Rainsford As A Hero In The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connel

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, but what really makes a hero a hero? In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connel, our course hero was introduced. He showed several characteristics of a hero, but some may argue he could also be a villain. However, Rainsford’s heroic characteristics outweigh his contemptible side. Rainsford is the course hero for many reasons.

The first reason why Rainsford is the course hero is that he is very intelligent. One quality of being heroic is having good judgement and being knowledgeable to make decisions. His strategic ways were shown when he made complex tracks at an attempt to lose General Zaroff. “He saw that straight flight was futile… he executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled on his trail again and again, recalling all the lore of the fox hunt, and all the dodges of the fox,” (230). The setting of the story was shortly after WWI in a jungle, so he used his prior knowledge as a hunter to aide him in his current situation.

In the exposition of the plot, Zaroff told him he hunted “scum of the earth” humans and gave Rainsford an option to either hunt with him or be hunted; Rainsford refused to hunt, even though it meant almost certain death, for he believed it was wrong. “Hunting? General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder… I will not hunt,” (225-228). He wouldn’t murder innocent people, even if they were poor, unwanted men; this shows he is a good man who care’s about every human’s well