Well, any reader might come out with a different theme
from the same work, so you need to remember that when we think about the theme or the
message of a particular text it is going to be subjective. However, for me, one of the
key themes that I take from this excellent short story is the violence and cruelty of
the hunt. I find it very interesting that at the beginning of the story, when Rainsford
is talking to Whitney about his excitement of being able to hunt jaguars in South
America that they have the following conversation:
"The best sport in the world," agreed
Rainsford.
"For the hunter," ammended Whitney. "Not for the
jaguar."
"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're
a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar
feels?"
"Perhaps the jaguar does," observed
Whitney.
"Bah! They've no
understanding."
"Even so, I rather think they understand
one thing - fear. The fear of pain and the fear of
death."
This conversation
becomes highly significant in the light of the rest of the story, as Rainsford's easy
division of the world into the hunted and the hunter is questioned when it is he who
becomes the hunted and is put in the place of the jaguar who he would have been
gleefully hunting. To me, this is one of the most important themes of the story as it
exposes the view of the hunted rather than the hunter and questions the morality of
hunting.
A key question to ask yourself would be how would
Rainsford be different after his experience with Zaroff? I personally don't think he
would give up hunting, but I do think he would have a far healthier respect for his
"prey" and a realisation of what they are going through - because he has been in their
position himself.
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