Zaroff's Prey: Relationship Between The Hunter And His F

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The relationship between the hunter and his prey, and what each other may or may not be thinking is the overall theme of the story. There are two key elements the author used to support this. First, the plot, Sanger Rainsford the hunter will find himself to be the hunted as General Zaroff has finally found his most challenging quarry. Second is the climax of the story where Zaroff thinking he has won the hunt retires for the night, but finds Rainsford waiting for him in his room ready to finish the game and claim his prize. The plot is the first element of the story to examine. After hearing gunshots from a nearby island, hunter Sanger Rainsford falls from the yacht he was traveling on through the Caribbean Sea. He swims to shore after an exhausting night in the jungle Rainsford finds a large building with pointed towers and a large door. Knocking he is greeted by a giant man (Ivan) with a pistol. A tall, thin man (Gen.Zaroff) is coming down some stairs and brings the larger man to alert. Gen.Zaroff recognizes Rainsford, offers him shelter, and soon finds out that the general is an admirer of his hunting exploits. Zaroff tells Rainsford of a new creature he is hunting on the island, that can match wits and reason like no other animal. Rainsford realizes that Zaroff is hunting stranded people on the island and declines Zaroffs offer to join him. …show more content…

"I wanted the ideal animal to hunt." explained the General. "So I said: What are the attributes of an ideal quarry? And the answer was of course; it must have courage, cunning, and above all, it must be able to reason." "But no animal can reason." objected Rainsford. "My Dear Fellow," said the General, "There is one that can!" "But you can't mean" gasped Rainsford (Prentice Hall Literature - Connell,

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