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Abstract:The Most Dangerous Game is a highly-trimmed short story, with well-knitted plot, deep-carved characters, suspense, symbols, ironies, etc. Beyond its elaborate form, it conveys far-reaching social and cultural values. This paper is an attempt to appreciate the story inside out, in which structural approach and cultural approach are employed. Parallels and contrasts in structure and the unique shifts and gaps in its narration are highlighted to explore the tradition of reason superiority in western culture and the doom it has brought to the world and to the people concerned. The First World War is the fighting between rational beings. Rationality, when brought to extremes, may lead to irrationality. The image of General Zaroff is a reflection of modern westerner who boasts to be rational being while killing his fellow beings in bloody wars.
Key Words:structure narration reason superiority
The Most Dangerous Game, published in 1924, is one of the most famous fictions of American novelist Richard Connell. The story is full of involved plot and quirky twists. It is also featured by compact construction and special inventive mind. What implicated in its elaborately-carved form is profound and thought-provoking philosophy and wisdom. Rainsford, the famous hunter, who upholds reason, falls into the dark sea on his way to a Caribbean hunting with his friend Whitney. Due to his rich experiences, muscular build and great stoicism, he swims to the Ship-Trap Island, a brambly island with forests and surrounded by sea, and survives. However, General Zaroff, the polite and decent host of that island tends to be a maniac who is desperate for hunting and made human beings games, most of whom are sailors. And Rainsford unfortunately becomes his huntee. Zaroff promises to free Rainsford if he could escape the catch in the three-day game of hunting. After three days of life-and-death hunting game, Rainsford manages to get rid of Zaroff’s pursue with the help of his hunting experience and skills, and finally kills Zaroff to regain his own freedom. The fiction exposes the ridiculousness of western reason superiority and its tragical consequence through the depiction of the dangerous, breath-taking and nightmare like adventure of Rainsford. And this paper is an attempt to appreciate the structure and narrative characteristics of this fiction, by which we may have a better understanding about its deep-going cultural and social connotation.
Ⅰ.An Analysis of the Structure
Symmetry in structure is one of the most outstanding features of this fiction. First, there are a lot of parallels in the plot. The whole fiction is composed of two parts, which describe two experiences of Rainsford respectively. Each part has two main characters, who are Rainsford and Whitney in the first part while Rainsford and General Zaroff in the second. The story in each part unfolds from the discussion of two men. In the discussion of the first part, Whitney shows his sympathy to animal, but Rainsford doesn’t approve. He thinks animal has no feeling or reason, and "the world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees."(Connell 2001) He feels lucky to be in the rank of hunters. In the second discussion, Rainsford thinks it is wrong to seek pleasure from hunting human because human beings are rational. But General Zaroff believes that only the stronger have the right to handle the weaker. The difference between hunters and huntees lies not only in reason but also in that the stronger with reason is the hunter. The weaker can only be the huntee. The other parallel is the "fall" of the two hunters. Both Rainsford and General Zaroff pose themselves as hunters, but the former falls into the sea and the later is killed and becomes a repast of the hounds.
The author also employs absorbing contrasts and ironies, e.g. the contrast of the role of a so-called hunter. Both the hunters became huntees. First, it’s Rainsford, the famous arrogant hunter changes into a game of the feverish hunter General Zaroff. Then General Zaroff, who regards himself to be the most powerful hunter, turns to be killed by his own game. What a satire to both of them!
Besides, the development of this fiction in plot is an explanation of the multiple meaning to the title. "GAME" can either be understood as a contest, an amusement, or, an animal hunted for food or sport. Therefore, "THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME" refers to the huntee, the hunter and the hunting. The readers’ explanation to this ambiguous title depends on his understanding of the story itself.
Ⅱ.An Analysis of its Narrative Characteristics
The author displayed his narrative skills in a short passage. The story has twists and turns, and is alternated with truth and false. Under the guidance of some reliable and some illusive narration, the readers can discern some implicit meanings of the author, meanwhile, they have enough room for their own imagination. In the first part when Rainsford stays at the boat, the narration is steady and slow, but it’s also provoking. In the second part telling about Rainsford experiences in the sea and on land, the speed of narration accelerates. Noticing this sudden shift, we’d better resurvey the reliability of the narration. It seems that the author tries to lead his readers to accept the whole story as they are accustomed to accept the first detailed part. In fact, from the abrupt shift of the narration, we can judge that the latter part of this fiction is actually an imaginary dream.
