Metaphor

            The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connel is a fascinating and scary short story. It leaves the reader siting on the edge of the seat. It accomplishes all this through the intriguing ways the author uses literary devices. Metaphor is used at many different points to create the feeling of shock hopelessness and many others.

            The author of this story utilizes metaphor in many passages of  The Most Dangerous Game. Richard Connel creates metaphor when the character Rainsford is waiting for his enemy to hunt him again, "the cat was coming again to play with the mouse" (22). This metaphor plants the idea in the readers head that there is no escape and that Rainsford is in the horrible General Zardoff's control. He is powerless.When a cat goes after a mouse it doesn't just kill it, the cat "play(s)"with it until death. The feeling of helplessness is frightening and the writer creates that feeling with great skill.

            The writer also creates a feeling of hopelessness and shock through metaphor. When Rainsford first falls out of the boat, onto the island, and watches the yacht sail away, metaphor is used "the lights of the yacht became faint and ever vanishing fireflies" (16).  The yachts lights slip into darkness and away from him just like the short-lived bugs that slip into darkness making them hard to catch. In this section the reader has the realization and shock that Rainsford is stuck on the scary "ship trap Island" (15). The dim lights fading away bring a sad mood and a sense of hopelessness. Richard Connel captures the readers attention with his metaphor.

     The Most Dangerous Game is filled with literary devices like metaphor and is an exciting short story. It gives the air of helplessness and fright. Richard connel uses metaphor to create a suspense filled story.

by Liam Searcy