General Zaroff Vs Rainsford Research Paper

In my opinion, General Zaroff shows more diligence than Rainsford throughout the story. General Zaroff is one who does not give up, no matter what the situation may be. He mainly does not give up on hunting and this is why he shows more diligence. For example, “Hurled me against a tree,” said the general. “Fractured my skull. But I got the brute.” This direct quote from the general shows how he does not quit hunting for prey until they are dead. Like he had said, he had a fractured skull, but that still did not give him a reason to just give up. Diligence is to show effort into things and that is exactly what General Zaroff did when hunting. He not only showed diligence, but he showed his dedication in hunting.

Zaroff is purely unconscious, and has no compassion or remorse for his actions. His demented mind forces him to believe that it is moral to hunt all living creatures, when in reality he is actually murdering a human soul. The general is sadistic as well as arrogant. He is mentally unstable, insane, and he denies the fact that he is committing something as bad as what he is doing. According to General Zaroff, hunting for him has been consumed by boredom and he no longer sees hunting as a challenge. Consequently, he chooses to hunt a certain “creature” with a higher mental stability of the creatures he has hunted before.(Connell 21) As Zaroff became comfortable with Rainsford, he

General Zaroff is similar to Rainsford because they are both Dangerous, and Zaroff shows this in the story because he has hunted a lot. This is seen in the story when it says, “God makes some men poets, Some he makes king, some beggars, Me he made a hunter.” (Page 48). He was born with a gift for hunting. However, Zaroff is different from Rainsford because he is militaristic, which he shows through his past and his looks. An example of this is seen in the story, which states “I went into the military… and for a time commanded a division of Cossack cavalry” (Page 44). He was able to lead a division of the military. Zaroff is also different since he can be described as self-justified, because he is okay with hunting people. In the text, this is shown when it says, “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong.” (Page 49). He feels that is someone can’t beat them they don’t need to be living. Zaroff and Rainsford may both be dangerous, but the fact that Zaroff is self-Justified and Militaristic make him a completely different kind of

The general is talking about hunting Rainsford not hunting with Rainsford, “We will hunt, you and I,” - General Zaroff. The general acts like he wants to go hunting WITH Rainsford but in reality he really is just planning on hunting Rainsford. This makes the story more interesting because, it’s kind of like a plot twist which makes the reader want to read more of the story. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford was talking to Whitney and he said, “who cares how a jaguar feels?” Rainsford ended up in the jaguars position because he was being hunted. “He executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled on his trail again and again recalling all the lore of the fox hunt, and dodges of the fox.” He feels like an animal in this

Throughout this journal, Zaroff can be characterized as mysterious and evil. First off, Zaroff is mysterious. One way he is mysterious is that he knows Rainsford’s name and he read Rainsford’s hunting book. In the book it says, “I’ve read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet…” (Connell 3). This quote shows that Zaroff is interested in hunting dangerous animals and knows that Rainsford is good at hunting

In that conversation the General illustrated the characteristics of his new hunting quarry. Zaroff explained to Rainsford how he saw the sailors and crewmen as inferior to him, therefore he felt no pity for them. He explained to Rainsford expecting him to see the way he did, as a hunter. Midway through the story Zaroff began to see Rainsford as an adversary. The General wanted to be faced with a challenge when hunting Rainsford.

General Zaroff is similar to Rainsford because they are both intelligent, and Zaroff shows this in the story because of his up-bringing and past experiences. This is seen in the story when it says “I, luckily, have invested in American Securities, so I shall never have to open a Tea room in Monte Carlo, or drive a taxi in Paris.” (Connel 48) This proves Zaroff is intelligent because he foresaw the downfall of the Russian economy, and heavily invested in said American Securities. However, Zaroff is different than Rainsford because he is powerful, which he shows when he explains his quarry to Rainsford. An example of this is seen in the story, which states “To date, I have not lost” … “The most elementary sort of problem” (Connel 50.)This proves Zaroff is powerful, because he fears nothing during the hunt. If anything, he thinks it gets quite boring. Zaroff is also different since he can be described as serious, because of his history with the hunt. In the text, this shown when it says “Hunting was beginning to get boring! And hunting, remember had been my life. I have heard that in America, business men often go to pieces…” (Connel ?) This proves Zaroff is about the hunt because it has sparked a new, welcoming,

Zaroff on the other hand, believes the world is made up of the two groups; the strong and the weak. Rainsford only believes that animals should be hunted and to hunt human beings is murder. Zaroff likes to hunt humans. He likes to see which are strong and which are weak depending on how easy it is for him to kill them.

