Tuesday, September 24, 2013

What are the names of Zaroff's two guests?

General Zaroff has one guest in the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" and he lives alone with his loyal servant, Ivan. Ivan is depicted as an extremely large, strong man, who is both deaf and dumb. General Zaroff remarks that Ivan is a Cossack and is responsible for torturing the captives if they refuse to participate in the most dangerous game.
General Zaroff's only guest in the short story is the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford. Sanger Rainsford is a world-renowned hunter, who has published books on his numerous hunting expeditions. Rainsford accidentally falls off the yacht at the beginning of the story and swims to Ship-Trap Island, where he ends up visiting the general's impressive chateau. During their first dinner, General Zaroff explains the most dangerous game to his guest, and Rainsford spends the next three days being hunted by the armed general. The other guests, or captives, are relatively unimportant and the general hunts one of them the night before Rainsford begins the most dangerous game.


In The Most Dangerous Game, General Zaroff has one guest, Sanger Rainsford, and one house servant, Ivan.
Rainsford, a hunter, had been traveling by boat when he fell overboard. He arrived at Zaroff's estate when he washed up on the island where Zaroff lives in isolation.
We learn very little about Ivan except for a basic description. He answers the door when Rainsford knocks. Ivan is the largest man Rainsford ever saw, and is holding a gun. He is

a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist.

Zaroff mentions that Ivan is a Cossack and incredibly strong, and refers to him as deaf and dumb. He participates in the hunts and is apparently a sadist.
A previous guest, who had been imported as prey, we do not meet. Rainsford had heard him screaming in his death throes when he was swimming toward the island.

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