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  • Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Story, Summary, Review

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage is a short story written by Alice Munro. This story was published in a book of the same name which contained a few other short stories by Munro. This story revolves around the life of Johanna, a plain-looking, poor but a dedicated unmarried woman. She works for Mr McCauley, a reticent old man known in the community.

    “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage” – this remarkable piece from Canadian Nobel Prize Laureate Alice Munro is a short story that lets you peek into the lives of her characters –almost all of them humane, flawed and endearing.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Mr McCauley has a granddaughter Sabitha who has now moved to a big city, taken in by her aunt Roxanne. Sabitha’s mother Marcelle has deceased a long time ago and her father Ken Boudreau, having changed jobs multiple times, is on the verge of bankruptcy and currently lives in Saskatchewan. Johanna is the housekeeper and takes care of Sabitha.

    Sabitha’s closest friend is Edith, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Schulz, owner of a shoe shop in the city and friends of Mr McCauley.

    The story starts with Johanna arriving at the train station to enquire about shipping furniture from Ontario to an address in Saskatchewan, she also enquires about the journey there and finalizes her tickets. Her exchanges with the station master are curt, and he considers the journey as well as the shipment pretty uncharacteristic.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage book cover
    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage book cover

    She then goes on to shop for a fancy dress, which she considers rather expensive, and later tells the store person about it being her possible wedding dress. She rushes back home, leaves a letter for Mr.McCauley and leaves the house for her trip to Gdynia in Saskatchewan.

    Johanna likes Sabitha but doesn’t like her friend Edith much, because Edith seems too clever for her taste. She gets to meet Ken Boudreau, McCauley’s son in law when he comes down to meet his daughter.

    Ken frequently reaches out to Mr.McCauley for financial assistance. The most recent instance was when he asked Mr. McCauley to sell his own furniture and lend him some money. Mr.Mccauley, irked by this, disregarded the request altogether.

    Sabitha and Edith, close friends in their early teens – in one of their characteristic naïve conversations, come up with an idea of forging love letters from Ken Boudreau to Johanna.

    Having been shown interest from a man, which she seldom gets, Johanna starts to respond to the forged letters, and the girls keep forging letters from Ken. With each progressive exchange between Johanna and the girls posing as Ken, the messages become more and more personal and intimate.

    Johanna ultimately decides to help Ken by shipping the furniture and running away to be with him but didn’t write a letter to Ken to inform him of this.

    Johanna finally makes her way to Ken, who lives in what seems to be a dilapidated construction in the middle of nowhere.

    Ken, down with a terrible cough aggravated by his intense smoking habits, is unable
    to notice or question her unannounced arrival.

    Johanna takes charge of the situation – she sets up the place and devotedly nurses Ken back to health. As he gets better, he thinks of having a conversation with her about her sudden and unexpected appearance in his life, but looking at the money that she has brought with her – decides against it.

    Impressed by Johanna’s resolve, substantial savings and meticulous approach – all of which he lacks – Ken surrenders to her will.

    Several years later Edith comes to know that Ken and Johanna are married and have a kid.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Review

    This is a fantastic short story for several reasons:

    1 – ‘Human’ characters

    The characters in her story are so amazingly ‘human’; all flawed yet intriguing. Who would not respect a person in control of their life, a person that makes things happen – our Johanna did a great job at that.

    Sabitha – just another directionless adolescent, not very clear about what she wants but doesn’t much care for it either.

    Ken – a person who cannot flourish without someone guiding and assisting them throughout, sometimes even to the extent of being a parasite.

    2 – Plain adults and cunning children

    I absolutely loved how the adults and children were portrayed in the story – Johanna, dedicated and meticulous and having lived a hard life, immediately succumbs to the feeling of love, easily trapped by a child’s prank. So much so that she completely went on a different path in her life- something she would never have imagined.

    Even while I was reading the story, I was heartbroken in the anticipation that Ken
    will break her heart. Lo and Behold! They actually marry and are a happy couple. The power that Munro gave to the child’s prank is humbling.

    3 – Ego

    McCauley’s transformation after the ‘smell of betrayal’ is so real. Shown initially as a very reticent guy, mostly apathetic to the things happening around him, he completely transforms into a bantering old man; people couldn’t recognize this man (“something’ has gotten into him”).

