Question

The hall were mounted heads of many animals--lions, tigers, elephants, moose, bears; larger or more perfect specimens Rainsford had never seen.What can you infer about the general after the display Rainsford had seen?

Answer 1

Answer:

Through the description of the animal heads that adorned the general's dining hall, general Zaroff seemed to be an enthusiastic hunter. And not only that, he seemed to like hunting larger games, animals that people don't usually hunt. He also seemed like a ruthless man, in constant want and need to keep himself entertained by inflicting hurt to the creatures he deemed weaker than himself.

Explanation:

Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" follows the story of a famous hunter Sanger Rainsford on one of his 'misfortunate' encounters with a horrendous hunter. The short story delves into the theme of hunter-hunted relationship, and how thin the line actually is.

In the given passage, the narrator gave a detailed description of the dining room of General Zaroff's mansion. In adorning the dining hall with the heads of hunted game, and that too, with creatures larger than people normally hunt, the general seems to love hunting. Moreover, it also gives us the impression that he wanted to achieve what others can't or don't and would hunt only creatures that are more advanced and not the ones people normally hunt for.

This shows that the general is a ruthless, game-hungry man, always looking for some sport to keep himself entertained.