Why doesn't the narrator reveal the main conflict till most until a great deal of the story has passed?why has this question been closed when the...

In my opinion, the author does this because he wants to
show us something about Rainsford's personality and his beliefs.  I think he does this
because the story is partly about how Rainsford's experiences affect (or do not affect)
his beliefs.

By having the main conflict start so late, the
author is able to show us more about what Rainsford is like
before he gets hunted.  We see, for example, that he has no
sympathy for the animals he has hunted.  But we also see that he thinks that the idea of
hunting people is totally abhorrent.  Because we get this detailed view of his opinions,
the rest of the story becomes more interesting.  It especially makes us very curious as
to what the ending implies.  What will Rainsford do now that he has killed Zaroff --
will he stick to his values or will he do what Zaroff had been
doing?