    And all because a housekeeper left, the one that he could not recall the age or build of. I am amazed at the power ego exercises and Munro has done justice to this monster in her work here.

    4 – Superbly titled story

    When I first picked up the story I read the title of the story multiple times to understand what it might mean. In addition, to be a mouthful to speak, it had a certain childish ring to it- an endearing one at that.

    Only when I read the story did I realize that growing up we played a variation of that too! I quickly drifted to my childhood days where games like that made dollops of sense. I believe any writer who can have you traverse through your own life reading their words- is a force to reckon.

    While accepting her Nobel Prize, Alice Munro remarked, “I want my stories to move people”… and move she does, with this gem of a story!

  • If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Summary, Plot Analysis and Review

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me is a short story written by Edan Lepucki. It is a story of a single woman – Joellyn – who lives alone in an apartment in New York. Joellyn happens to be narrating the stories of her (failed) romance with an unemployed, terribly-dressed man named Zachary to her unborn child.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Joellyn is a very relatable vision of a woman in her mid 20s to early 30s – a woman that is insecure yet boisterous, independent with a burning desire of companionship, compassionate yet indifferent, funny yet grappling with solitude. A woman that seems smart at some occasions and lost in others.

    Joellyn is an independent, confident woman living in the big city when one day she comes across an unremarkable gentleman Zachary at a crowded coffee house – one of those days where people order complicated coffee and the barista is cornered with a backlog.

    She strikes a conversation with Zachary, who was right behind him in the queue. Although Joellyn finds nothing remarkable about Zachary, she ends up setting a date with him later that night against her better judgement.

    She keeps her end of the bargain and shows up for the date only to re-affirm that Zachary is still as invisible a guy, as the one she met earlier that day. She carefully observes the events of their date, Zachary ordering beer and a salad with onions – making her think if he already found her as repulsive as she did.

    When he offers to buy another drink , she does not decline and ends up making another impulsive decision to invite him over to her place, despite the precautionary measures she takes earlier in the day to avoid this scenario.

    They end up having a good time together; although Joellyn’s impression of Zachary does not change much, she begins to soften for him over the time they spent together.

    Over beachwalks, pinatas, Imagine- land and pinatas , she starts to bond with Zachary, starts feeling warm and cozy in his presence and begins imagining his husband like behavior towards her, only to have the relationship end one day over Zachary not seeing how this could work out for them.

    Instead of trying to salvage the relationship, Joellyn ends up putting the blame of the failure of their relationship on his ‘invisibility’, driving a final nail in the coffin. Although she is heartbroken, instead of composing herself and starting afresh, she ends up making a mistake with an ex and ending up pregnant with his child.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Review

    The story is told by Joellyn to her unborn child perhaps as a lesson for her not to make the same mistakes as her mother did.

    Although the story and the characters seem a little less developed to begin with, Lepucki does a good job to make up on the relatability front. The characters are quite relatable and so are the struggles of an adult still trying to find her bearings. The humor in the story did muffle the blow of the tale of a failed romance.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Quotes

    There are some quotes from the story that made me laugh to myself, because I did find them relatable-

    “The coffee table covered with Venn diagram stains of cup’s past”

    This would probably apply to any anti-coaster adult that has lived alone at some point either in hostels, dorms, or hotel rooms. It brought back a flurry of memories from my college days where we had a variety of geometrical shapes adorning my study table, coffee table, bedside table – you name it.

    I remember quoting University of Minnesota research to my friends about how people with cluttered desks are geniuses actually, and as such, they should be left alone devising their genius plans to make the world a better place (atleast for them!)

    “The ending changes everything that came before it”

    This is what Joellyn tells her unborn child when revealing who her father is. She blatantly announces that she did not shed her superficiality after the heart break.

    Although it did seem to her at one point that her story could have been one of the Happy Ever Afters, but it never became that. The sad end to their short lived romance is all that stuck in her mind, the beautiful journey before that faded away into oblivion.

    I guess whether you will like the book depends on what you care for more – the destination or the journey.

  • I Am The Lion Now: Short Story, Summary, Plot Analysis and Review

    I Am The Lion Now is a short story by Edan Lepucki. It revolves around a pregnant woman that lives in LA with her husband. The couple lead an ordinary life until a possum shows up at their door. 

