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Zaroff In The Most Dangerous Game

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Zaroff In The Most Dangerous Game
Differences Between Zaroff and Rainsford

In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff are distinct characters who share a passion for hunting big-game, but disagree on the value of human life. This disagreement leads Rainsford to kill Zaroff and end “ the most dangerous game.” This “game” is the hunting of people. Rainsford is disgusted by Zaroff’s new game animal. Rainsford refuses to hunt with Zaroff, which offends Zaroff, and instead is hunted by Zaroff. Rainsford and Zaroff initially admire each other’s love of the sport of hunting. Zaroff greets Rainsford with high respect and as a hero, “It is a great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home,” (4). Zaroff flatters Rainsford by talking of his publications,
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“Everyday I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry of which I can match my wits, (8).” Zaroff speaks his mind about how bored he is with hunting animals. Rainsford hunts animals because he loves the sport of hunting. “It’s the best sport in the world,” as Rainsford calls it. Considering what both men say, it shows they have different morals about hunting and life. Those two points of view about hunting go against each other as Zaroff challenges Rainsford to hunt. Another main way General Zaroff and Rainsford aren’t alike is that General Zaroff believes that humans are on the Earth to provide himself entertainment and Rainsford believes they deserve respect. General Zaroff says, “ I hunt the scum of the Earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, Whites, mongrels--...,(9).” To rephrase it, Zaroff obviously gives no consideration about human life as he shows in the story. Rainsford believes the opposite of that, he says, “But they are men, (9).” in response to what Zaroff says.

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