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Jeana Shin
Mrs. Ying
H English 9
13 November 2014
"The Most Dangerous Game" Process Essay
Given all of the animals and creatures that exist and reside on the Earth, why do humans
take it upon themselves to inflict damage and pain to other species they believe deserve it? Who
or what gives humans the right to judge others, determining what morals and virtues one should
have, without taking into consideration their own wrongs? What makes humans better than other
species and is there a higher power to judge them? In the short story "The Most Dangerous
Game" by Richard Connell, a belief that places one ranked high on a hierarchy that gives the
strong power over the weak introduces two men who interpret this philosophy in different ways.
Rainsford, a wealthy man who enjoys hunting wild animals, believes that this hobby is
acceptable due to the quarry's limited intellectual abilities and lack of capability to have emotions.
General Zarroff, the antagonist of the story, believes that the weak exist for the pleasure of the
strong and takes advantage of this notion by expanding his selection of quarry. However, Zarroff,
a wealthy and seemingly classy man, hides his murderous and cold tendencies of killing who he
judges as weak and lowly humans, using his power and riches to wreak havoc on those he
believes are lower in status and ability than him. Despite his clean and modern appearance in
addition to his modern mannerisms, General Zarroff is uncivilized due to his maniacal and
disturbing desire to inflict suffering and death to those he deems worthy of it for his own
pleasure and amusement.

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General Zarroff is uncivilized due to his delirious and sinister methods of bringing
pleasure to himself, consisting of killing humans who he categorizes as "the scum of the Earth,"
(Connell 14). Zarroff philosophizes, "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if need
be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am
strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not?" (Connell 14-15).
General Zarroff's statement defending his abuse of power suggests that he considers himself a
god of his own world who is given the right to kill as he pleases. It is likely that his pride
originated from a life in luxury and wealthy which inflated his sense of entitlement to his desires.
Zarroff's environment, Ship-Trap Island, isolates itself from the rest of civilization, enabling him
to have control over everything and further enhancing his audacity and pompousness. His large
ego makes him uncivilized because he is a man who is used to getting what he wants, similar to a
spoiled child, and has is willing to go through far lengths to achieve his goals. In addition,
Zarroff explains, "I assure you I do not do the thing you suggest. That would be barbarous. I treat
these visitors with every consideration. They get plenty of good food and exercise. They get into
splendid physical condition," (Connell 15). The author utilizes tone by portraying one that
signifies Zarroff's justifications to his wrongdoings. This implies that not only does Zarroff
thinks of himself as a civilized man, he believes his kindness before his prey's imminent death
compensates the cruelty of his overall objective. In many ways Rainsford displays similarity to
Zarroff, who assumes superiority to anything he can outwit and conquer. However, Zarroff's
murderous tendencies toward his own species that separate the two from each other.
Not only does General Zarroff demonstrate his uncivilized nature through his brutal and savage
aspiration of inflicting death for pleasure, but also through his animalistic instincts and morals.
When Rainsford first meets Zarroff, he describes the General as "...a tall man past middle age,

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for his hair was a vivid white; but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as
clack as the night from which Rainsford had come. His eyes, too, were black and very bright. He
had high cheekbones, a sharp-cut nose, a spare, dark face, the face of a man used to giving orders,
the face of an aristocrat," (Connell 10) with a smile that "...showed red lips and pointed teeth..."
(Connell 10). The author's choice to describe Zarroff's pointed teeth and red lips intensifies his
predatory character, dehumanizing him. In addition, by frequently using dark and eerie colors
such as black and red to describe Zarroff's appearance, the author highlights the blood, violence,
and death on the island to be caused by the suspicious character. The author's description of
Zarroff foreshadows the importance his role will play in the future and the conflicts he will bring
to the protagonist, Rainsford. Furthermore, Zarroff tells Rainsford how he came to love hunting
explaining that "when [he] was only five years old, [his father] gave [him] a little gun, specially
made in Moscow for [him], to shoot sparrows with. When [he] shot some of [his father's] prize
turkeys with it, [his father] did not punish [him]; [His father] complimented [him] on [his]
marksmanship," (Connell 12). Also, he further illustrates that, [he] went into the army --- it was
expected of noblemen's sons --- and for a time commanded a division of Cossack cavalry, but
[his] real interest was always the hunt. [He has] hunted every kind of game in every land. It
would be impossible for [him] to [say] how many animals [he has] killed," (Connell 12).
Zarroff's father seems to have had a large amount of influence on him ashes encouragement of
hunting awakened a desire to take full advantage of all opportunities to control other beings. This
implies that Zarroff had been raised in an environment where it was acceptable and even
applauded on to kill and exert power over others. In addition, instead of continuing to tell his
story, Zarroff pauses to comment on his accomplishments, which suggests that he is proud of his
deeds of murder inflicted upon living creatures. To conclude, General Zarroff shows no sign of

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remorse or regret, but instead emphasizes the entertainment he receives from this act. His pride
and enjoyment he takes from taking lives makes his cultivated appearance shy in comparison to
his uncivilized character.
In conclusion, General Zarroff's attempts to deny the fact that he enjoys cold-blooded
murder by presenting himself as a classy and respectable man fails to hide his uncivilized
character and barbarism. However, his motives and reasoning for this creates a feeling of
curiosity and understanding. Are humans in general so different from this individual? Like
Zarroff, humans assume superiority to anything they can outwit and conquer. In thinking of
higher powers, one must wonder how humans would feel being outwitted, conquered, and
completely dependent on their killer. Today's society must realize that the abuse of power is a
tempting sin that one can easily fall for and that one must consider the consequences it can
potentially bring. In addition, its manipulative nature will blind one's judgment with pride as it
did to Zarroff in the story.