    No, I am not talking about the famous incident at the Bronx zoo where a woman jumped into a lion’s enclosure and seemed to taunt him.

    I am going to talk about Edan Lepucki’s short story – ‘I am the lion now’.

    I Am The Lion Now: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story revolves around a pregnant woman named Margaret who lives in an apartment in LA with her husband Toby.

    They seem like a pretty average LA couple differing in one aspect of sexual activity. Margaret maintains a journal of the dates of their ‘deeds’ thinking to herself that someday a biographer would consider it as a  piece of information worth recording while her husband bakes a second cake for her after burning the first one, to satiate her pregnancy craving.

    While Margaret is left to her own thoughts whiling away time in her bath tub, her husband finds a possum (which he mistakes for a rat initially) and in the ensuing chaos, a book burns in the bathroom while a possum runs all across the kitchen with an almost chubby man on its tail.

    Toby comes to like the little possum and even convinces his ‘cold’ wife to provide food and shelter at least for a   night. The baby possum is later located by its family but having seen it touched/tampered by the humans, is left alone.

    A few weeks after the episode, Toby sees the possum, who is a teenager now, only to have it hiss at him.

    He is the lion now.

    I Am The Lion Now Review

    The story is pretty ordinary story until you take into the account how it has been said. This story is written by Lepucki in a very interesting omniscient third person point of view. The style that has been seen on and off in English literature for a long time.

    She has presented the point of view of the animate and inanimate objects alike. It is like a breath of fresh air. Consider the following quotes from the story –

    “The Possum glares and hisses, ‘I am the lion now’”

    There is a reference in the story where Margaret recalls a novel that she recently read about a bunch of zealots in an Afghani zoo where one of them cut a bear’s nose because its beard was too short, while another jumped into a lion’s enclosure and announces himself as a lion, and eventually gets killed. I love how she gave voice to the possum.

    “But I am worth it’ – whispered the book”

    While Margaret lies in the bath tub thinking the book that she is reading is too challenging, and longs to look at a tabloid containing pictures of pregnant celebrities. The book then reads her mind and thinks itself to be worth Margaret’s time.

    A place where books can actually speak with me, for real, oh! that’s what I call dreamland!

    This one cracked me up –

    “They were married, and passion was not greater than cake”

    This references to Toby’s second attempt at making cake for his wife and deliberately not putting the timer on. Simply because he knew that when in the act, they would consider stopping it a more likely scenario than ruining the cake. Laugh-worthy reality of our times, folks!

    “Let the squeamish suffer their fear, let them live without really living. Margaret was safe in her risk taking.”

    This references to Margaret’s bath tub: grimy and rusty near the drain, but that doesn’t scare her, because she does not wash her fruit either and kisses dogs on the mouth. This in Margaret’s mind, is risk taking personified. The life of a modern outlier, eh?

    “All crises, once averted, become jokes”

    After dousing the fire and seeing the remnants of her charred book, Margaret quips ‘Oops, I guess I won’t be reading this’. I couldn’t help but stroll down my own memory lane and smiled.

  • Bartleby The Scrivener: Summary, Analysis, Quotes, Review and Free PDF

    Bartleby The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story or novella written by American author Herman Melville. It was first  published in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of a magazine. It tells the story of Bartleby – a scrivener (a clerk or scribe) who works for a Manhattan lawyer and grows increasingly enigmatic as the story progresses.

    “Happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay, but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.”

    Seeing what we want to see and feel commands so much power on us humans that we are even more blinded to what we don’t want to see or feel widening the gap between happiness and misery disproportionately.

    This is an excerpt from ‘Bartleby the scrivener’ the first short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first published in Putnam magazine, way back in 1853.

    Bartleby the Scrivener: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story revolves around an unnamed Manhattan lawyer and his mysterious new hire, Bartleby. As their relationship revolves, the personality of Bartleby still remains an enigma to the narrator and the readers alike.

    The narrator of the story is an unnamed, unambitious elderly man that has a snug law-copying business He has two scriveners in his employ already: Turkey and Nippers, both of whom are eccentric – while the former is more civil in the first half of the day, while the latter in second. Another employee, Ginger Nut, who is a young office boy completes the staff.

