island in the Caribbean. The first example occurs when Rainsford manages to fall from his yacht at the exact moment that it is navigating past Ship-Trap Island. It is by chance that Rainsford manages to survive the fall and swim through the treacherous waters and rocks that surround the island. Only because Rainsford announces his name to Ivan does Zaroff recognize it, realizing he is in the presence of an equally skilled hunter; otherwise, Rainsford would have probably joined the other imprisoned sailors awaiting to be hunted by Zaroff. Though Rainsford shows great skill in avoiding Zaroff and his dogs, it is by chance that Zaroff and Ivan walk into his traps. Lastly, it is only by sheer luck that Rainsford survives his last-ditch plunge from the cliff into the rocky waters.

The Most Dangerous Game is often used to teach the elements of plot. In the rising action of any story, complications further develop the story, and in an action-packed story like this one, suspense builds dramatically. I would say it is likely the single-most vivid literary device in the story.

I think the reason it is important in this case is because we are exploring the morality of hunting humans for sport, for pleasure. This is not okay with the majority of the reading audience so it keeps our attention.

This suspense is developed by events that make us wonder if Rainsford is going to get off of the island alive. We first wonder if he will survive the long swim; then, we wonder if the chateau is going to house a civilized man or a monster (I think we find in Zaroff a bit of both). Next, we wonder if Zaroff is going to hunt with or just hunt Rainsford. Finally, we wonder if Rainsford will be able to outsmart him three different times.

This story to me seems very purposeful and calculated by the author, I don't know that chance or coincidence play major roles, but the few I see are these:

• Rainsford didn't care how a jaguar felt about being hunted. Ironically, knowing how it feels to be hunted became a major experience of the story.
• General Zaroff was growing bored in his hunting of men. They were too stupid and offered no challenge. Ironically, Rainsford a world-renowned hunter presented a great intellectual challenge.
• The island's mystery didn't scare Rainsford, but only the rest of the crew. Rainsford ironically becomes the one who gets thrown into the ocean to have to deal with the mystery.

In the true tradition of a classic short story, author Richard Connell builds the tension slowly in "The Most Dangerous Game." He arouses the reader's curiosity immediately when Rainsford is told of the mysterious Ship-Trap Island. When Rainsford falls off the boat, we wonder how he will be saved. We wonder about the origin of the gunshots Rainford hears, and we are surprised--as Rainsford is--when the island turns out to be home to a magnificent estate. Connell allows the conversation between Zaroff and Rainsford to slowly expose the Cossack's special prey, and we wonder if Rainsford if truly safe in such a place. When Zaroff begins his hunt of Rainsford, the suspense builds even further: Can Rainsford outtrick Zaroff? Can he be as formidable a prey as he is a hunter? How will he escape? All of these answers unfold before Rainsford makes his escape. And in the true tradition of an excellent short story, there is a surprising twist at the end.