Escape literature is a form of fiction used primarily for pleasure and entertainment. Reading escape literature helps to pass the time leisurely. Interpretive literature deepens and broadens one’s view of life. Both are important parts of fiction and can give one enjoyment and understanding. “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell and “Child by Tiger” by Thomas Wolfe are two short stories that exemplify these two types of fiction. They can stand in their own right as individual examples of these two types of fiction, but when compared and contrasted they present a new view of short stories and fiction. “ The Most Dangerous Game” as escape literature and “Child by Tiger” as interpretive literature can be compared and contrasted through characterization,
The characters of these two stories can be easily deciphered as escape characters and interpretive characters . One of the more prominent characters in “The Most Dangerous Game” is General Zaroff. His character is explicitly brought forth to the reading audience. His first appearance in the story is accompanied by an informative head to toe description of him, “... [A] gigantic creature, solidly made and blac

Character, plot and theme are illustrated by both escape and interpretive

Theme exists in all interpretive literature but only in some escape literature. Theme does not exist in “The Most Dangerous Game” because there author made no attempt to record life accurately or to reveal some truth about it and the author did not try to introduce some concept or theory of life that the story was trying to illustrate. Although, this story does imply some moralistic themes that are used as backdrops in the story. For example, at the beginning of the story Whitney and Rainsford are talking about hunting tigers and how they would fear to be the hunted. By the end of the story Rainsford ends up become the hunted, which proves the cliche, what come around, goes around.

black-bearded to the waist ” (11) “He was a tall man past middle age, for his hair was a vivid white; but his think eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night which Rainsford had come. His eyes, too, were black and very bright. He had high cheekbones, a sharp-cut nose, a spare, dark face, the face of a man used to giving orders, the face of an aristocrat ” (12). The use of direct characterization is a significant trait of escape literature. Zaroff can also be described as a flat and static character. He is flat character because he is what as known as a stock character. This meaning that he is a stereotypical bad guy who has shown up so often in other escape literature that his nature is immediately known. His feelings and inhibitions are the same as in the beginning of the story as in the end, which makes him a static character. He remains the same sick and twisted character through out the entire story all the way up to his death. Zaroff is also in some ways a convincing character. He is motivated by the challenge of hunting Rainsford who is a very skilled and decorated hunter. Zaroff is neither plausible nor consistent which make him a more of an escape character. He is not realistic in which no moral human being would find a hobby in hunting down other humans and he is not consistent in his behavior, for in the beginning of the story he is very welcoming and friendly toward Rainsford, “It is a great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter to my home ”. Toward the middle and end of the story Zaroff’s character dramatically changes from welcoming and polite pers