General Zaroff The Most Dangerous Game

Words: 677
Pages: 3

General Zaroff Our society today is composed of too much power in many areas. We are noticing this everyday in politics and family structures. This relates to “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. In this short story, one of the main characters, General Zaroff, reveals this concept. General Zaroff is a man whose life is all about hunting, and this desire leads him to violent behavior. “The Most Dangerous Game” reveals that someone who has too much power can lead to internal destruction through General Zaroff.
In the beginning of the story, Zaroff establishes his desire for power. Zaroff obsessively boasts about his multiple hunting accomplishments: “I have but one passion in my life, Mr. Rainsford, and it is the hunt” (Connell 67).
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When Rainsford reappears in Zaroff’s bedroom, Zaroff goes on to say, “‘I see,’ he said. ‘Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford….’” (Connell 80). Zaroff has this childish, almost fake confidence to him in this moment. He says, “On guard,” which sounds like it came right out of a child’s fairy tale storybook. Zaroff tries to show himself having an excessive amount of confident to throw off Rainsford’s intentions. Zaroff has proven throughout the story that he is a madman, who believes he can kill anyone. This thought of his has made him think that no one is better than him. He believes he can still win against Rainsford, but he also seems a little shaky, which is where that fake confidence comes from.
General Zaroff shows that having too much power leads to his internal destruction in the story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Zaroff reveals his desire for power when he and Rainsford meet for the first time. He then goes on to explain his opinions towards his contestants in his game, and he finally tells us that he enjoys hunting men over animals. The story finishes with Zaroff exposing his false act of confidence. General Zaroff, throughout “The Most Dangerous Game,” proves to us that in our society today, we all need to watch how much power we hold, so we do not lead ourselves to internal