“The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story by Richard Connell in which a famous hunter becomes the prey on a remote island. It follows Sanger Rainsford, who is forced into a deadly hunt by General Zaroff, a man who hunts humans for sport.
Basic plot
Rainsford, a skilled big‑game hunter, falls off a yacht near Ship‑Trap Island and swims ashore, eventually reaching a luxurious chateau owned by General Zaroff and his servant Ivan. Zaroff reveals he has grown bored hunting animals and now hunts shipwrecked men, whom he considers the “most dangerous game” because they can reason.
The hunt
When Rainsford refuses to join Zaroff’s hunts, Zaroff forces him to play the role of prey in a three‑day game across the island’s jungle. Armed only with basic supplies and a knife, Rainsford sets traps that injure Zaroff, kill one of his dogs, and ultimately kill Ivan, all while trying to survive.
Climax and ending
Cornered by Zaroff and his pack of hounds, Rainsford jumps off a cliff into the sea, leading Zaroff to assume he is dead. That night, Rainsford secretly returns to the chateau, confronts Zaroff in his bedroom, defeats him in a final fight, and claims Zaroff’s bed, implying Zaroff’s death and Rainsford’s victory.
Key ideas
The story explores the thin line between hunter and hunted, forcing Rainsford to experience the terror he once dismissed in animals he hunted. It also raises moral questions about cruelty, civilization versus savagery, and what people are capable of when their own survival is at stake.
