When Tessie is chosen, she is quickly stoned to death by the other town people and her family. The village deems murder to be an acceptable tradition… until it is you who is chosen.
The reader of "The Most Dangerous Game" is also faced with the question of the acceptability of murder. In this story, the definition of murder is expanded to include the murder of hunted animals and murder as a means of self-defense. During the voyage on the way to hunt jaguar, Rainsford and, his hunting companion, Whitney discuss their sport of 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."
Later in the story, Rainsford becomes the hunted. He falls from the ship and swims to an island inhibited by General Zaroff, a game hunter. General Zaroff engages Rainsford in a hunt with Rainford as the unwilling prey. Rainsford is now living out the conversation he had with Whitney: he is the jaguar....
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