In The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, Rainsford says, “The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees.” This quote shows than Rainsford believes that human life is clearly more valuable than animal life. This is also shown when he says, “Hunting? Great guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder.” He says this in response to finding out that Zaroff hunts humans. Though he has no qualms about killing animals for personal pleasure, Rainsford clearly puts a high value on human life. Zaroff, on the other hand, does not value human life as highly as Rainsford. Zaroff does believe that everybody is either a hunter or a huntee, but he believes that “the weak of the world were put [there] to give the strong pleasure.” This quote shows Zaroff’s opinion of human life: only those who are strong are worth anything, and those who are weak are worse than animals. …show more content…
The author shows that when one is of high status, like Zaroff was, one often loses sight of what’s right and what’s wrong because one thinks of oneself as higher or more valuable than those who aren’t of high status. Zaroff clearly shows this when he says, “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure.” Because Zaroff sees himself as strong, he has no problem killing those that he considers weak. Connell also shows that humans can never be truly satisfied with what they have. Zaroff says, “Hunting was beginning to bore me! And hunting, remember, had been my life. . . Hunting had ceased to be what you call ‘a sporting proposition.’ It had become too easy.” Zaroff, of course, decides that hunting humans is the way to quench his boredom. Later in the story, Zaroff says, “Last night I detected traces of my old complaint . . . boredom.” Connell believes that some people will never be able just to be satisfied with what they
what you speak of is murder” (Connell 5). Rainsford is very astonished by this, if you couldn’t tell. The reader can infer that this isn’t the only time that Zaroff has killed a person because he made a game of it. Usually, when someone commits a murder, they are punished
Rainsford had been a trophy hunter too. He hunted for the excitement, when he knew Zaroff hunted animals that can think he was shocked up, he said that’s wrong hunting of your own kind that’s bad. But
I am speaking of hunting.” “Hunting? General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder.”” (Connell, 8) Going back to the beginning of the story, Rainsford had opined on animals not having any feels and hunting just was a sport; Rainsford noticing Zaroff was killing people for the enjoyment of his will.
In the exposition of the plot, Zaroff told him he hunted “scum of the earth” humans and gave Rainsford an option to either hunt with him or be hunted; Rainsford refused to hunt, even though it meant almost certain death, for he believed it was wrong. “Hunting? General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder… I will not hunt,” (225-228). He wouldn’t murder innocent people, even if they were poor, unwanted men; this shows he is a good man who care’s about every human’s
I wanted the ideal animal to hunt” (34). This statement highlights Zaroff’s predatory nature, as he views humans as nothing more than animals to be hunted for
This can be inferred that he likes the thrill of almost dying while hunting, maybe he thinks that there is no way he would rather die. Zaroff could possibly want to die while hunting, he would die doing what he loves. He wants to be challenged in hunting and people are what challenge him the most. “What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer was, of course, `It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."
Zaroff wanted to find the “ideal animal” to hunt (Connell 69). He wanted an animal that could reason with him. Unfortunately, the only animal that can do that is humans. He started to kill humans because of his boredom with hunting animals. Zaroff deliberately isolated himself from society so he could fulfill his satisfaction of wanting to hunt humans.
Also, General Zaroff is an extreme hunter and doesn’t find pleasure in hunting regular animals. Zaroff says the most dangerous game is humans because they have the ability to reason. Rainsford is going to be hunted and is given a certain amount of time to survive. Moreover, while Rainsford is being hunted Zaroff
He concludes that because God blessed him with riches and skills of the hunt, he has to use them to the extreme. Along with the gifts God gave him, brings his lack of sensitivity to human life. General Zaroff proves that wealth and power can cause the deterioration of a civilized
However, it does not change for the better. In the middle of the story when he finds out Zaroff hunts fellow human beings, to Zaroff's surprise, Rainsford’s thought and reaction is utter shock and disbelief. “‘But you can’t mean-’ gasped Rainsford. ‘And why not?’”(10). Zaroff knowing Rainsford was a great hunter he hoped that Rainsford would accompany him on a hunt; however, Rainsford accuses him of being a cold-blooded killer.
And the answer was, of course, `it must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason… Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder. ’”(Connells 11). Referring to the quote, it exposes how Zaroff tells about the prey and Rainsford got surprised. He even tells Rainsford that he hunts different types of people.
Tanner Toussaint In the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff. One of the reasons why Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff is on the island the only way to live is to hunt or to be the one being hunted. Secondly, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff because Zaroff wanted to die. Lastly, Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff because killing Zaroff is going to be the only way Rainsford will escape the island from a psychopath.
Zaroff wanted to hunt an animal with intelligence to match his own, so he started hunting his fellow humans. Yes, he gave them a choice, but the choice was certain death or a small sliver of a chance at life. Zaroff became a murderer while Rainsford was just a game hunter. At the end of the “Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford comes back for Zaroff, the man who hunted him for days on end. I feel his actions were justified due to the intolerable
We can infer that while on the yacht, feeding a human being to animals would never have occurred to him, and if it had, that he would have treated it like “grisly...cold-blooded murder.” Revenge also did not seem to be an important aspect to him before becoming the subject of Zaroff's dangerous game, but when he returns and encounters Zaroff in his bedroom, he soon resumes the hunt, this time with Zaroff as the prey. Rainsford compromises his own morals by continuing the game, and he even seems to enjoy killing his new human prey, resting comfortably in Zaroff's “very excellent” bed after killing the general and feeding him to the hounds. Thus, the reader realizes that perhaps Rainsford may have decided that hunting humans is not so “barbaric” after
And Zaroff kills for joy, and excitement. He wants a challenge, and hunting any regular type of animal isn’t good enough. It’s as if he is hungry for a challenge, and he knows the only thing as smart as him, is one of his kind. This is a mental flaw due to the fact that it is a way to almost disguise murder. Saying that he wants to hunt an animal that can reason instead of saying he wants to kill people.