What does “civilized” mean? What qualities would a civilized person possess? If you asked a group of people what they think is civilized, you would get varying opinions. There is some debate as to whether the two main characters in "The Most Dangerous Game" are civilized or not. Both General Zaroff and Sanger Rainsford have both civilized and uncivilized qualities. I will present the reasoning behind my choices. When General Zaroff first appears in the story, it appears that he is a civilized person. It's only when you read further into the story that you begin to understand why he's the complete opposite. While dining with Rainsford, General Zaroff explains to him that while he was hunting big game, it was beginning to bore him. No game offered Zaroff a greater challenge. He found another way to experience the thrill of hunting, while still finding something that would make it interesting and challenging. Zaroff has decided to hunt humans. General Zaroff uses lights to lure ships to his island, where they would crash into the rocks. Zaroff let those stranded in the accident into his home and gave them food, clothing and shelter. Later, they would be taken to his basement, where they would train for hunting. He gives refugees the right to refuse to participate in the hunt, which partly explains why he considers this hunt humane. However, if they choose not to participate, Zaroff's servant Ivan tortures them. Rather than face torture, most attempt to hunt in hopes of survival. After Zaroff kills someone while hunting, he keeps their head in his library as a trophy. Killing people gives Zaroff pleasure, and Ivan's torture doesn't bother him either. In his mind, middle of paper ......ue, this is not something a civilized person would do under normal circumstances, Rainsford had no choice. He killed Ivan, Zaroff and the dog in self-defense. Zaroff told Rainsford that he could leave the island if he survived the hunt, but that was a lie. If Rainsford was allowed to leave, he would tell someone what Zaroff was doing. Whether someone is civilized or not is seen in more ways than one. Sometimes their traits and actions can be interpreted differently. What I might consider immoral or uncivilized, someone else might have no problem with. It seemed to me that Zaroff really thought his concept of hunting was not immoral. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford stated that the world was divided between the hunters and the hunted. Zaroff held a similar position. In his mind, weaker humans are created to give pleasure to those who are powerful..