The Journey

The Most Dangerous Game, a short story by Richard Connell, chronicles the accidental but terrifying adventure of a hunter named Rainsford, who ends up on Ship-Trap island after falling overboard a yacht on his way to Rio De Janeiro for a hunting trip. A talented hunter who has never understood or chosen to believe that his prey feel fear or pain, Rainsford gets thrown into a living nightmare when he comes to the realization that on Ship-Trap island, the hunter as now become the hunted. After three days spent running and hiding from his hunter, General Zaroff, Rainsford finally escapes and kills the man, coming to the powerful realization of the close connections between a predator and its prey, experiencing sheer terror in the process. Rainsford presumably leaves Ship-Trap island, and as a "changed" man.

Among the conflict of the hunter vs. the hunted, other themes present in the story include the idea of day vs. night, civilization vs. the uncivilized, rational thoughts vs. instinct, human vs. animal, and order vs. chaos.