A boy is lost at sea, but he is not alone. This boy is in the company of a Bengal tiger. The story Life of Pi is an inspiring story about a boy, a boat, and a tiger. During the Pi’s, the boy’s, peril at sea he has to survive not only a vast ocean but a fully grown tiger. One wrong move and he 's done for, but a tiger is the least of his worries. He has to face not only the ocean, not only a tiger but himself as well. Throughout the story, one can see how the main character, Pi, begins to let go of anything that hinders his survival. Whether it be dignity or morals he did what he had to do to survive. His experience can be analyzed through a theory constructed by a man named Maslow. His theory the “hierarchy of needs” is an analysis of
…show more content…
Maslow’s theory had many elements to its whole one of them being a concept known as “self-actualization”. Self-actualization is a word that means “to realize one’s potential”. More specifically it means one is at the top of Maslow 's hierarchy of needs; they have everything anyone would ever need to survive and more. In the beginning of Life of Pi, Pi is has reached this peak spending his time studying religion and accepting the world around him for what it is. Although, it is very apparent when Pi begins to fall in the hierarchy, or so it is at first. It is when Pi kills the first fish on the raft he had begun his descent within Maslow 's hierarchy. Pi had said, “After that it was easier.”(232) in reference to taking the life of sea animals. This event demonstrates the exact shift from “self-actualization” to “safety” according to Maslow’s theory. Safety, in Maslow’s terms, can be summed up as knowing one is secure. Pi seemingly maintains this state for a great portion of the book, yet it is obvious it will not last. From this point onwards that Pi’s decent begins to blur. As the reader, it can be difficult to know exactly when Pi falls further down in Maslow 's hierarchy. Pi most likely fell in the hierarchy whenever he encountered the large oil tanker and failed to grab its attention. The idea that he missed what would have been the best, and maybe the only means of survival must have apprehended his mind. “In less than twenty minutes a ship of three hundred thousand tons became a spec on the horizon… he did not see it was salvation barely missed.”(287,289). His descent from this point was gradual he began to distract himself with what little joy daydreams brought until one day he no longer thought of rescue but of if he would be alive in a few moments. It is then Pi is at the bottom-most tier of Maslow 's hierarchy: physiological. Physiology
Maslow’s theory had many elements to its whole one of them being a concept known as “self-actualization”. Self-actualization is a word that means “to realize one’s potential”. More specifically it means one is at the top of Maslow 's hierarchy of needs; they have everything anyone would ever need to survive and more. In the beginning of Life of Pi, Pi is has reached this peak spending his time studying religion and accepting the world around him for what it is. Although, it is very apparent when Pi begins to fall in the hierarchy, or so it is at first. It is when Pi kills the first fish on the raft he had begun his descent within Maslow 's hierarchy. Pi had said, “After that it was easier.”(232) in reference to taking the life of sea animals. This event demonstrates the exact shift from “self-actualization” to “safety” according to Maslow’s theory. Safety, in Maslow’s terms, can be summed up as knowing one is secure. Pi seemingly maintains this state for a great portion of the book, yet it is obvious it will not last. From this point onwards that Pi’s decent begins to blur. As the reader, it can be difficult to know exactly when Pi falls further down in Maslow 's hierarchy. Pi most likely fell in the hierarchy whenever he encountered the large oil tanker and failed to grab its attention. The idea that he missed what would have been the best, and maybe the only means of survival must have apprehended his mind. “In less than twenty minutes a ship of three hundred thousand tons became a spec on the horizon… he did not see it was salvation barely missed.”(287,289). His descent from this point was gradual he began to distract himself with what little joy daydreams brought until one day he no longer thought of rescue but of if he would be alive in a few moments. It is then Pi is at the bottom-most tier of Maslow 's hierarchy: physiological. Physiology