When he sleeps on the board, Rainsford couldn’t withstand the sensuous drowsiness of the night. "It’s so dark," he thought, "that I could sleep without closing my eyes; the night would be my eyelids--" (Connel 2001) Since Rainsford has fallen in sleep, what happens afterwards is naturally nothing but a dream. After he falls asleep, the discussion between Whitney and him and the mysterious legend of the Ship-Trip Island are always on his mind. So it’s much easier for us to understand how he is in deep water, encounters a weird General, becomes a huntee and experiences the feeling of being hunted. The author, therefore, is able to cast away the accusation of plot manipulation. Besides, a person falling into the sea can hardly be safe and well except in a dream. And, the prototype of sailors and mysterious legend can only be found in a dream; so do other things, e.g. the solitary island, the secluded forests, the Gothic tower, the lunatic host and the dangerous game. It is only in a dream can a man successfully escape from powerful enemies without slightest hurts. The end of this fiction suggests the author’s arrangement of dream again. Rainsford thought, "He had never slept in a better bed."
This decipherment of the dream helps readers to understand the fiction in a higher level. If we are careful enough, we can recognize the similarities between the three main characters in the story, namely, Whitney, Rainsford and General Zaroff. They share something in common, but also have differences. Whitney observes some feelings of the huntees, and is jokingly called "philosopher" by his partner. But the fact that he continues to join in hunting enthusiastically with others undoubtedly proves that he agrees with his partner. Rainsford proposes the dualism of dividing hunters and huntees, and he believes in that human beings are superior to animals. The reason why men are hunters is that human has reason, which is not apprehend by animals. Therefore, he sees no use of showing sympathy or care to animals. He revels in the pleasure of hunting animals. Zaroff extends Rainsford’s theory to the entire human world. Human beings are superior to animals because they have reason. Reason is strength. So human beings are stronger. "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be, taken by the strong." (Connell 2001) In his opinion, the world is dual, made up of the stronger and the weaker. The stronger control the weaker and the world. Although Rainsford disapproves of the hunting game, he fails to find powerful argument to object Zaroff. It is the reason superiority he believes makes him an advocator of Jungle Rules-the fittest survive.
Taken in this sense, both Whitney and Zaroff are split self of Rainsford. Whitney represents the mild part of Rainsford. An experienced hunter, Rainsford is always in deep thought about the feelings of huntees. His strong belief in reason superiority defeats his romantic ideas. General Zaroff embodies the extreme notion in Rainsford’s characters. Extreme rationality brings about the decay of rationality; too much reason deprives of a man’s sense. Man who boasts of reason kills his fellow with no rationality.
Apparently, Whitney, Rainsford, and Zaroff separately stand for man’s primary conquer of the nature, the separation of man and nature, and the Jungle Rules performing among human beings. We cannot turn a blind eye to the cultural reflection included in the fiction.
Since human have been emancipated from religion by the Renaissance humanism, reason takes the position of religion and becomes the most important standard in values in the west. The place of human beings in the universe has been raised, which stimulates their self-consciousness, autonomy and ingenuity. However, in the raise of their position, the positions of other people and other species are lowered. Men are superior to animals because they have reason; westerners or Europeans are superior to other people because they are more reasonable. At last, reason superiority leads to anthropocentricism.
Reason superiority is actually rooted in ancient Greek philosophers. They believe that reason is the nature of human being. That’s why men are more advanced than animals. (He 2002) Kant is a representative of reason superiority. He considers that reason has immanent value and only human beings are the members of rational world, so human beings have the right of enjoying moral care. In the 20th century, Max Webber becomes the spokesman of reason superiority which is more extreme and radical. In the opening chapter of "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism", he avers that reason exists in nothing but the western culture. He boasts of the western pattern reasonable and superior.
In this fiction, by making contrasts among Whitney, Rainsford and Zaroff, Connell reveals the trace of reason superiority developing from the Renaissance to modern time and its covered disastrous consequences. Although Whitney hunts, he has sympathy for animals. He remains safe on the boat. Rainsford, the exponent of reason superiority, falls into the sea and involves to a series of troubles. Zarroff is the portraiture of the westerners boasting of reason. His death seems to foreshow that people who are full of conceit and think they are most rational will lose reason at last, bring only the great calamity.
References:
［1］Connell, Richard. The Most Dangerous Game. Filiquarian, LLC, 1995.
［2］Weber, Marx. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2004.
