Survival Themes
The man in The Road carries this with him, which symbolizes hope and purpose.
What is the fire? (it represents hope, morality, and the will to survive)
This motivates Rainsford to keep going even when he’s being hunted.
What is his instinct to survive and outsmart Zaroff?
The setting of The Most Dangerous Game is like this, and creates suspense through this.
What is a remote island filled with danger and isolation that builds tension?
“We’re the good guys.” — He says this to show this.
What is The Boy to reflect a moral compass
How are the protagonists of both stories similar in their approach to survival?
Both rely on strategy, willpower, and adaptation.
In The Most Dangerous Game, this makes Zaroff believe hunting humans is acceptable.
What is the belief that the strong have the right to dominate the weak.
This drives the man in The Road to continue his journey despite his illness.
what is love for his son and the hope of finding safety?
This literary device is used in The Road to create a bleak, hopeless tone.
What is imagery and minimal punctuation?
“The world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the huntees.” - He says this to reveal this.
Who is General Zaroff revealing his belief in social Darwinism.
Compare the use of violence in both stories.
Violence is a tool for survival but also reflects loss of humanity.
The boy in The Road defines being one of the "good guys" as this.
What is helping others and not eating them?
The boy often questions their actions in The Road for this reason.
What is he wants to maintain kindness and morality in a brutal world?
This symbol from The Road represents nostalgia and loss of society.
What is a can of Coca-cola?
“Kill the beast that came in the dark.” — This was said in this story and reflects this.
What is Lord of the Flies, reflecting mob mentality and fear?
How do the antagonists represent different types of threats?
Zaroff is a human predator by choice; threats in The Road include cannibals and environmental collapse.
Fear plays this role in both stories' survival decisions.
what is the drive to adapt quickly, stay alert, and abandon moral boundaries?
This is Zaroff's twisted justification for his hunting game?
What is the belief that it’s sport and that intellectually inferior people are fair game?
Foreshadowing builds tension in The Most Dangerous Game in this way.
What are the sailors' fears, and Zaroff's comments about a deadly hunt?
“He was just a boy.” — This is said about which character evoking this emotion.
who is the boy in The Road; evoking innocence and tragedy?
Compare how each story ends and what message it sends about human nature.
The Road ends with a glimmer of hope; The Most Dangerous Game ends with revenge, showing different perspectives on survival and justice.
Compare how isolation affects the characters' survival in both texts.
In The Road, isolation builds resilience but deepens despair. In The Most Dangerous Game, isolation heightens Zaroff’s madness and thrill-seeking.
How do each protagonist's motivations evolve by the end of the story?
Rainsford becomes more ruthless; the man in The Road grows weaker but holds onto hope and purpose until his death.
How do both authors use setting to reflect inner conflict?
The desolate landscape in The Road mirrors despair; the jungle in Dangerous Game mirrors the predator-prey mindset.
“He did not look back.” — Explain the symbolism behind this line in The Road.
Symbolizes moving forward despite pain, loss, or destruction.
How do both stories challenge the idea of what it means to be civilized?
Both show how thin the line is between civilization and savagery.