“Short fiction seems more targeted – hand grenades of ideas, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them. Long fiction feels more like atmosphere: it’s a lot smokier and less defined.” — Paolo Bacigalupi. A notable, original story is organized and has its literary elements woven into the very fabric of the story, hence allowing the reader's mind to become a part of the plot and deeply envision it, and classic instances of this are the two stories Examination Day, authored by Henry Selsar and The Most Dangerous Game, authored by Richard Connell. Examination Day is centered around the experience of a bright fellow named Dickie who lives in a civilization that executes overly intelligent individuals. …show more content…
Dickie is the protagonist in the story, while the remainder of his family are the foils as there is a disparity between them and Dickie. Dickie is intellectual, although the family is not—placing emphasis on Dickie's cleverness as he is distinctive in contrast to the rest of his family. Over the course of the story, Dickie's personality remains the same, thus making him a static character. Furthermore, he is a flat character, meaning he is uncomplicated. The opposite of a flat character is a round character wherein the personality of the character is complex—examples being both a little good and a little bad and having contradictory motives. The Most Dangerous Game, an alternative short story features two key characters, General Zaroff and Sanger Rainsford. Rainsford, a world-renowned animal hunter, is faced with a wicked situation of being hunted as he lands on Zaroff's island, making him the protagonist and is sympathetic, meaning that we root for them and like them, in the given order. Although he is accustomed to a life of ease and treat, is removed when he is required to prevent himself from being hunted—making him a dynamic character due to significant changes in him over the course of the story. General Zaroff, a hunter of humans, is described by the narrator …show more content…
A similarity between the two short stories are Dickie and Rainsford. Both are inquisitive and intelligent. For Rainsford, this is proven by his curiosity of the island, and for Dickie, his various questions about the workings of nature along with his decent marks in school. In addition, the statement just prior to the description of Zaroff, "I've read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, you see," explained the man. "I am General Zaroff." Although less significant, this implies that Zaroff is educated as he reads books. In the same way, Rainsford is also educated in hunting, and possibly among other topics—especially considering that Rainsford authored a book, as confirmed by Zaroff, one of his readers: "'I've read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, you see.'" While the plot of the stories differs significantly, certain characterization aspects remain the same. Dickie and Rainsford are both intelligent, curious individuals—far from uneducated—and the conflict is similar as well and points to one common subject: