¶ … Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell Rainsford as the Hunter and Hunted: Reversal of roles and conflict in "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

In Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," the theme of reversal of roles was apparent and illustrated through its main character, the skilled hunter Rainsford. In it, readers witnessed Rainsford's plight as the hunter who became the 'hunted' after a supposedly minor accident at the sea led to the dangerous game of hunting in the deep jungle of Ship-Trap Island. The game of hunting became the central focus of Connell's story, wherein the protagonist's reversal roles (initially as hunter and later as hunted) was further highlighted through its setting (the sea and the jungle) and occurrence of conflict between Rainsford and Zaroff.

Hunting being a dangerous game in the story, it was evident that conflict...

There have been two general kinds of conflict that emerged in the story: firstly, human against animals, and secondly, human against human.
Conflict between human and animals was depicted through Rainsford's role as the hunter. Connell showed in the first part of the story that Rainsford demonstrated the same behavior as Zaroff's when discussing the game of hunting. As a hunter, Rainsford did not feel sympathy nor regard for the animals he hunted. This was reflected in his statement to Whitney when they were discussing hunting: "You're a big game-hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?....Be realist. The world is made up of two classes -- the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters."

This statement foreshadowed Rainsford's eventual role as the hunted in Zaroff's "hunting game." And his…