In "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell, we see a man go from being the hunted to being the hunter. It can be argued that, Sanger Rainsford's, transformation was brought about by his one-time hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff puts Rainsford in a situation where he can either be killed or be the killer. Indeed, Rainsford is hunted, in one way or another, from the moment he falls overboard, at the beginning of the tale. After Rainsford dives into the sea and disappears, at the climax of the story, we witness his return, this time as the aggressor. He had obviously been pushed to his breaking point.
As soon as Rainsford hit the sea, after falling overboard, his role as the hunted begins, albeit in a much smaller capacity than when Zaroff begins the chase. Nature proves to be the first foe. It is the sea that first pursues Rainsford. It hunts him, as it would anyone, without regard. After winning the battle against the sea, darkness assumes the role of hunter. This too, is beaten by Rainsford's persistence. But, another enemy waits. Greeted at the door of Zaroff mansion by Ivan, Rainsford finds himself face to face with the barrel of a gun. This time, however, the hunt is put to a temporary end not by Rainsford, but by Zaroff, who calls off his servant, Ivan. These "little" battles are but a precursor to the fight ahead.
The next day, after a deceptively pleasant stay at Zaroff's chateau, the real hunt, and change in Rainsford, begins. At first, Rainsford runs, as fast as he can, to get as far as he can from the General. Then, he begins to collect his thoughts, and realizes that playing Zaroff's evil game is, indeed, the only way he is going to survive. He devises his first trap, the log trap, with which he hopes to crush Zaroff. This is the first real offense that Rainsford mounts, and is the beginning of him becoming the hunter. After the first trap fails to nab Zaroff, Rainsford constructs two more; the first, a pit of wooden spears and the second a knife trap.
