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| “ | I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life... Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs 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? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships — lascars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels — a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them. | „ |
| ~ General Zaroff explaining his philosophy to Sanger Rainsford. |
| “ | Here on my island, I hunt the most dangerous game. | „ |
| ~ General Zaroff |
General Zaroff, also simply known as Zaroff, is the main antagonist in the 1924 short story The Most Dangerous Game by the late Richard Connell, and the 1932 live-action film adaptation of the same name. He is a former Russian Cossack who has grown tired of hunting animals and now experiments on hunting humans for his own satisfaction.
In the 1932 film adaptation, he was portrayed by the late Leslie Banks.
Biography[]
Zaroff in his chateau.
When Sanger Rainsford falls off his boat, he ends up at Ship-Trap Island. There, he meets General Zaroff, an older man. Zaroff was a Cossack who served in a war under Czar Nicholas II of Russia until his downfall, and the subsequent rise of the Soviet Union. As a young boy, Zaroff's father gave him a little gun which was specially made to hunt sparrows.
His father complimented his marksmanship on turkeys. He killed his first bear in the Caucasus. However, he later grew bored with hunting, due to the animals that he was hunting were not as cunning. So eventually, he started to hunt human beings. He fed them well and made sure that they had lots of exercises. It is made clear that he uses the channel's sharp rocks to lure in ships and trap most of his victims.
Zaroff on the prowl.
He also had a training room in his cellar. He offered to have Rainsford accompany him on the hunt, but Rainsford refused. Zaroff then declared that he would be the next to be hunted. If he refused, he would be tortured by Ivan until he agreed - in the 1932 film adaptation, he threatened to make Eve Trowbridge (a character not in the original novel) his sex slave if Rainsford wins.
The hunt begins, with Rainsford getting a head start. Zaroff, Ivan, and his dogs follow close behind. Zaroff taunts Rainsford many times. He comes close to finding his prey hiding in a tree, right above his head. Over the next two days, Rainsford is able to build traps that give him the advantage. One of them cripples Zaroff's arms, and the other kills Ivan and one of the dogs. Zaroff corners Rainsford at a cliff edge, but Rainsford jumps off before the general can shoot him.
Zaroff returns home, but he cannot enjoy dinner because he is worried about replacing Ivan, as well as Rainsford's fate. He goes up to his bedroom and finds Rainsford there. Zaroff is surprised and says that the hunt is over, but Rainsford says that he is now a beast. Aware based on the scene there was no more place for negotiation, Zaroff prepares for his deathly final confrontation with Rainsford. In the end, it is confirmed that Rainsford killed him without a trace of difficulty or mercy.
Personality[]
Zaroff is a psychopathic man with a thirst to hunt human beings. Despite his sociopathic and dishonorable state, he acts like a kind and chivalrous gentleman and is extremely friendly and hospitable to Rainsford when he is washed up on the shore. He considers "human hunting" to merely be a game for his own amusement, and he sets up the island as an arena for the unlucky soul who crosses his path.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- General Zaroff on the Pure Evil Wiki.