Suspense plays a very important role in "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Birds". The lack of knowledge of what is going to happen next, or suspense, makes both of these stories very interesting. I found while reading these stories, I didn't want to stop for anything. Some suspenseful moments were when Rainsford was washed ashore on the unknown and possibly "haunted" island, when he is being hunted and dueled by General Zaroff, and when Nat is being chased by the birds while taking his daughter home from the bus stop.
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In the beginning of "The Most Dangerous Game", Rainsford falls off his boat while smoking his pipe. He called for help, but nobody could hear him. Then, Rainsford heard a high-pitched screaming noise from what seemed to be an animal and right after, a gunshot. He swam toward where these sounds came from and eventually stumbled upon an island. All of these events add to the suspense of the situation, especially the gun shots. It is unknown what will happen next to Rainsford. The reader will then want to read further into the story.
Furthermore, when Rainsford accepts to paly General Zaroff's game and be the "hunted", it is very suspenseful. There is a very good chance that Rainsford will lose the game and be killed. It was mentioned in the story that General Zaroff has never lost a game. Besides this, during the beginning of the game, Zaroff sees Rainsford hiding in a tree. Instead of killing him, he decided to act like he never saw him. General Zaroff was toying with Rainsford. This part of the story is very suspenseful because General Zaroff found Rainsford very quickly and easily. This lets the reader know that it would not be an easy task to beat him. However, I believe that the most suspenseful part of the story is when Rainsford reveals himself from the curtain and challenges General Zaroff to a duel. This would be the last and most important event tin the story.