［3］陈传才. 文学理论新编.北京：中国人民大学出版社, 1992.
［4］杜志清. 西方哲学史.北京：高等教育出版社, 2003.
［5］何怀宏. 生态伦理：精神资源与哲学基础.保定：河北大学出版社，2002.
（作者单位：陕西科技大学外国语与传播学院）
Key Words:structure narration reason superiority
The Most Dangerous Game, published in 1924, is one of the most famous fictions of American novelist Richard Connell. The story is full of involved plot and quirky twists. It is also featured by compact construction and special inventive mind. What implicated in its elaborately-carved form is profound and thought-provoking philosophy and wisdom. Rainsford, the famous hunter, who upholds reason, falls into the dark sea on his way to a Caribbean hunting with his friend Whitney. Due to his rich experiences, muscular build and great stoicism, he swims to the Ship-Trap Island, a brambly island with forests and surrounded by sea, and survives. However, General Zaroff, the polite and decent host of that island tends to be a maniac who is desperate for hunting and made human beings games, most of whom are sailors. And Rainsford unfortunately becomes his huntee. Zaroff promises to free Rainsford if he could escape the catch in the three-day game of hunting. After three days of life-and-death hunting game, Rainsford manages to get rid of Zaroff’s pursue with the help of his hunting experience and skills, and finally kills Zaroff to regain his own freedom. The fiction exposes the ridiculousness of western reason superiority and its tragical consequence through the depiction of the dangerous, breath-taking and nightmare like adventure of Rainsford. And this paper is an attempt to appreciate the structure and narrative characteristics of this fiction, by which we may have a better understanding about its deep-going cultural and social connotation.
Ⅰ.An Analysis of the Structure
Symmetry in structure is one of the most outstanding features of this fiction. First, there are a lot of parallels in the plot. The whole fiction is composed of two parts, which describe two experiences of Rainsford respectively. Each part has two main characters, who are Rainsford and Whitney in the first part while Rainsford and General Zaroff in the second. The story in each part unfolds from the discussion of two men. In the discussion of the first part, Whitney shows his sympathy to animal, but Rainsford doesn’t approve. He thinks animal has no feeling or reason, and "the world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees."(Connell 2001) He feels lucky to be in the rank of hunters. In the second discussion, Rainsford thinks it is wrong to seek pleasure from hunting human because human beings are rational. But General Zaroff believes that only the stronger have the right to handle the weaker. The difference between hunters and huntees lies not only in reason but also in that the stronger with reason is the hunter. The weaker can only be the huntee. The other parallel is the "fall" of the two hunters. Both Rainsford and General Zaroff pose themselves as hunters, but the former falls into the sea and the later is killed and becomes a repast of the hounds.
The author also employs absorbing contrasts and ironies, e.g. the contrast of the role of a so-called hunter. Both the hunters became huntees. First, it’s Rainsford, the famous arrogant hunter changes into a game of the feverish hunter General Zaroff. Then General Zaroff, who regards himself to be the most powerful hunter, turns to be killed by his own game. What a satire to both of them!
Besides, the development of this fiction in plot is an explanation of the multiple meaning to the title. "GAME" can either be understood as a contest, an amusement, or, an animal hunted for food or sport. Therefore, "THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME" refers to the huntee, the hunter and the hunting. The readers’ explanation to this ambiguous title depends on his understanding of the story itself.
Ⅱ.An Analysis of its Narrative Characteristics
The author displayed his narrative skills in a short passage. The story has twists and turns, and is alternated with truth and false. Under the guidance of some reliable and some illusive narration, the readers can discern some implicit meanings of the author, meanwhile, they have enough room for their own imagination. In the first part when Rainsford stays at the boat, the narration is steady and slow, but it’s also provoking. In the second part telling about Rainsford experiences in the sea and on land, the speed of narration accelerates. Noticing this sudden shift, we’d better resurvey the reliability of the narration. It seems that the author tries to lead his readers to accept the whole story as they are accustomed to accept the first detailed part. In fact, from the abrupt shift of the narration, we can judge that the latter part of this fiction is actually an imaginary dream.
