Sanger Rainsford: Personal Narrative

It had been a week since Rainsford managed to kill the nefarious General Zaroff. The challenging part was almost over or so it seemed. There was not a clear way for Rainsford to escape. As days passed, Rainsford tried to escape. He tried making a boat from driftwood that he found, he tried swimming, he even tried sending a signal by using a flashlight. Rainsford had become so desperate that he even tried some ridiculous plans like trying to pole vault across the ocean. As a result, Rainsford ended up having huge gashes in his left leg ,which got infected, and he had to amputate it. As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Rainsford had lost hope and became bitter.

“Due to being the only reigning champion of your sick twisted games Zaroff, I believe I should be given the reward of turning the tables.” Rainsford’s heart was still racing as the adrenaline of coming face to face with his captor coursed through his veins. Rainsford knew it was one of the worst options for him to return to the island after making such a jump. He should’ve attempted to swim far, far away although that may have just resulted in his death.

Rainsford is not a hero due to his egocentric attitude and hypocritical behavior. After Rainsford hears the hounds and sees Ivan and General Zaroff approaching, he then creates a trap to kill General Zaroff. When Rainsford hears the footsteps stop, he looks back at the trap and “[sees] in the shallow valley that General Zaroff was still on his feet. But Ivan was not. The knife, driven by the recoil of the springing tree, had not wholly failed” (Conell 14). This quote proves that Rainsford does not obtain the qualities of an altruistic and civil being. This is due to Rainsford wanting to kill General Zaroff for his own survival. Furthermore, once Rainsford accidentally kills Ivan, he swims away in refuge from General Zaroff.

Rainsford answers, “Yes, that’s so” (85). Rainsford could have taken a stand. Of course, it is not his place, but he was calm and composed to sit back and let Zaroff open up. ‘“Don’t be alarmed, I’m Sanger Rainsford” (47). Rainsford has a pistol pointed at his heart and he is telling this huge creation of a man that he is hungry. As much as he has been through in the past twenty-four hours, this did not alarm Rainsford. He presented himself as lost and from New York.

He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford said. The next morning the thought of killing someone kept on going through his head. Rainsford picked up Zaroff’s bloody body and dragged it outside. As he’s dragging it Rainsford takes it to the hounds and feeds the body to the hounds. Rainsford just stands still watching the hounds eat the body piece by piece All that's left is Zaroff’s mangled up body and Rainsford walks away like nothing happened.

Beyond his reactive and resourceful ways of thinking, Rainsford is visibly aggressive and energetic when he has to fight instead of fleeing. He refuses to allow himself to give up and be killed by Zaroff and decides to keep on running forward. As the hunter is escaping, he says, “Nerve, nerve, nerve!” and then “forced himself on toward that gap”, where he “leaped far out into the sea.” (14). Rainsford believed that he still had enough energy left to swim in the harsh waters. As a result, he experienced a rush of adrenaline due to how

He says that quote because he knows how animals get hunted so he would be talking in fear. He says that because he won and he knows how animals really feel when they get hunt so he is talking in completely the challenge. The first quote is “ it sent a shudder of cold horror through his whole being,” (12). The second quote is “I am still a beast at bay,”(15). Rainsford is better person because he how a animals is when it is getting hunted and we won the competition against Zaroff he is a good person because he did not work together with Zaroff for killing people. Rainsford starts to care about animals after he is put in there foot steps for getting hunted the island is still scary nothing change about that and he is a good

Rainsford is released on the island to gain an edge on Zaroff, because Zaroff wants to experience the thrill of a demanding hunt. Rainsford has to fight the arduous conditions of the forest like an animal would to defend himself from Zaroff. Rainsford finally thinks like a cape buffalo and instead of running from his predator he faces him head on. Rainsford kills Zaroff

Rainsford got a thrill from winning the game and will began to hunt again. Rainsford’s comfort in Zaroff’s bed shows his excitement on winning. Rainford that “he had never slept in a better bed.” (36) After he thought that his trap had succeed he almost gave his cover after jumping to celebrate his win.

Just before he falls overboard, his hunting partner Whitney, tells him of the fear sailors have on the island; yet he has to courage to venture pretty far to find “civilization”. Yet another example of Rainsfords bravery is what he does when a burly man answers the door

He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided. Rainsford becomes what Zaroff was before he died-a murderer. Rainsford viciously destroys all of Zaroff’s mounts by going into the dining room and throwing the mounts outside the house. When he finished heaving the large animals out onto the lawn, he walked precariously down the stairs to the entrance and then outside. He found a can of gas in the cellar along with twenty other sailors.

“There are no maps, no phones, no way of contact at all. There is no escape. I can not swim if I do not know where to go and there isn’t a boat to be seen.” The scrambled Rainsford muttered to himself as his footsteps could be heard pacing in a fit, “I will not die here. I refuse.” he pressed on. The memory of General Zaroff’s words returned into his brain of how there were others and how he had left some scattered

Out of nowhere Rainsford shouted, “I have it, Ivan’s keys, there is one that didn’t unlock anything in this house!” The three men looked upon him with astonishment and they all spoke in unison, “What are you waiting for try the key.” Rainsford reached into his pocket and pulled out the key ring. H he tries the first key, it fits but doesn’t turn. He tries the next key, it doesn’t fit. Finally, the last key he puts it in the hole and turns it *click* The three men exclaimed with excitement “thanks to you we get off this island after almost a month of Zaroff’s tortuous ways!” The four men enter the dilapidated room - it had nothing but a radio sitting in the corner. Whitney’s voice beamed across the radio, “Please, if you hear this I beg of you please reply. I have lost a dear friend please answer.” Rainsford runs to the corner and Exclaims on the radio, “Whitney is that you! I am here on ship trap island with three other men who were trapped here. It is safe, if you can send a rescue team!” Within the hour there was a dingy on the islands shore. Once the four men arrived back on the yacht Whitney, Rainsford and the three men exchanged stories as they sailed back to

That next day Rainsford had found out that Zaroff had a yacht hidden on the other side of the island and that was how he was going to get everybody off of this island. At breakfast Rainsford had told everybody that he had found a yacht that Zaroff had hidden on the other side of the island and that he was going to take everybody to New York City with him and from there they could all get on different ships to get to wherever they came from and that they were leaving the palatial chateau right after lunch to go find the yacht so have everything ready. After telling the pupils he then remembered about the hounds that were outside so then Rainsford then decided to take them

Rainsford woke up the next morning within plain sight of the castle. Its ominous towers stared down at him unmercifully. “They’re just toying with me.” He muttered under his breath. “General Zaroff is all about the hunt. Rainsford knew immediately that he could use this to his advantage. All he had to do was live out the day.