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Jessica Floyd

Ms. Price

English I Honors

10 January 2018

General Zaroff and NPD

All around, there are many people who terrorize the public. Everyone knows about

groups such as ISIS and the KKK, but there are also many hidden terrorists that can be just as

scary. General Zaroff is a terrorist with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) that hunts

humans for sport on “Ship-Trap Island” in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. NPD is a personality

disorder that causes patients to be extremely arrogant, lust for power/admiration, have a lack of

empathy, and exploit others for their cause. Patients feel as if they are superior to everyone, so

they only associate themselves with other people they deem to be “superior” (Bressert). This

disorder can be caused by too much praise in ones’ childhood and can cause problems in their

personal/social lives. General Zaroff has NPD, as evidenced by his upbringing and unnatural

obsession with hunting.

Zaroff’s addiction to hunting is a clear sign that he has NPD. He moved to a remote

island in a fancy house with only one other person so he could hunt humans for sport. Those who

wished not to be hunted were threatened to be killed by Ivan instead (Connell 7-9). Zaroff also

mocked Rainsford for what he thought to be futile tactics to beat him in his hunting game even

though Rainsford ended up winning, mockingly laughing before shouting "If you are within

sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to

make a Malay mancatcher. Luckily for me I, too, have hunted in Malacca. You are proving

interesting, Mr. Rainsford. I am going now to have my wound dressed; it's only a slight one. But
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I shall be back. I shall be back." (Connell 13;14-15). This can be interpreted as showing that

Zaroff is very arrogant and exploits others because of a lack of empathy. Although this shows

how he is obsessed with power/wealth and is very entitled, this still fails to show how General

Zaroff could have become this way.

General Zaroff’s upbringing may have been a factor that caused his NPD. His dad gave

Zaroff his first gun, saying that his hand was “made for the trigger”, and when Zaroff shot all of

his dad’s prized turkeys, his dad praised him on his marksmanship instead of chastising him

(Connell 6). A suspected cause of this disorder is receiving too much praise as a child (Cherry),

and the dad would likely praise him more all the other times that he successfully shot down

something else when on the hunt. General Zaroff has definitely exhibited behaviors and a past

that parallels those that are commonly shown in patients with NPD, but the question may still be

asked about whether or not this is enough evidence to actually diagnose General Zaroff with this

disorder.

Despite the evidence pointing towards Zaroff having this disorder, people may question

the legitimacy of this diagnosis. They may say that just looking at his uncanny mania for hunting

and his upbringing may not be enough evidence to warrant a diagnosis, but they fail to see that

Zaroff has isolated himself from society to devote himself to hunting. Hunting is Zaroff’s

favorite thing to do, and he has traveled all around the world in search of a more challenging

animal to hunt until settling on his island. Zaroff gives himself many luxuries in abundance while

hunting poor sailors that wrecked their ships on the edge of his island (Connell 3-5). The man

even complains to Rainsford that he has found that even hunting men is boring, and refuses to

admit that it is murder, arguing that "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs

be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure."
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(Connell 8). This shows that General Zaroff has no empathy and is willing to kill humans purely

for his own enjoyment, evidence that General Zaroff does, in fact, have Narcissistic Personality

Disorder.

General Zaroff’s obsession with hunting and his upbringing are clear signs that he has

NPD. Anyone wishing to sail in the Caribbean sea should be cautious to avoid landing in this

unfortunate terrorist’s trap if they do not wish to participate in Zaroff’s “game”. Despite all of

the terrible events that happened in The Most Dangerous Game as a result of this General’s

NPD, everyone with this disorder is different. Not everyone with this disorder is dangerous.

There are many people that have NPD, and they all deserve to be helped. This personality

disorder can be treated by talk therapies, and certain types of medications can be prescribed if

necessary (Mayo Clinic). With help from these therapies and medications, the people who suffer

from this personality disorder may be helped so they may enjoy happy lives.

Works Cited

Cherry, Kendra. “What You Should Know About Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Verywell,

www.verywell.com/what-is-narcissistic-personality-disorder-2795446.
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Connell, Richard Edward. The Most Dangerous Game. Kalpaz, 2017.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Psych Central, 17 Dec. 2017,

Psychcentral.com/disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder/.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 18 Nov. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-

disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 18 Nov. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-

disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20366690.