When he sleeps on the board, Rainsford couldn’t withstand the sensuous drowsiness of the night. "It’s so dark," he thought, "that I could sleep without closing my eyes; the night would be my eyelids--" (Connel 2001) Since Rainsford has fallen in sleep, what happens afterwards is naturally nothing but a dream. After he falls asleep, the discussion between Whitney and him and the mysterious legend of the Ship-Trip Island are always on his mind. So it’s much easier for us to understand how he is in deep water, encounters a weird General, becomes a huntee and experiences the feeling of being hunted. The author, therefore, is able to cast away the accusation of plot manipulation. Besides, a person falling into the sea can hardly be safe and well except in a dream. And, the prototype of sailors and mysterious legend can only be found in a dream; so do other things, e.g. the solitary island, the secluded forests, the Gothic tower, the lunatic host and the dangerous game. It is only in a dream can a man successfully escape from powerful enemies without slightest hurts. The end of this fiction suggests the author’s arrangement of dream again. Rainsford thought, "He had never slept in a better bed."
This decipherment of the dream helps readers to understand the fiction in a higher level. If we are careful enough, we can recognize the similarities between the three main characters in the story, namely, Whitney, Rainsford and General Zaroff. They share something in common, but also have differences. Whitney observes some feelings of the huntees, and is jokingly called "philosopher" by his partner. But the fact that he continues to join in hunting enthusiastically with others undoubtedly proves that he agrees with his partner. Rainsford proposes the dualism of dividing hunters and huntees, and he believes in that human beings are superior to animals. The reason why men are hunters is that human has reason, which is not apprehend by animals. Therefore, he sees no use of showing sympathy or care to animals. He revels in the pleasure of hunting animals. Zaroff extends Rainsford’s theory to the entire human world. Human beings are superior to animals because they have reason. Reason is strength. So human beings are stronger. "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be, taken by the strong." (Connell 2001) In his opinion, the world is dual, made up of the stronger and the weaker. The stronger control the weaker and the world. Although Rainsford disapproves of the hunting game, he fails to find powerful argument to object Zaroff. It is the reason superiority he believes makes him an advocator of Jungle Rules-the fittest survive.
Taken in this sense, both Whitney and Zaroff are split self of Rainsford. Whitney represents the mild part of Rainsford. An experienced hunter, Rainsford is always in deep thought about the feelings of huntees. His strong belief in reason superiority defeats his romantic ideas. General Zaroff embodies the extreme notion in Rainsford’s characters. Extreme rationality brings about the decay of rationality; too much reason deprives of a man’s sense. Man who boasts of reason kills his fellow with no rationality.
Apparently, Whitney, Rainsford, and Zaroff separately stand for man’s primary conquer of the nature, the separation of man and nature, and the Jungle Rules performing among human beings. We cannot turn a blind eye to the cultural reflection included in the fiction.
Since human have been emancipated from religion by the Renaissance humanism, reason takes the position of religion and becomes the most important standard in values in the west. The place of human beings in the universe has been raised, which stimulates their self-consciousness, autonomy and ingenuity. However, in the raise of their position, the positions of other people and other species are lowered. Men are superior to animals because they have reason; westerners or Europeans are superior to other people because they are more reasonable. At last, reason superiority leads to anthropocentricism.
Reason superiority is actually rooted in ancient Greek philosophers. They believe that reason is the nature of human being. That’s why men are more advanced than animals. (He 2002) Kant is a representative of reason superiority. He considers that reason has immanent value and only human beings are the members of rational world, so human beings have the right of enjoying moral care. In the 20th century, Max Webber becomes the spokesman of reason superiority which is more extreme and radical. In the opening chapter of "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism", he avers that reason exists in nothing but the western culture. He boasts of the western pattern reasonable and superior.
In this fiction, by making contrasts among Whitney, Rainsford and Zaroff, Connell reveals the trace of reason superiority developing from the Renaissance to modern time and its covered disastrous consequences. Although Whitney hunts, he has sympathy for animals. He remains safe on the boat. Rainsford, the exponent of reason superiority, falls into the sea and involves to a series of troubles. Zarroff is the portraiture of the westerners boasting of reason. His death seems to foreshow that people who are full of conceit and think they are most rational will lose reason at last, bring only the great calamity.
References:
［1］Connell, Richard. The Most Dangerous Game. Filiquarian, LLC, 1995.
［2］Weber, Marx. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2004.
［3］陈传才. 文学理论新编.北京：中国人民大学出版社, 1992.
［4］杜志清. 西方哲学史.北京：高等教育出版社, 2003.
［5］何怀宏. 生态伦理：精神资源与哲学基础.保定：河北大学出版社，2002.
（作者单位：陕西科技大学外国语与传播学院）