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Compare And Contrast Rainsford And Zaroff

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How Similar are Rainsford and Zaroff ?
In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford falls off his boat while on his way to South America to hunt jaguars. He washes ashore on of Ship-Trap Island, a retreat owned by the antagonist, General Zaroff. Initially, Rainsford and Zaroff have similar views on the world and about hunting, but the initial admiration Zaroff has for Rainsford turns sour when Zaroff shares with Rainsford his new “big-game” animal: Humans. Zaroff’s view of Rainsford shifts radically when he shares with Rainsford his novel new sport. In the beginning of the story Zaroff regards Rainsford as a like mind and a great hunter. He has read Rainsford’s “book about hunting snow leopards,” …show more content…

Rainsford of course is flattered at first. When Zaroff invites Rainsford in to eat and talk, he explained “I was lying in my tent….when a terrible thought pushed its way into my mind. Hunting was beginning to bore me!” (7). Zaroff then explains that he solved this problem finding a new “game” he stocks the island with. Zaroff is proud of his innovation and expects to receive adoration “But what game?… I’ll tell you… You will be amused, I know...I have invented a new sensation,”(6), but instead receives disgust from rainsford “But you can’t mean-- gasped Rainsford...Great Guns General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder”(8). Zaroff’s opinion quickly goes from wanting to “hunt” with Rainsford, to wanting to “hunt” Rainsford after Rainford refuses multiple times to hunt humans with Zaroff “Tonight,...we will hunt you and I...No, general..I will not hunt”(11). Zaroff is offended because this is the opinion of his “hero” and someone whose opinion on hunting he highly respects. After Zaroff sees that Rainsford is disgusted by the thought of hunting a man for sport, he decides that Rainsford is weak. Rainsford does not care “how the jaguar feels?”(1) ,which shows that Rainsford and

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