The Child by Tiger

The setting takes place in a town where African Americans are discriminated against. The townspeople disregard dark colored skin men and women, isolating them as the lower classes by providing them meager job opportunities and housing. The Tiger by William Blake questions about the creator of the tiger. Dick who believes in God questions why he is made into the fearsome creature he is. Although Dick questions his being, he remains faithful to God for he is fearless of death as he believes that God is always with him. Yes, the mystery in this story is what caused Dick to finally snap and massacre the villagers. In “The Most Dangerous Game” it is a mystery whether Rainsford grew into General Zaroff after killing him in the finale. Rainsford disclaimed himself as a murderer, but in the end he killed General Zaroff. Both mysteries remain unresolved, but it was clear that Dick was unhappy with the way African Americans were treated by the villagers, and Rainsford had to kill General Zaroff to stop his twisted game. Dick has lost his humanity after the long years of disrespect and ignorance from the villagers who treated him like a slave. Dick’s character is more plausible than General Zaroff because Dick’s situation is relatable to the minority group of African Americans who receive racism from the light skins.

General Zaroff who has a wealthy, spoiled, and respectable past receives no sympathy from readers. General Zaroff kills for entertainment, while Dick has vengeance burning in his soul. The manhunt in “The Most Dangerous Game” was for entertainment to General Zaroff. He revealed his intentions and the rules of the game to his prey, providing them with handicaps and hopes to survive. In “The Child by Tiger”, the victim of Dick’s assassination received a quick and unexpected death. Dick was not toying with his victims; he was not doing it purely out of entertainment, but out of bottled up rage. The white people thought Dick as a threat in the first place, and now they have a reason to finally silence him. Dick removed his shoes as a humble gesture of entering a holy place. It represents cleanliness, he expects to be with God after this death and by removing his shoes he is symbolizing respect for God’s home. In “The Most Dangerous Game” the author emphasizes on peace on the island after General Zaroff’s death.