General Zaroff As A Serial Killer

Do you know the definition of a serial killer? Maybe you have your own definition, such as: a person that mass murders people in the grocery store. Or: a crazy human being that kills people more than once. According to Dictionary.com, a serial killer is defined as “a person who carries out a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern.” General Zaroff from the story The Most Dangerous Game fits almost exactly into that definition. He makes the worst decisions over all of our short stories because he takes innocent lives with great intention, he takes immense pleasure in doing so, and he does it repeatedly. To begin with, Zaroff did not take innocent lives on accident, he did so very much on purpose. In the discussion that takes place between Rainsford and Zaroff, they speak of the moral correctness of Zaroff’s decision. Zaroff and Rainsford state, respectively, “‘I am

He continues to hunt men, and particularly hunts many races of men he deems worth less than himself. “I hunt the scum of the earth- sailors from tramp ships- lascars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels.” General Zaroff also gives a good supply of evidence that he hunts regularly, “I treat these visitors with every consideration. They get plenty of food and exercise. They get into splendid physical condition.” To illuminate, this quote shows that Zaroff has devised a seamless training program for his victims; we can infer that he has learned over time the best methods to get his men into the best condition he can. The above quote also shows that General Zaroff lures his men into believing they are safe, then catches them unaware when they least expect it. Such behavior can be compared to a cat playing with his food before he eats it; Zaroff’s decisions are less than humane and are once again, repeated