    As the business grows, the narrator advertises for the position of another scrivener- Bartleby: more forlorn and calmer than his other staff. In the initial period of his employment, Bartleby seems very meticulous producing high-quality work in high volumes, never taking lunch breaks and continues to remain reticent and oblivious to the banter or the tantrums of his other colleagues.

    Bartleby the Scrivener book cover
    The cover of Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

    One fine day, upon being asked by the narrator to proofread, Bartleby responds with ‘I would prefer not to’, and after that, it becomes his response to pretty much everything that is asked of him. This irks the narrator as well as the other employees, but Bartleby’s stance remains steadfast in that matter.

    The volume of his work declines at a steady pace until one point where he does absolutely nothing but stares at a brick wall out of his office window all day long. Having had to come to work one Sunday, the narrator notices that Bartleby had started living in the office premises.

    The mystery surrounding his constant presence in the office premises and his continual staring at the brick wall deepens and the narrator, thinking that if word spread it could bring bad reputation for his business. In order to devise a plan to mitigate this risk, he makes several futile attempts at trying to know more about him or reason with him to leave the premises.

    Neither money nor the prospect of working someplace new appeals to Bartleby and he continues to live in the office. The narrator was compassionate enough not to have him forcibly removed from the premises.

    Left with no choice, the narrator moves office to another location without letting Bartleby know the whereabouts.

    Although thinking the narrator rid himself of Bartleby, the mystery surrounding his permanent presence at the premises is not solved, until one day, the new tenants come to mention to him the inconvenience that Bartleby’s presence was causing them – he continued to sit on the stairs all day and slept in the doorway at night.

    herman melville portrAIT
    Herman Melville – the author of Bartleby the Scrivener

    The narrator is again brought in to reason with Bartleby, going to the extent of inviting him over to his own residence to live with him, but his request fall on deaf ears. The narrator eventually comes to know that he was forcibly removed from the premises and imprisoned nearby in the Tombs.

    He goes to visit Bartleby in prison, to find him even quieter than usual. He bribes the turnkey to make sure that Bartleby gets enough food. He comes back later another day to check on him only to find out that he died of starvation.

    He comes to know afterwards through rumors, that Bartleby used to work in a “dead-letter” office (a dead letter office is a facility within a postal system where undeliverable mail is processed). 

    The narrator attributes that to be the reason why a man of his temperament, having worked in an even darker environment, might have sunk deeper into depression.

    The story closes with narrator’s exasperated sigh “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!”

    Bartleby the Scrivener Analysis

    To think that all this novella received was critical disdain at the time of its release confuses me and pains me at the same time. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Bartleby’s and author’s life – if Bartleby’s dispassionate No to the kind of work that he didn’t want to do was any indication of the kind of work that was demanded of Melville- but maybe that’s taking my imagination too far.

    Regardless, this short story raises many poignant themes- As relevant as they are now, almost two centuries from when Melville first brought the story to life.

    Bartleby The Scrivener Quotes

    I might give alms to his body, but his body didn’t pain him –it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I couldn’t reach.

    The narrator feels- and rightly so- that Bartleby doesn’t respond to any requests or temptations because his soul is broken. His complete denial to accept any assistance or to find solace in sharing leaves him completely isolated-leaving little chance for people around him to be able to help him, feeling guilty and helpless themselves in return.

    “Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.”

    How many times have I seen a person being driven completely crazy , and I mean grinding-teeth crazy -by someone that only resists passively, no debating, no reasoning, no active participation in the argument, but sitting back peacefully and saying No to everything that is asked.

    If I was the narrator I would have gone crazy far before Bartleby dies of starvation.

    “I would prefer not to”

    Maybe that was the only thing that Bartleby felt he did, that made him empowered. Having the ability to say Yes or No to things that he did or didn’t want to do. Bartleby is an enigma. Offices should be kinder to their Bartlebys. I am going to be kinder to myself.

    Thank you, Mr Melville, for giving me that voice.

    I can now say ‘I would prefer not to’ aloud.

    “Happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay, but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.”

    Seeing what we want to see and feel commands so much power on us humans that we are even more blinded to what we don’t want to see or feel widening the gap between happiness and misery disproportionately.

