Theme Of Power And Corruption In The Most Dangerous Game

Between the movie and story in “The Most Danger Game” there several things that are taken and some added. When they added the Lady in it made the story more interesting. It was more suspenseful because it felt she was slowing Rainsford down and you weren’t sure if they would get killed. An omission that took away from the story was that Ivan did not hold the gun to Rainsford’s heart in the beginning. So Rainsford did not know what was coming until later and it was not as suspenseful during the beginning of the story. These additions did effect the theme it made it even more known that animals feel pain and fear when hunted.

As Lord Action once said “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Everyone abuses power in one way or another, and it can really ruin relationships. Richard Connell really emphasizes that in “The Most Dangerous Game”. He uses characterization and setting to truly emphasize that power can blind people who use it for the wrong reason.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,” quoting historian Lord Acton. Before reading the quote, I never noticed the relationship between power and corruption in the real world. I thought of power as a form of recognition for hard work, that in turn is a positive outcome. After putting some thought into it, I realized my mistake

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." ~John Dalberg-Acton. One in power can make into a drug, the taste of power can make one obsessed, and soon addicted. In the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel, two characters, Idek and Franek both represent the quote about power leading to corruption.

In the story The Most Dangerous Game one conflict is man vs nature. Rainsford is fighting nature because he is on a ship and he came across an island. Rainsford falls overboard and has to swim for safety. “All he knew was that he was safe from his enemy, the sea and the other was weariness on him”. In order to survive rainsford hast to swim to the island and find shelter. In the conflict man vs nature this shows Rainsford bravery.

There is a famous quote by David Brin which states: “It is said that power corrupts. But actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.” This quote means that not everyone can be corrupted, but sometimes, people are too weak to handle the pressure. Additionally, power comes in many forms, but one way that really stands out is when it boils down to influence on other people. Furthermore, in real life and in novels, power often corrupts people and characters. In both the novels Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, power has the ability to bring out the worst qualities in human nature in the antagonists, a concept that can be also be applied.

Rainsford woke up to the booming sinfony of dozens of hungry hunting hounds and a satisfied look soon materialized on his face. With a prolonged yawn, he rose sleepily from the luxurious bed to find the body of General Zaroff staring blankly at the ceiling. He was the hunter, his hunter, that he had just murdered. Rainsford realised he had finally and truly won the most dangerous game. He remembered what the Cossack had said before their fight, “One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed.” Rainsford silently walked over to the window and gazed down towards the dogs below. As if know what Rainsford was thinking, the hounds barked viciously at him, salivating at their mouths. He ceremoniously picked up the still body of General Zaroff and threw him out the window with a crash! He put a fresh pair of clothes on while listening to the now satisfied canines eat their meal. determined he needed to get

History is brimming with examples of people who, in a ravenous quest for power, have met their untimely end. Lord John Acton famously quipped: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Perhaps, prior to making those astute remarks, Lord Acton had studied The Tragedy of Macbeth. The complex characters and their interactions in William Shakespeare’s iconic play reveal that corrupting force power can have on man.

Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous explains multiple theories, such as nature versus nurture, and survival of the fittest. This short story also seems to have an underlying theme of Social Darwinism (Of Two Classes). Throughout the entirety of the short story, Connell shows a character change of a main character, Rainsford, who is at a constant battle with General Zaroff, the antagonist. This character change shows the importance of the mindset of characters, and how it can be applied to everyday life.

Some stories do not have many different conflicts in the story. For example, in “Little Red Riding Hood” there is only one conflict which is Man vs Wolf or Man vs Man, but in some stories like “The Most Dangerous Game” there are all three conflicts throughout the book. Having more conflicts gives the story a bigger theme of suspense. In “Little Red Riding Hood”, the only conflict is getting to her grandma’s house where in “The Most Dangerous Game” there are many different conflicts that give the story more suspense and make it more interesting. Furthermore, there are many examples of conflicts in the short story.

Power as a corrupting force has been present from the beginning of time and is often revealed in many works of literature. In the novel Frankenstein by Marry Shelly and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, corruption of power is well brought forth in the characters in both texts. In both stories, characters reveal power as a corrupting force through their thirst of knowledge. Characters also reveal power as a corrupting force through character change. In addition, the character’s action justify how corrupted they really are. Therefore, power corrupts the individuals because of character’s extreme ambition which leads to

“All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” is a quote from Lord John Dalberg-Acton, explaining that any amount of power can corrupt the mind, but absolute power will take over. This is represented throughout history: in politics, monarchies and times like the french revolution. Many writers have used this theme in their works. One work that includes this theme is William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The play Macbeth follows Macbeth, a brave warrior as he gains power from his deeds both good and bad. By killing the Duncan, the former king, Macbeth rises to power and takes control of his country. With every bit of power that the Macbeth’s gain, they become more and more corrupt.

Fear is one of the most powerful killers. Fear is a strong emotion, from the thought of danger or pain. In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell, fear is demonstrated in 3 different ways throughout the story. Rainsford has to fight against his lack of sleep and anxiety in order to beat general Zaroff. Along with fighting himself, Rainsford must compete against Zaroff to stay alive through the strange game. Without the setup of Zaroff’s island, beating Rainsford would be nearly impossible. Therefore, Rainsford has more than just Zaroff to fight off in this story. Without the three major conflicts of man versus nature, man versus man , and man versus himself, this story would not be possible.

Corrupting power has been showcased through many stories like Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, the desire for absolute power is the main drive for the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a great craving for ultimate rule, and are willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and behaviors of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As a result of their greed, selfishness and longing for supremacy, they were unable to escape the tragic fate at the end of the play that was a result of their own doing.

Power is a very valuable thing, which most people seek. However, power can be used in different ways, which reflects the future outcome. If power is twisted and taken into the wrong hands, it will lead to an unfortunate outcome. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows that no matter how pure one’s intentions, power ultimately leads to corruption.