Rainsford
What Rainsford had to survive through was a game in which he was a prey being hunted down by a hunter. Rainsford survived through it by keeping a clear head even when under a lot of pressure. He did not make impulsive choices like most people would do in a situation like his; instead, he made logical choices that he knew would benefit him. Also, he had a vast amount of knowledge about surviving in the wild, which aided him when he had to live in the jungle.
In the end, he sort of lost his conscience when he killed Zaroff in cold blood, but that was already at the end of the story. If the story had been longer, there probably would have been a battle of right and wrong in his conscience and that probably would have become a hardship he had to face.
Zaroff
Zaroff is a cunning hunter who could hunt down any animal in the world, with the exception of humans. He had to survive through many fierce battles with animals, and he did that by using his spectacular hunting skills and his vast amount of knowledge. He knew how to set traps, follow trails, and fire a gun accurately. This all helped him overcome the challenges of killing his prey.
Zaroff lost to Rainsford in the end because he was too confident in his skills. He thought he could get Rainsford no matter what, so he kept letting him go and prolonging the game. He met his downfall when Rainsford hunted him down. That’s why the old saying goes: “Kill ’em when ye can, son!”
Mr and Mrs. Loisel
The challenge that the Loisel’s had to overcome was paying back the debt from buying a diamond necklace to replace the one Madame Loisel had lost. They overcame this challenge by working very hard for ten years; Mr. Loisel working many jobs and Madame Loisel staying home and taking care of all the difficult chores. They had the determination and were very hardworking.
The ultimate challenge in Mr. Loisel’s life wasn’t the necklace, it was his poverty and position. He lacked ambition. He was quite content with the mediocre life he and his wife had, so he did not work in particular to improve their life. When Madame Loisel discovered that the necklace was gone, she sat dumbstruck and miserable while her husband went out searching for the necklace. She lacks action.
Doodle
Doodle had more than one challenge to overcome. One was intellectual and the other physical. The intellectual challenge was the knowledge for Doodle that he will never be like other kids, able to run and play sports freely. And also, he had to overcome the nastiness his brother often exhibited towards him.
The qualities that enabled him to overcome these challenges were his acceptance and his forgiving nature. He understood the fact that his body has certain problems and accepted them. He forgave his brother’s cruelty and loved him all the same. The physical challenge Doodle faced is pretty obvious. He could not walk, but he overcame this predicament with his determination. He practiced standing up with his brother every day.
While Doodle had many great attributes, one of his biggest flaws is his dependence on Henry. He wanted to go everywhere with Henry, he wanted Henry’s encouragement and company and in the end, Henry’s words and presence became a crutch for him. He could not survive on his own. Doodle lost his motivation when Henry ran home ahead of him, and that’s how his flaw led him to his downfall.
Doodle’s Brother (Henry)
The challenge that Henry had to overcome was the shame he felt about his brother not being able to walk. He overcame this shame by making his brother someone whom he could be proud of. He had determination, and he had patience. He practiced walking and standing with his brother every day, and eventually, Doodle started walking on his own.
Henry’s flaw was that he cared too much about what other people thought of him. If he hadn’t cared, then he wouldn’t be ashamed of having to pull his brother around on a wagon. And if the shame hadn’t been there, Henry wouldn’t have felt the need to make Doodle someone who he could be proud of and be mad at when things didn’t go well… and then, maybe Doodle wouldn’t have died.
Fortunato
It is actually quite obvious in the story that Fortunato died in the end. He did not survive, but he did beat his captor in a way. He did not let Monty get the satisfaction of hearing him scream and cry in desperation in the end. The qualities that Fortunato had were courage and pride. It’s very difficult to resist crying out for help when you know your life is going to end, but Fortunato managed to struggle through his fears. Another reason he didn’t scream because his pride wouldn’t let him. Screaming would be kind of like admitting defeat, and Fortunato was too proud to admit that he had lost.
Fortunato did not lack much, for it was hard to detect the whole Amontillado ruse as a trap. It was quite elaborately planned, and very well thought out. Even completely sober men would have fallen for it. However, Fortunato was perhaps a little too fond of his alcohol and lacked restraint. Thus, he became drunk and an easy target.
Montressor
Monty’s challenge was killing Fortunato. Monty possesses a great talent at planning assassinations. His plan to whisk Fortunato away from the carnival and into the catacombs was flawless. He is also a quick thinker. He used Fortunato’s coughing to his advantage by telling Fortunato that he might not want to go into a catacomb filled with niter. Of course, the reverse psychology only made Fortunato want to go more. There was no way he could have known Fortunato was sick unless he made Fortunato sick. Monty is good at improvising.
In regards to the challenge of killing Fortunato, Monty lacked nothing. He pulled off the plan perfectly. But if I am to comment on another challenge of his that was not mentioned in the bookmaking friends, and keeping friends – I’d say he lacked a heart and was too unwilling to forgive and forget. He killed Fortunato merely because Fortunato insulted him. Most people would not go to such lengths as to kill a person when insulted. They would probably confront the person, or just forgive and forget.