General Zaroff’s cool headedness adds to the various textual evidence that he is not, in fact, insane. When he is introduced to the story, he praises Rainsford's hunting ability with a seemed preparedness. Rainsford observes that the General seems to read his mind at times. He is prepared for every question that Rainsford has, and even answers some that were never asked. His actions seem calculated to make Rainsford more comfortable with him, however, as a fellow hunter, Rainsford observes, “whenever he looked up from his plate he found the general studying him, appraising him narrowly.” This makes Rainsford uncomfortable, sets him on edge for the information that Zaroff is about to reveal. During the hunt, Zaroff

Rainsford, from the beginning, reveals his arrogance to the readers. “This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters.” (Connell 63). The context is that Rainsford is speaking with Whitney and he believes that the animals have a sense of understanding and fear, but Rainsford does not. Rainsford is impudent towards his friend by criticizing his beliefs. He is moreover conceited when he places himself in the higher class of society. The protagonist is being insensitive to Whitney and to the living, fearful animals, commencing the separation from morality, shown throughout this short story. The antagonist, General Zaroff, numerously illustrates his hubristic personality.

He not only hunts humans and kills them for sport, but enjoys doing so. After all, the general only sees humans as beasts to be hunted. Zaroff does not even see his right-hand man, Ivan, as a human being, for he professes here, "Like all his [Ivan's] race, a bit of a savage. He is a Cossack . . . So am I."(Connell 24) This not only displays General Zaroff's opinion of his servant, but his own point of view regarding most human beings. However, General Zaroff does not only exercise every meaning of cruelty in a physical sense, but utilizes it in a psychological sense as well. Because of this psychological warfare that Zaroff wages against Rainsford, he fails to kill Rainsford the first, second, and third night. As an additional note, Zaroff also pushed Rainsford to the point where Rainsford would not give up on taking Zaroff's life, even if it meant that Rainsford would have to stoop to the level of morality known as murder. For an example of this internal game Zaroff plays with Rainsford, Connell wrote, "The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree. . . the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face."(Connell 32) This means that Zaroff knew that Rainsford was there, yet did not kill him for an unspecified reason. Those few actions could be overconfidence, or it could be General

Throughout the story there are instances where Rainsford shows that he is knowledgeable. While General Zaroff was introducing himself to Rainsford, Zaroff states that he read Rainsford’s book about hunting. Zaroff states “I've read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, you see," (6). To write a book you need to be knowledgeable on the topic that you are writing a book about. Rainsford having written a book shows that he is knowledgeable in the field of hunting. Also when being hunted by Zaroff and a pack of dogs Rainsford uses a trick he learned in Uganda to kill or

Nevertheless, their morals are oxymorons that take deviating approaches in regards to humanity. With this intention, “Must’ve been a fairly large animal… hunter had the nerve to tackle it with a light gun”(20). In like manner, “Not many men know how to make a Malay man-catcher”(32). Rainsford's knowledge of hunting proves that he had a passion for learning how to hunt, because when you choose to learn more about something you retain information easier. Likewise, “I have but one passion in my life, Mr. Rainsford, and it is the hunt”(22). In the same fashion, “My hand was made for the trigger … I have hunted every kind of game in the land”(24). Zaroff, in the same way, has his own love for the hunt but Zaroff focused more on his natural talents and his results in hunting. Be that as it may, Zaroff and Rainsford also have their differences; “ Hunting? Good god, General Zaroff what you speak of is murder” (25). Rainsford was repulsed by Zaroff’s morals in regards to humanity illustrating Rainsford's compassion and love towards humanity. On the contrary, “The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure… I hunt the scum of the earth”(25). Zaroff Believes that Rainsford’s compassion towards humanity is his weakness. Zaroff’s maverick originates from his moral viewpoints on humanity and that he is performing his civil duty when hunting. Consequently, the exploited differences in Rainsford’s and Zaroff's morals outweigh their mutual love for

Rainsford is in danger when general Zaroff forces him to play his game. Rainsford is terrified when he learns about Zaroff's sick hunting methods and what he hunts “ It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason”(35). This quote helps the reader understand what Zaroff is hunting. It also provides for a better understanding of how sick Zaroff really is.

General Zaroff is a wealthy man that has the means to create an environment in which he can live out his passion of hunting. He was born into this wealthy lifestyle. His father was “a very rich man with a quarter of a million acres in the Crimea.” With his father being an avid sportsman himself, the general grew up in a world where hunting was a big part of his life. Being the son of a wealthy nobleman and investing his money wisely, afforded him the opportunity to hunt exotic animals all over the world. General Zaroff became bored with hunting these animals because it was no longer a challenge for him. They could not reason so he comes up with the idea to create a new prey. His wealth allows him to buy a private island where he can hunt this new prey. On this island is where he meets a renowned hunter, Sanger Rainsford, that arrives on shore because of an accident at sea. The general