Answer:
Sanger Rainsford is the protagonist of Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game", which tells the story of his ordeal on Ship-Trap Island, where he becomes the prey of a sadistic hunter named General Zaroff. In this essay, I will analyze how Rainsford's perspectives on hunting change throughout the story, from being a confident and arrogant hunter to being a terrified and empathetic prey, and finally to being a ruthless and victorious survivor.
In the beginning of the story, Rainsford is a celebrated big-game hunter who has a passion for hunting animals and a "predator versus prey" worldview. He believes that hunting is the best sport in the world and that animals have no feelings or thoughts. He says to his friend Whitney, "The world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters."[^1^][1] He also dismisses Whitney's suggestion that the island they are passing by has an evil reputation and that the animals they hunt might suffer. He says, "Who cares how a jaguar feels?"[^1^][1] Rainsford's initial perspectives on hunting show that he is selfish, unsympathetic, and cruel.
However, Rainsford's perspectives on hunting change drastically when he falls overboard into the sea and swims to Ship-Trap Island, where he meets General Zaroff, a former Cossack who has turned his mansion into a hunting ground for human beings. Zaroff recognizes Rainsford as a fellow hunter and invites him to join his game, in which he hunts shipwrecked sailors with his hounds and his servant Ivan. Rainsford is horrified by Zaroff's idea of hunting humans and refuses to participate. He says, "Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder."[^1^][1] Zaroff then gives Rainsford a choice: either to become his prey or to face Ivan's torture. Rainsford chooses to be hunted and runs into the jungle, hoping to outwit Zaroff for three days.
As Rainsford becomes the hunted, he experiences the fear and pain he never felt before as a hunter. He realizes how hunted animals must feel and empathizes with them. He thinks, "I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable." He also learns to use his wit and skill to set traps for Zaroff, such as the Malay mancatcher, the Burmese tiger pit, and the Ugandan knife trick. He manages to injure Zaroff and kill his hounds and Ivan, but he is unable to escape from the island. He finally confronts Zaroff in his bedroom and challenges him to a final duel.
At the end of the story, Rainsford defeats Zaroff and kills him. He then sleeps in Zaroff's bed, feeling satisfied with his victory. Rainsford's final perspective on hunting shows that he has become even more ruthless than Zaroff. He has crossed the ethical line that he drew at the beginning of the story and has lost his respect for human life. He says to Zaroff, "I am still a beast at bay." He also does not seem to regret or reflect on his actions, as he sleeps soundly after killing Zaroff.
In conclusion, Sanger Rainsford's perspectives on hunting change significantly throughout the story, from being a hunter who enjoys killing animals without remorse to being a prey who feels fear and empathy for his fellow creatures, and finally to being a survivor who kills another human being without hesitation. Rainsford's transformation reveals that mankind is not so different from animals and that without the social contracts of a community, men will resort to brutal violence.
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