Bertie Carvel once said, “People's character is their behavior—we're all capable of good and evil”. The quote explains the how good and evil is not born with; it is created by our experiences and behaviors. Good is the ability to sympathize with others, while evil is being cold-blooded and describes people who will go through many extents to satisfy their own desires. “The Most Dangerous Game”, a short action story by Richard Connell explores the idea of good and evil through human nature. The story addresses the conflict of the character Rainsford, who is hunted by Zaroff after he had shipwrecked on his island. On the contrary, Zaroff, the owner of Ship-Trap Island, is a man who has a strong passion for hunting. Hunting animals was not a challenge to him anymore after he had taken down almost all dangerous games. …show more content…
Zaroff wanted to hunt animals that could reason, meaning he wanted to hunt humans.
By looking at good and evil in human nature in “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, one can see that both good and evil is in everyone which is important because what makes us more good or evil is created through experiences.
In “The Most Dangerous Game”, Richard Connell explores the idea of good and evil in human nature through the characters of Zaroff and Rainsford and their contrasting yet similar personalities. For instance, Zaroff’s forceful and evil personality was revealed while he was talking to Rainsford about the game and said, “Oh…I give him his option, of course…If he does not wish to hunt, I turn him over to Ivan. Ivan once had the honor of serving as official knouter to the Great White Czar, and he has his own ideas of sport” (16). Zaroff threatened Rainsford that if he does
not join the hunt, he will be tortured by Ivan. This shows the evilness in Zaroff’s nature because he forced Rainsford to join the game. Even though he said he would give him a choice, being hunted and being tortured is not really a choice to pick from. This quote is important because it portrays the one of the many characteristics of evil. Evil does not care what others may think or say, it always has its own way; there is no extent to the levels of wickedness it may possess. In addition, Rainsford was a normal hunter of animals, until he was forced to participate in Zaroff’s game and had to kill a man to survive. The events on the island changed his nature. It was proven at the end of the story when Rainsford said, “I am still a beast at bay” (22). Even though he won the game, he was not content with just leaving; he wanted to punish Zaroff for his crimes. The quote is reinforcing the idea of the unforgiving nature in all individuals. It reminded the readers that there is good and evil everyone, and evil is created through many experiences. The ideas found in the story emphasize the link between the good and evil in human nature. “The Most Dangerous Game”, and short story by Richard Connell, explores the idea of how human nature brings out both good and evil in all individuals. Rainsford was forced to participate in Zaroff’s hunt, causing him to go to many extents to survive. His transformation is an example of how going through tense and dangerous experiences can change one’s nature. As a result, the choices one make determines the extent of their good and evil nature.
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
In the beginning of the story, main character and protagonist, Rainsford, ends up on an island by the name of “Ship-Trap Island”. As the story progresses, the reader learns about General Zaroff, the cunning antagonist. Various traits can be identified in his character that lead the reader to foreshadow the dreadful events that later occur in this seemingly well-developed society. One character trait identified in Zaroff’s character consists of his cruel behavior and actions. For example, Zaroff states “where there’s none; giant rocks with
In “The Most Dangerous Game” the author creates two strikingly similar characters that blur the line of ethics. Rainsford, the protagonist, meets his adversary and leader of an exotic tribe, Zaroff, after falling off of a yacht and swimming to the nearest island. The short story then explores the events that transpires between the strangers – focusing on Zaroff's bloodthirsty hunt against Rainsford. Yet even with the two men on opposite sides of a loaded gun, they both share many common interests and views pertaining to their similar backgrounds, hunting methods, and desired end result.
Did you know even though nature can be beautiful it can sometimes be deadly. In The Most Dangerous Game, Rainsford begins to see the awe-instilling power of nature and how it can hurt us. The Most Dangerous Game Written by Richard Connell is a story about the dangers of nature and the ethical question of if we should kill animals. Connell uses irony to instill a question in the mind of the reader”Is killing animals moral?” In “The Most Dangerous Game,”Richard Connell uses a flip between man and animal to convey irony in the story while also using the dangerous environment of the Island to show suspense.
