Essay on "English Literature Compare and Contrast Richard Connell"

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English Literature

Compare and Contrast Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" with DH Thesis

Both Connell and Lawrence's stories involve masculine characters; although the two would appear on the surface to be diametrically opposed -- Rainsford is a middle-aged hunting expert while Paul is only a boy -- each character uses his superior intellect to overthrow his adversary. In each case, the opposing figure occupies a more privileged position; General Zaroff is more knowledgeable about the landscape and possesses every desirable object imaginable, while Uncle Oscar is significantly wealthier than Paul's family. This paper examines how the two stories address the emptiness of materiality and the necessity for intellectual acuity through their portrayals of usurped privilege.

Outline

This essay begins with an examination of Rainsford and General Zaroff, with particular emphasis on his intellect as it is juxtaposed against General Zaroff's materialistic sensibility. I then address Paul, the protagonist of "The Rocking Horse Winner," addressing how Paul's engagement in the boyish 'toy world' of the rocking horse allows him to manipulate the adult 'toy world' of the racetrack. I conclude with a brief analysis of the ways in which the two stories similarly denounce an obsession with material possessions.

Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner"

Both Connell and Lawrence's stories involve masculine characters; although the two would appear on the surface to be diametrically opposed -- Rainsford is a middle-aged hunting expert while Paul is only a boy -- each character uses his superior intellect to overthrow his adversary. In each case, the opposing figure occupies a more privileged position; General Zaroff is more knowledgeable about the landscape and possesses every desirable object imaginable, while Uncle Oscar is significantly wealthier than Paul's family. This paper examines how the two stories address the emptiness of materiality and the necessity for intellectual acuity through their portrayals of usurped privilege.

After arriving on the island, Rainsford is received by General Zaroff and decadently fed. The author goes to great lengths to describe the specific items consumed by the two; they do not simply eat beef but rather filet mignon, and sip Turkish coffee. Indeed, Connell describes the food and drink with more comprehensiveness (his description of borscht being one notable example) than used in describing the interior thoughts of the hero. Moreover, such instances of decadent materiality correspond with the danger of the hero; while sipping after-dinner liquor, Rainsford is informed that General Zaroff hunts men and intends to defeat the hero. Material items are thus implicitly aligned with combative human conduct rather than virtuous, mutually beneficial behavior. However, despite Connell's repeated invocation of items, the story is not a social critique. The fact that the story takes place on a remote island distances it from the context of society, and materiality is instead juxtaposed against man's ability to use his intellect as a form of defense. Accordingly, Rainsford defeats Zaroff through outsmarting the dogs that Zaroff employs to locate (and kill, presumably) Rainsford; by attaching a sapling to a tree, the dogs pursue the pungent sapling instead of him, allowing Rainsford to sprint to Zaroff's residence. He therefore utilizes his intellect to defeat the dogs, which rely solely on their sensory registers (their scent, in this case.)

D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner" is similar to Connell's story in that it… READ MORE

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