General Zaroff In The Most Dangerous Game

In the 1800s, particularly before the Civil War, the most civilized and respected men in the South were those who owned large plantations, were very wealthy, and owned slaves, but today, most people tend to think of slavery as incredibly cruel and as one of the darkest parts of the United States of America’s history. In Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, General Zaroff comes off to Rainsford as a successful, wealthy man who is can be trusted. Zaroff is a Cossack, which Rainsford respects because he must be a good hunter. Zaroff gives him a room in his luxurious home and free meals after he fell off of his yacht. However, later in the story, Zaroff reveals himself as savage and deranged when he tells Rainsford that he …show more content…
When Rainsford meets Zaroff, he is charmed by him because of his “...military mustache,...high cheekbones, ...sharp-cut nose, ...spare, dark face, the face of a man used to giving orders, the face of an aristocrat”, and he later is admirable of Zaroff because of how he provides him with “...an evening suit… [that comes from] a London tailor who ordinarily [cuts] and [sews] for none below the rank of duke” (Connell 9). Rainsford also commends many of the rooms in Zaroff’s house because of their fancy aspects, including the “...large, beam-ceiling bedroom” and the dining room with its “...oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory tables where twoscore men could sit down to eat...mounted heads of many animals—lions, tigers, elephants, moose, bears”, and he finds them “remarkable” (Connell 9-10). Rainsford is in awe of all of Zaroff’s possessions and wealth that he has acquired from his military accomplishments. He does not stop to think about the kind of person that Zaroff could be behind of all of those …show more content…
As stated earlier, Rainsford perceives Zaroff to be a civilized, generous person because of what he has and how he seems to be helping Rainsford after his incident in the ocean. As Zaroff explains what the most dangerous game is, Rainsford is genuinely interested in what he has to say, but when Zaroff discloses the animal, Rainsford is shocked. Rainsford is wholly against this, because he believes that hunting people is not like hunting animals, but that what “...[Zaroff speaks] of is murder” (Connell 13). Rainsford loses his regard for Zaroff because he is a murderer, and the amount of money he has does not affect that. Zaroff has chosen to kill people that come on his island, but first he brings them to his extravagant home to show how successful he is and earn their respect. Ultimately, Rainsford’s skill and wits coupled with Zaroff’s overconfidence helps Rainsford to win the game and not be killed.
In “The Most Dangerous Game”, Connell shows readers how they cannot make assumptions about someone’s character based on their affluence because that does not reflect who they are inside. Rainsford learns this the hard way when he is so quick to befriend Zaroff only to find out just hours later that he plans to hunt him. It is important to remember that money, although it is idolized everywhere,