What Is the Foreshadowing in “The Most Dangerous Game”?
Examples of foreshadowing in “The Most Dangerous Game” include the gunshots Rainsford hears upon approaching the island, as well as the screams that don’t seem animalistic.
The shots and non-animal screaming are the major factors that foreshadow the fact that Zaroff is hunting humans and that Rainsford is going to be one of them. Other examples of foreshadowing include the inner monologue Rainsford has that says that he felt “a sort of sudden dread” when speaking with Whitney. Rainsford hears the screaming after he falls off his boat near Ship-Trap island. He reaches the island in order to save himself from drowning and soon meets General Zaroff there. Rainsford gets to talking with Zaroff about hunting, and Zaroff talks about how he has a refined sense of taste and doesn’t deny himself anything, especially what he loves most in the world which is hunting. Rainsford wonders what sort of game Zaroff could possibly hunt on such a small island. Zaroff eventually tells Rainsford that he hunts the only animal that can reason. So, bit by bit the story foreshadows that Rainsford is going to end up being hunted by Zaroff by the end of the story, which is exactly what ultimately happens.
