The excerpt tells readers that hunger was tormenting Rainsford by picking at him, like a person might. This use of personification helps to show readers the intensity of Rainsford’s hunger. It also highlights the internal conflict between his hunger and his desire for adventure. We know that he swam for a long time and fell into a deep slumber. He’s now starving but also feeling invigorated. As the story says, “He looks about him, almost cheerfully.” He even gets around and examines the place and finds signs of a struggle that had happened in the vicinity. His intense hunger is in conflict with his urge for adventure. Yet he retains the ability to think clearly and logically: “Where there are pistol shots, there are men. Where there are men, there is food.” Food becomes his priority over adventure, and he sets off to find food, eventually reaching Zaroff’s chateau.