    Bartleby The Scrivener PDF Free Download

    You can download a PDF copy of  Bartleby The Scrivener by clicking here.

    This is a PDF document where you can read Bartleby The Scrivener for free!

  • The Most Dangerous Game: Short Story, Summary, Characters, Theme, Plot Analysis

    The Most Dangerous Game is a short story written by Richard Connell. Also known as “The Hounds of Zaroff”, this story was originally published in 1924. It revolves around an American man passionate about game hunting who realizes, after a series of events, what it means to be a hunter or a huntee – and the ethicality surrounding it.

    “The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters”

    This is a statement from Sanger Rainsford, the protagonist of Richard Connell’s remarkable short story The Most Dangerous Game. This one statement is intensely significant as it underlines the carelessness we experience as hunters; but once the tables turn, it’s a different story.

    The Most Dangerous Game: Summary and Plot Analysis

    This story derives inspiration from the big game hunting that was very popular among affluent Americans back in the 1920s.

    Rainsford, a big time game hunter from New York is travelling to Rio de Janeiro in a yacht. In a conversation with a fellow passenger Whitney, Rainsford reveals that he believes that the world is only made up of hunter and huntees and prides himself in being a hunter.

    While Whitney does show a little remorse about games they kill and wonders if the prey feels fear, Rainsford stands by his indifference to his prey and is prideful about being a hunter and not a huntee.

    Noticing the jitteriness of the crew, Whitney wants to sail past the mysterious island as soon as possible. He theorizes that sailors can sense danger and that is because evil “emanates in waves like light and sound”. While Whitney retires for the night, Rainsford stays back on the afterdeck to smoke his pipe.

    Three gunshots in the distance make him curious, and after losing balance ends up falling into water. The yacht quickly disappears into the night leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere.

    He decides to swim in the direction where the gunshots came from and finds himself hearing an animal in agony silenced by a pistol shot. Thoroughly exhausted, he falls asleep.

    Once awake, he sets off searching for food in the jungle and chances upon a chateau (a large house). He knocks on the door and finds himself face to face with a burly guy named Ivan who is just about to show him the way when another man General Zaroff ushers him in.

    Rainsford finds Zaroff very welcoming, having been offered a room and lavish dinner. The general’s dining hall showcases mounted heads and trophies flaunting his prize from his hunting adventures all over the world.

    In the conversation that ensues, Rainsford comes to know of general’s childhood in Crimea, his game exploits all over the world and how he feels that game hunting had become progressively more boring for him over the years.

    He also goes on to point out that this monotony had recently been alleviated for him since he figured out a new kind of animal to hunt- the one he believes has courage , logic and reasoning.

    Rainsford eventually connects the dots and realizes that the general is referring to human beings and is horrified and indignant at Zaroff’s inability to see hunting humans as a murder. He politely declines General’s request to come hunting with him and goes to bed, terribly disturbed.

    He meets Zaroff at lunch again and comes to know that the sailors that he lures to the island for hunting do not present enough challenge for him to exercise his hunting skills. He is now excited by the idea of hunting a world renowned game hunter – Rainsford himself!

    Baffled and scared by General’s request, Rainsford asks to leave the island, a request that General immediately denies, instead approving his leave in return for a 3 day hunt, with Rainsford being the prey.

    On Day 1, General identifies Rainsford’s location easily but chooses not to kill him to prolong the duration of pleasure he derives from the hunt. This leaves Rainsford terribly scared with very little hope to be able to escape the island.

    On Day 2 , Rainsford puts up more of a challenge to Zaroff using the Malay mancatcher (a kind of booby trap to catch a human), doing so much as wounding Zaroff, who promises to kill him him the next day.

    What happens at the end of the story of The Most Dangerous Game?

    On Day 3 – the final day of the hunt – through a series of events, Ivan (General Zaroff’s assistant) is killed and hounds are let loose that push Rainsford to the edge of the cliff. He chooses to jump into the ocean than handle the hounds.

    Upon return to his room later that night, Zaroff finds Rainsford concealed behind the curtains. Zaroff congratulates him on winning the game, but he insists that the game is not over yet and that he intends to fight Zaroff. Zaroff accepts his challenge and declares that the loser of the fight will become food to the dogs while the winner will sleep in Zaroff’s bed.

