Monday, December 1, 2014

In "The Most Dangerous Game", what did General Zaroff do to solve the problem of being bored with hunting?

Your question goes to the heart of the story and how
General Zaroff has "advanced" beyond animal game to something more interesting. Note in
particular the conversation between Rainsford and Zaroff when Rainsford notices the Cape
Buffalo head hung up. Rainsford comments that he thought this animal was the most
dangerous of all big game, but Zaroff replies, with "his curious red-lipped
smile":



"No.
You are wrong, sir. The Cape buffalo is not the most dangerous big game." He sipped his
wine. "Here in my preserve on this island," he said in the same slow tone, "I hunt more
dangerous game."



Note
Zaroff's further descriptions of how he has had to "stock" the island, and how there is
"no thrill left in tigers." Zaroff says that now he lives "for danger". Later, we see
how Zaroff has become so good at hunting that hunting for animals had lost its
attraction for him. So he thought about what animal would give him the pleasure of the
hunt that he had lost:


readability="13">

"I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained
the general. "So I said: '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.'"



Of course, as
Rainsford is able to deduce, there is only one kind of animal that has these
characteristics: the human. This is how Zaroff has made hunting interesting for himself
again - he hunts humans. This introduces the breathtaking hunt between Zaroff and
Rainsford that dominates the rest of the story.

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