The Most Dangerous Game Literary Analysis

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“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell takes readers through a treacherous journey as the protagonist Rainsford encounters many challenges and Connell’s use of three literary techniques helps vividly depict what is going on and establish a deeper meaning. Literary techniques are commonly used by different authors to deepen the readers understanding of a topic. An example of this is what the author does in this short story as well as many other authors do throughout different writing styles. In “The Most Dangerous Game”, Connell used three literary techniques to deepen the reader’s understanding of setting, characterization, and conflict. The literary technique that Connell used to help the reader understand setting is the use of foreshadowing.…show more content…
An example of this from the text is “blood warm waters of the Caribbean Sea” (Connell 7). What really stands out is the phrase “blood warm” (Connell 7). This is foreshadowing what may happen in the future relating to the setting. Will there be blood? Dangerous connotations come from the word blood. Readers may think of death and pain and fear and that is what the author wants the reader to recognize. The connotations coming from the foreshadowing are very substantial. Another example of strong foreshadowing used in “The Most Dangerous Game” is “another noise, crisp, staccato” (Connell 8). The quote is describing an animal scream. What does this mean? What could this be foreshadowing? What is the author trying to tell the reader? Questions are often formed by the reader due to foreshadowing. Connotations coming from the word staccato. Some connotations that the reader may form are hesitant, scared, and unnatural. The reader has a different feeling after discovering these connotations from the foreshadowing hidden in the setting and that was the author’s intention. One more piece of foreshadowing is “one patch of weeds was stained crimson” (Connell 8). Crimson is strong color, the color of blood. What…show more content…
Imagery is the use of words that appeal to the five senses. Characters need imagery included in their description so the reader can paint a picture of the character easier. Characterization is how the author develops the character throughout the story. Imagery helps the author do this. An example of imagery in the text is “his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth” (Connell 10). From this small piece of text, the vibe given by this imagery is very negative and it is almost a given that this character is the antagonist be the way that he is described. When the author uses the phrase “pointed teeth” (Connell 10), it sounds like a wolf, a predator animal, or something large and scary that is being described. Another example of imagery in the story is “pointed military moustache that was black as night” (Connell 10). Black is a very negative feeling. When people think of words link black or night, they may feel a sense of fear or isolation, or not knowing what may happen to them. These connotations coming from the imagery are starting to look like a pattern. Imagery is connecting the setting to the reader’s mind due to how the character is developed. An example of imagery in the short story is “dark face, the face of a man used to giving orders” (Connell 10). Automatically, the reader receives negative connotations in his head about what is being described as

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