General Zaroff In The Most Dangerous Game

General Zaroff is different, to say the least, in Richard Connell’s book, “The Most Dangerous Game.” Rainsford is stranded on a deserted island, or so he thinks. Rainsford comes upon a mansion that is owned by General Zaroff. He knows of Rainsford, who is a renowned author of a book about the hunt, as well as everything and everywhere Rainsford has hunted. General Zaroff is also a hunter, but he goes to the extreme. “The Most Dangerous Game” shows how wealth and power can change people as well as starting the downfall of civilization. General Zaroff, is a wealthy, strong man. What he does with his wealth is unheard of though. Zaroff posits that because he is strong and rich, he can do whatever he wants. The thing he wants to do the most, kill humans. “I am strong, I hunt the scum of the earth”(17). He only kills them because he wants to hunt something that can reason, something that can change its mind when faced with a life or death situation. “But they are men,” said Rainsford hotly. “Precisely,” said the general”(17). Zaroff is an apex hunter, and he demands the ultimate prey. Due to his wealth and power, Zaroff has no regard for any other human life. The men that he hunts are usually sailors that work the decks of ships, but it

The problem is he knows he is “better” than everyone else. Zaroff recognizes he is strong, and determines God made him that way so he could hunt everyone on the earth that isn’t as powerful as him. This causes him to have no regard for human life, which will ultimately lead to his demise. What makes all of this worse is that General Zaroff believes he isn’t doing anything wrong. He concludes that because God blessed him with riches and skills of the hunt, he has to use them to the extreme. Along with the gifts God gave him, brings his lack of sensitivity to human life. General Zaroff proves that wealth and power can cause the deterioration of a civilized