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur into many shades of grey allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being. Man is not inherently good or evil but they are born innocent without any values or sense of morality until people impart their philosophies of life to them. In the words of John Locke:
Good and evil make the world we are living in today. However evil stands out more than good and people tend to focus on the evil behavior of humans more often. Human nature tends to decide that if someone looks evil they will be evil. The good and the bad make up the goodness in life. It is impossible to always be good or evil but there are things that can make us better or worse as a person. For one to be free, one must live in a world of evil and good.
In the story The Most Dangerous Game a character named General Zaroff has a passion for hunting. He has been hunting since he was born. He has hunted every animal known to man, but, then he gets tried of hunting the same animal over and over. So he discovers a new animal human flesh. General Zaroff is person of bad character because he is cruel, cowardly, and untrustworthy.
It is the contention of this paper that humans are born neutral, and if we are raised to be good, we will mature into good human beings. Once the element of evil is introduced into our minds, through socialization and the media, we then have the potential to do bad things. As a person grows up, they are ideally taught to be good and to do good things, but it is possible that the concept of evil can be presented to us. When this happens, we subconsciously choose whether or not to accept this evil. This is where the theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke become interesting as both men differed in the way they believed human nature to be.
If anyone should try to get into my house-or out of it-something extremely regrettable would occur to him.” These hounds of General Zaroff symbolize the hellhounds of Greek mythology. Hellhounds are said to protect the supernatural. For example, they may hunt down wandering ghosts, or even protect a supernatural treasure. The hounds in “The Most Dangerous Game” are very ferocious and are relentless, just like the hellhounds of the underworld. The hounds in the story are used for when General Zaroff can not find the prey. When they are being hunted and are almost to the point of winning the game, that is when the hounds come out and hunt down the prey. Both types of hounds hunt down the lost souls that are trying to escape, or the ones running for their lives. The sea and jungle are major forms of symbolism in the story. “This island is called Ship Trap.” General Zaroff stated. He also said, “They indicate a channel, where there’s none; giant rocks with razor edges crouch like a sea monster with wide-open jaws. They can crush a ship as easily as I crush this nut.” The sea, the dangerous-fear breeding-nerve racking-obstacle for sailors all over the world, has brought great danger and pleasure to Ship Trap
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). This is just one of the infinite examples of how human nature has been explored by so many different people. Each and every human is born with the capability of making their own choices. The decisions that they will make in the future will determine how evil they are viewed by others. Although one’s nature and nurture do affect their life, it is their own free will that determines whether or not they are evil.
"Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all bad. People are more complicated than you think, and one has to be more knowledgeable about the complexities.." Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all... N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. .
Whether or not humans are instinctively good or evil has been a much talked about debate for many years and is known as an unanswerable question. Determinists, such as Thomas Hobbs, have come to the conclusion that humans are naturally evil and it is within our basic instincts to be greedy, selfish and otherwise drawn to chaos. Hobbs states that “our true nature arises in times of strife and it is within us, when threatened, to self preserve.” I on the other hand disagree with this famous philosophers take on human nature. In this short essay, I will argue that human beings are born with the instinct to be good and to love one another, as well as to be loved.
Phillip Pullman, a British author, once wrote, “I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are”(goodreads.com). Pullman’s quotation on the actions of man being the source of good and evil closely relate to morality, principles regarding the distinction of right and wrong or a person’s values. The question of what human morality truly is has been pondered by philosophers, common folk, and writers for thousands of years. However, sometimes a person’s ethics are unclear; he or she are not wholly good or bad but, rather, morally ambiguous.
Some people are mostly good, some are mostly bad, but none are good or evil.
...ing, it is safe to say that humans are not by nature evil but instead, they are good but easily influenced by the environment and society to act in evil way and do such evil things. You choose the road you want to take; either it’s the bad road or the good road. We are all born to live a life where we will be faced with good and evil things. We were not born to be an evil or bad person, but as you get older you make that choice. What do you want to be remembered as: the good or the bad person? Choose to be good over being bad because the rewards to your family, your friend, and yourself will always outweigh the bad.