General Zaroff Character Analysis

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People have many different opinions on the rights and wrongs of hunting which can reveal a person’s true character. There is proof of this in the passage The Most Dangerous Game. In the text a character grows bored of hunting animals and decides to prey upon humans instead, and another character looks down on less advanced beings. General Zaroff is shown to be self-assured while hunting people. Rainsford is perceived as an egotistical person who later becomes a self-deprecating one. The situations the two characters are in unveil their true personalities. By using indirect characterization in the passage, Connell, depicts General Zaroff as a static character and Rainsford as a dynamic character.
Through his actions and interactions with Rainsford, …show more content…

To Begin, when Rainsford and Whitney are debating about what animals think about hunting, he is revealed to be conceited. He is not very considerate for others, especially animals. Rainsford states, “Bah! They’ve no understanding!” (Connell 6). Here, Rainsford is implying that animals are not intelligent enough to reason or understand the things humans do. Rainsford can comprehend the concept of hunting for sport but animals cannot. The reader can infer that Rainsford believes he is superior to all animals, because they aren’t as astute as him proving his narcissistic views. On the other hand, as the story continues, Rainsford’s thoughts verify his transition from being a conceited character to being a modest one. To continue, through Rainsford’s thought of being hunted by Zaroff, his change is obvious. The text states, “The cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was Rainsford that knew the full meaning of terror.” (Connell 19). It is at this moment Rainsford realizes what the animals being hunted are going through. They aren’t worried about hunting being a sport, because they are fighting for their lives. Because he is being hunted, Rainsford now empathizes with the animals and classifies himself with them, which confirms that he has changed into a humble person. All

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