Explain how beginning the story with the dialogue between Rainsford and Whitney

The opening of the story introduces the reader to some important themes. First, Rainsford and Whitney’s conversations about the pleasure of hunting highlights the plight of the animal. Rainsford is a skeptic and thinks that animals do not experience many feelings or thoughts. He clearly establishes a hierarchy between man and beast. It is this relationship, between the hunter and the hunted, that is revisited numerous times throughout the work.

A second theme that is introduced during this part of the story is the nature of evil. Again, Rainsford and Whitney converse briefly about this when discussing the notorious Ship-Trap Island. Both of these themes foreshadow the experiences that Rainsford later has on the island. Their discussion early in the text helps prepare the reader for the transformative incidents to follow.