O’Cain 1

Ryan O’Cain

Mr. Turley

English 1 Honors

December 12, 2017

Antisocial Personality Disorder

In Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game, General Zaroff is a mysterious

character who is revealed through the story to have hunted other humans. A very possible reason

as to why he would do something so terrible is that he has Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Antisocial Personality Disorder, a disorder more commonly known as sociopathy, affects 7.6

million people in America. People with this disorder are infamous for criminal records and

abusive relationships. General Zaroff has Antisocial Personality Disorder because of his

disregard for right and wrong and his lack of guilt and remorse.

General Zaroff’s disregard for right and wrong is a primary reason as to why he could

have Antisocial Personality Disorder. Indifference to the morality of an action is one of the most

common symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder. General Zaroff displays his disregard for

right and wrong for the inhumane crimes he commits. The crime that best displays this is when

Zaroff admits to capturing lost sailors and hunting them. This is one reason as to why General

Zaroff could have Antisocial Personality Disorder.

In addition to disregard for right and wrong, another reason General Zaroff could have

Antisocial Personality Disorder is his lack of guilt and remorse. A lack of guilt and remorse is

also a common symptom of Antisocial Personality Disorder, and can be linked to the frequent

criminal offenses of APD victims. Zaroff’s lack of guilt for terrible crimes shows his true
 O’Cain 2

indifference to an action’s morality. This quality is best shown when Zaroff is completely

unphased after hunting people. This shows how Zaroff’s lack of guilt and remorse is a key

reason as to why he has Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Despite the evidence demonstrating that Zaroff has Antisocial Personality Disorder,

people may argue that his inhumane actions and beliefs are simply due to how he was raised as a

child, but they fail to see that he was raised hunting small birds rather than humans or beasts.

Those who believe his inhumane acts and beliefs are a result of his childhood raising think that

he hunted extremely dangerous creatures from a young age. Although aspects of this argument

are enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger arguments because Zaroff discovered his talents

while hunting small animals. The text states that Zaroff discovered his talent while hunting small

birds as a child, showing that he was not originally raised hunting beasts.

General Zaroff has Antisocial Personality disorder because of his disregard for right and

wrong and his lack of guilt and remorse. This is evident through his continued hunting of

humans for personal entertainment. A sociopath is often displayed as a serial killer who fails to

see the wrongs of their actions, which is a description that fits General Zaroff almost perfectly.

While some think the driving force of General Zaroff’s vicious actions and vile beliefs is due to

the way he was raised, Antisocial Personality Disorder is a factor that needs to be considered.

Works Cited

Connell, Richard. “The Most Dangerous Game.” Elements of Literature. Ed. Kylene Beers, Ed.

Lee Odell. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2006. Print.

 O’Cain 3

Bressert, Steve. “Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 17 Dec.

2017, psychcentral.com/disorders/antisocial-personality-disorder/symptoms/.

Cherry, Kendra. “Symptoms and Treatment Options for Antisocial Personality Disorder.” Verywell,

Verywell, 16 Oct. 2017, www.verywell.com/antisocial-personality-disorder-2795566.

“Antisocial Personality Disorder.” Antisocial Personality Disorder, Department of Health and Human

Services,www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for/personality-disorders/antisocial-personality-

disorder.

“Antisocial Personality Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/antisocial-personality-

disorder.shtml.