    The story concludes with Rainsford saying that the General’s bed was more comfortable than anything that he had ever slept on (which suggests that Rainsford killed General Zaroff).

    The Most Dangerous Game Characters

    Sanger Rainsford: The protagonist. A world-renowned big game hunter from America. He’s a level-headed, intelligent and experienced man who combines his mental and physical ability to outsmart General Zaroff.

    General Zaroff: A Russian expatriate who lives in a big house on an island. He is an accompolished hunter who has lost all interest in hunting animals because it has gotten ‘boring’ over the years. Now he enjoys hunting prey that are smart and have a formidable mental abilities – humans.

    Ivan: General Zaroff’s assistant. He is mute and has a formidable physical stature. His stature is so fear-inducing that Zaroff’s captives prefer to flee and give Zaroff a chance to hunt them down than a certain, torturous death at Ivan’s hands.

    Whitney: Hunter and Rainsford’s travel companion. Feels a little remorse about killing prey and suggests that the hunted feel fear while Rainsford is completely indifferent to how the prey feels.

    The Most Dangerous Game Theme

    The main theme of The Most Dangerous Game is fear, competition and perseverance. The author has a done a remarkable job at blurring the line between the hunter and the hunted. He has shown – through the protagonist’s journey through the story – that the one thing the prey always feels, irrespective of who it is, is fear.

    In the beginning of the story, Rainsford is shown to be oblivious to the fear of the prey he hunts. In fact, he prides being such an accomplished hunter. But as the tables turn and Rainsford ends up becoming a prey himself, he realizes the nerve-wracking fear of a prey which gives him perspective and a real taste of what’s it like to be the hunted (instead of the hunter).

    The story also indulges in the idea of competition. Both General Zaroff and Rainsford are skilled hunters, which is demonstrated at regular intervals in the story. On the first day of the ‘hunting game’, the General effortlessly locates Rainsford but chooses to ‘spare’ him. The subsequent days, Rainsford fights back and ultimately trumps the General.

    Furthermore, The Most Dangerous Game is a story of perseverance and survival. The protagonist never gives up despite the challenges that he’s faced with one after the other.

    Is The Most Dangerous Game a true story?

    The Most Dangerous Game was published back in 1924, around 100 years ago. Till that point, there was no true story or reported case on which the story could have been based.

    But decades after its publication, there was a particularly notorious case in Alaska which involved multiple victims hunted by the perpetrator – Robert Hanson.

    Known in the media as the ‘Butcher Baker’, Hanson was an American serial killer who was caught and convicted in 1983. He was then sentenced to 461 years and a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He died in 2014. (Source)

    The Most Dangerous Game Movie

    8 years after the publication of the story, a movie of the same name was released in 1932. The film is based on the same premise of a big game hunter who lives on an island and hunts human prey for sport. The film stars the lead stars of King Kong – Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong, alongwith Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks.

    the poster of the movie the most dangerous game
    The poster of the movie The Most Dangerous Game

    Another movie, The Frozen Ground (2013), is loosely based on the story of The Most Dangerous Game. The film stars Nicolas Cage and John Cusack in lead roles. It tells the story of an American serial killer who abducts and kills female victims to satisfy his sadistic ‘thrill’ of hunting.

    The Most Dangerous Game Review

    This power packed story line from Richard Connell never ceases to amaze me. It will not be an overstatement for me to say that this book rekindled my faith in short stories.

    Not to forget, the ethical dilemma and the amazing quotes the book presents. If I had to pick quotes from the book that stood out the most for me, those would be.

    “The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters”

    And Further in the same conversation…

    “Don’t talk rot, Whitney, you’re a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?”

    Connell has so brilliantly given an altogether differing spin on the perspective that was used when this line was first said in the story.

    The journey from Rainsford being an acclaimed hunter, absolutely indifferent to his prey’s feelings, to him being the hunted – shocked and terrified – is an amazing journey to follow and learn from.

    What I really like about this message is its poignance and relevance to our everyday conversations where our own viewpoint is all that we care about.

    In my random readings, I have come across this phrase very often: “the world does not revolve around you.”

    I guess I need to pause and take notice.