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The protagonist of Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” is General Zaroff. General Zaroff was a Cossack and in his native Russia was considered an aristocrat. He was wealthy, cultured, wore fine clothing, lived in a palatial chateau, and had the best manners, and yet the reader knows him to be a hunter of men. Appearances can be deceiving as General Zaroff proves: on the outside a perfect gentleman and on the inside a fanatic for the ultimate hunt, even if it means shooting his own kind for the thrill. General Zaroff is described to be “a tall man past middle age, for his hair was a vivid white; but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night…His eyes, too, were black and very bright” (page 12). From his speech and the way he carries himself one can see that he is “a man used to giving orders…an aristocrat” (page 12). If one can get past Ivan they would find General Zaroff to be “a most thoughtful and affable host” (page 13), offering champagne, cigarettes and a wide selection of cuisines from many distant lands to his guests.
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