Zaroff Vs Montresor

Even short stories contain evil people. Edgar Allan Poe, the writer of the short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” creates Montresor : a man with intentions of evil revenge. Likewise, the author of “The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connell writes of an evil and bloodthirsty man. Poe’s antagonist Montresor is a wine expert who has been insulted one too many times and has sworn his vengeance. Zaroff, Connell’s antagonist, is a big game hunter who got too bored with animal hunts. Rather than giving up hunting due to his boredom, Zaroff hunts and traps sailors instead. Montresor and Zaroff are deceptive and inhumane, and while both hunt, their motives for hunting differ. Montresor and Zaroff are deceiving men. Poe writes in “The Cask of Amontillado”, ‘“As you are
Poe’s antagonist cheers his wine with sarcasm, ‘“And I to your long life”’ (Poe 90). Montresor cheers his glass of wine to Fortunato’s “long life” in knowing that he is about to kill him. Montresor’s comment in this instant is very sarcastic and unsympathetic, showing absolutely no regards to the value of the protagonist’s life. In regards to hunting, Connell’s antagonist replies to the protagonist, ‘“I hunt more dangerous game” (Connell 73). Zaroff clarifies to Rainsford that he hunts more precarious prey then the Cape Buffalo. Connell writes, ‘The general smiled the quiet smile of one who has faced an obstacle and surmounted it with success. “I had to invent a new animal to hunt,” he said’ (Connell 74). Zaroff smiles as he thinks back to the time that he thought of hunting humans instead of animals as he explains where his game came about to Rainsford. Zaroff refers to another person as a “new animal to hunt”, showing that it he has no respect for another human or their life. While both Zaroff and Montresor do not respect their prey’s lives, they do have different motives for why they