THE HEROIC JOURNEY ARCHETYPE IN RICHARD CONNELL’S “THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME” Presentation by: Britney Murchison, Kywajn Alston, Harley Riccardi, Estefany Melara

THE HEROIC JOURNEY - THE CALL The first call takes place in the beginning of “The Most Dangerous Game” when Rainsford is on a yacht. It involves the gun shots that are heard at a distance. The second call is Zaroff’s proposal to Rainsford that Rainsford play the hunting game with him.

THE HEROIC JOURNEY - HELPERS One of the helpers in this story is General Zaroff. He provides Rainsford with the necessary gear he will need to survive in the wild. He even provides Rainsford with a three hour head-start. Another helper could actually be the sea, the sea that was Rainsford’s enemy in the beginning of the story becomes his friend/savior at the story’s conclusion.

This step is satisfied twice in the story. The first time a character crosses the threshold is when Rainsford falls off the yacht and enters the ocean – a new dimension/realm. The second time this step is satisfied is when Rainsford begins Zaroff’s game and enters the wild. THE HEROIC JOURNEY – CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

Rainsford begins the game by creating many trails meant to confuse Zaroff. In the wild Rainsford hides from Zaroff in a tree; Zaroff knows he’s there, but does not kill him – I guess Zaroff wants to prolong the game. Rainsford continues to fight for his survival in the wild. He fills a pit with wooden stakes, a pit that ends up claiming one of Zaroff’s dogs. Rainsford also builds a trap with his blade, which ultimately claims Ivan’s life. Rainsford plunges into the sea. THE HEROIC JOURNEY – TESTS/ROAD OF TRIALS

To Zaroff’s surprise, Rainsford is waiting for Zaroff behind the curtains in Zaroff’s room. He emerges from behind the curtains and shocks the living daylights out of Zaroff (after all, Zaroff thought Rainsford perished when he jumped into the sea). THE HEROIC JOURNEY – THE RETURN

Rainsford defeats Zaroff and feeds Zaroff to his dogs. THE HEROIC JOURNEY – FINAL BATTLE

In “The Most Dangerous Game,” the elixir is when the author shares that Rainsford had never slept in a more comfortable bed. Because he won the game, I guess Rainsford now inherits everything that belonged to Zaroff. Is this the reward? Will Rainsford share the island with the prisoners??? THE HEROIC JOURNEY – ELIXIR

THANK YOU We hope you enjoyed our presentation. Any questions???