Friday, November 8, 2013

How many acres did Zaroff's father have in the Crimea in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

During his stay on the remote Caribbean island in "The
Most Dangerous Game," Sanger Rainsford learns much about the past history of his host,
General Zaroff. The general had received his first gun when he was five years old, and
he killed his first bear when he was 10. Zaroff eventually entered the Russian army,
where he "commanded a division of Cossack cavalry." Following the fall of the Czar, many
Russian noblemen lost their fortunes, but not Zaroff, who "had invested heavily in
American securities." His wealthy father had owned "a quarter of a million acres in the
Crimea" before the Russian Revolution. Zaroff soon discovered that he was born for the
hunt, and he traveled the world to seek out the most challenging
prey.


A former Cossack cavalryman, the eccentric General
Zaroff relates this bit of his personal background during his talk with Sanger Rainsford
during their meal in "The Most Dangerous Game." Over a bowl of borsch washed down with
glasses of champagne and port, Zaroff tells Rainsford about his youth in Russia, growing
up as a privileged youth whose father was quite
wealthy.



He
was a very rich man with a quarter of a million acres in the
Crimea...



His father was an
avid hunter and sportsman, and Zaroff soon became enamored with the sport. He received
his first gun at the age of five, and he killed his first bear when he was just
10.

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