Comparing The Most Dangerous Game And Frank Stockton

Words: 980
Pages: 4

Every person in life sees through a pair of binoculars. Whether what they see through those binoculars is morally right or wrong-it is a matter of perspective. Richard Connell, the author of “The Most Dangerous Game” and Frank Stockton, the author of “The Lady or The Tiger?” both strategically craft evil antagonists within their short stories using specific traits. However, Richard Connell's General Zaroff was undoubtedly the villain that outweighed Frank Stockton’s King, because his word choice was more effective in creating the reader’s perception of his evil. The king is methodically made imperious by Stockton in order to show his overwhelming passion for being the sole creator of his flawless kingdom. “Sufficient importance to interest the king...decided …show more content…
The author’s constant reminders of a topic in relation to the king and describing his possession of it implies that he was the one and only decision maker. He did not allow outside factors (like other opinions) to alter his ideas. However, the reader can tell that he does behave in an imperious manner in a way that is evil, for Stockton leads the reader to see that he truly believes that he is creating an adequate living environment for his people. One can conclude that the king is oblivious to reality; he lives in his self made world. The king is created in a way that he retrieves entertainment from his arena punishment, but this is not the main focus of the story; it is simply a bonus within the entirety of his “murder”. In comparison, Richard Connell’s creation of Zaroff’s evil is to fully develop the “hunter becomes the hunted” theme, and is the main focus of the story. “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if needs be, taken by the strong.” (19) Zaroff’s conviction and “natural” descriptions of his superiority within the dialogue