Dramatic Irony In The Most Dangerous Game Analysis

Words: 511
Pages: 3

This short story written by Richard Connell has great flow and enough action to keep the reader on their toes from beginning to end. Connell uses irony and foreshadowing to help readers conclude that one should always keep their wits and never lose their nerve even in the worst of situations. The protagonist and the antagonist evolve as the story progresses, revealing more about them and showing how their opinions change. The dramatic irony appears when the story hits the climax. In the short story, a big game hunter by the name of Rainsford falls off of a yacht and washes ashore on an island where he becomes prey. The hunter becoming the hunted shows a harsh reversal of roles called dramatic irony. His thoughts that animals are dumb creatures and are easy to track furthers the irony since the antagonist General Zaroff, tracks him with ease. The author’s use of irony puts the hunter in the shoes of his prey, causing him to act like prey. After escaping General Zaroff for three days, the story comes to a close, resolving the conflict. …show more content…
Rainsford wins the challenge, and appears in the Zaroff’s bedroom ending the story. After diving into the ocean with dogs chasing him Rainsford swims around to the part of the island in front of the Zaroff’s house and hides in his room to surprise him later, ending the aggressive search. In Zaroff's bedroom, he admits his defeat to Rainsford, ending the game. Rainsford fell from a yacht captained by a man known as Whitney, and in the first conversation they have at the start of the story, a mixture of foreshadowing and irony give the reader an idea of what is to