by Joel McCrea
Quote- ""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. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why
should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites,
mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them."
I chose this quote for the perfect way in which it summarizes one of the main ideas of the story. This idea is rooted in the consequences and assumptions one is susceptible to when they adopt a social darwinistic type mentality towards their fellow man. In the short story both of the main characters hold the elitist and prejudice mindset that the higher in social standing one is above others, the more power that such person is allowed to hold and enforce against those of a lower standing. However what is so fascinating and ingenious about this short story is that the author doesn't come right out and say that this type of mindset can be erroneous. Instead cleverly, the author teaches the reader about the negative consequences associated with such a world view through the bizarre and terrifying story of Rainsford. Rainsford is a man who simply equates the ownership of superficial qualities, materialistic possessions, and social standing to the ownership of complex principles such as morals and rightly utilized power. In fact, disturbingly in the story he divides the people of world into two classes- "the hunter and the hunted". When Rainsford washes up on an ominous island after being lost at sea, he comes in contact with a man who shares similar social darwinistic views on who should hold power and who shouldn't. In fact, Zaroff at first seems to be the pinnacle of what Rainsford would describe as civilized and by all appearances seems like a "gentleman". Yet this is one of the erroneous assumptions one can make, for the reader comes to find out that Zaroff is as devoid of human morals as some of the animals he has hunted. In the quote Zaroff states "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong". However what if the strong is morally bankrupt and evil? This then brings the reader to the conclusion when you claim that superficial qualities, materialistic possessions, and social standing gives one the right to do as they please and abide by their own moral compass, you have to bear in mind that the person who has found themself on top and possess alot of power, may also possess inherently corrupt principles. A real world example of this would be all the atrocities and injustices committed during colonialism times under the name of the white man's burden and greed. The story is also well crafted by the fact that the author gives us the perspective of Rainsford when he considers himself a predator , when he becomes pray, and then also when he potentially become a predator again that is even more dangerous than the one he was before. These character shifts are important because they highlight the dangers of human to human interactions in which one person or group has so much power and control over another person or group.
Excellent!
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