What Is The Purpose Of Ivan Is This Story?

Ivan, General Zaroff’s butler and attendant in “The Most
Dangerous Game,” is extremely large and vicious. He is deaf and dumb, so he is unable to
communicate verbally with Rainsford or any of the men who approach the chateau. He, like
Zaroff, has experience in the Russian military. Their service under the Czar appears to
have been particularly brutal. Therefore, when those who served the Czar begin to lose
their position in Russian society, Zaroff (and Ivan along with him) leave the country
and relocate to this island. Both Zaroff and Ivan are blood-thirsty brutes who thrive on
bloodshed and carnage. Consequently, although Zaroff hunts the victims who have the
misfortune of landing on his shores, Ivan tortures them if they refuse the hunt. His
size and his strength give him a substantial advantage over the men who arrive on the
shore. He is ferocious and cruel in his torment of the men. In fact, the men decide to
be hunted as prey rather than suffer at Ivan’s hands. He is an enforcer who brutalizes
men so that they agree to become Zaroff’s prey.