The Importance Of Survival In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

Improved Essays
Winston Churchill once said “when you’re going through hell, keep going”. And that is exactly what Pi Patel did in The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Pi, an Indian boy on a voyage with his family, survived the sinking of the Tsunami along with a Bengal tiger. He spent 227 long days out at sea facing many different obstacles. Throughout the story, Martel portrays the life lesson of never giving up by throwing different challenges at Pi and testing his will to survive. These obstacles prove how Pi never gave up and survived the long journey. Pi Patel’s family is fast asleep during a massive storm that eventually will cause the ship to sink; however, their son Pi, survives and is put into a lifeboat and thrown into the choppy, dark waters of the …show more content…
Pi, however had to train him to obey him as the “master” or “alpha” or else Pi would not live to see the next day. The two had to learn how to share the boat together equally and not be threatened by one another. This task was extremely difficult for Pi to overcome since Richard Parker was a very ferocious animal. Pi exclaims, “I was beside myself with terror- of Richard Parker..(260). He is already beside himself with fear, but his will to survive is overpowering his terror. Again he claims, “I was terrified before, during and after each attack, and I spent a long time shivering on the raft with fear” (261). Pi is practically paralyzed with fear and is almost unable to perform this task, but somewhere inside of him, he finds the will. By continuing to endure this terror, he is demonstrating the power of never giving up. As he decides to man up, he says, “I made my point, feet on the gunnel, boat rolling, my single-note language blasting from the whistle, and Richard Parker moaning and gasping at the bottom of the boat” (261). Finally, Pi had trained Richard Parker. He was now the alpha on the boat. He put aside his fear because he knew that if he overcame this obstacle, he would survive. Even when he wanted to give up and give the tiger all the power, he knew that decision was not smart in the long run, so, he persevered through the

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    In the story of the Life of Pi, Piscine Patel is explaining to a secular author who was convinced that this man could make him believe in God. Thus, Piscine (Pi) tells an adventure from long ago. Pi explains that he was a young religious man born in India from zookeepers and is suddenly that he will move to Canada, as his father has job opportunities there, perhaps even better than in India. However, caos falls onto the boat to Canada and Pi is stranded on a raft with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger; although, the only left alive is him and the tiger. The story is all about how he and his survival instincts pull through and survive the rigorous challenges of the Atlantic Ocean.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    When Pi is lost at sea he faces emotional obstacles that he must overcome in order to survive. Pi knows that he must conquer his fear of Richard Parker and tame him in order survive. “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity” (Martel 57). Pi must tame Richard Parker in order to stay on the lifeboat safely.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mrs. Erickson Lit Essay 12/07/2016 Life of Pi Life sometimes can be very awful and ugly, it is important to have the will to live because it is what keep you going in life. In the book “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, a young teenager named Piscine whom the author called Pi, faced a dramatic accident in his life. While migrating to Canada with his family, his ship sank with an unexplainable cause, killing his whole family. Pi was left in a lifeboat with a hyena, orangutan and an adult Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Both the hyena and orangutan did not survive, they died.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The panicked yet optimistic tones of The Life of Pi convey Pi’s disorientation as he searches for answers. Pi is terrified because the ship is sinking and the animals are loose and running around. However, when Pi spots the officers of the ship, he assumes that they will have all of the answers and keep him safe. Accordingly, Pi being frightened and hopeful sets the stage for the intensity of the novel to escalate quickly.…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After finding and creating relationships in nature, Santiago feels the need to control them to justify his decisions. Santiago attempts to control the relationships he has created to calm his anxieties about his masculinity and and his ability to accomplish challenges in his aging years. He wants to appear still powerful and in control of his life. He needs to find validation, but has only himself and nature to turn to. Using the results of his escapade at sea to judge himself and his manliness, Santiago has a delusional perception of himself and his masculinity.…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Old Man and the Sea, we meet a very persistent, spirited and old man by the name of Santiago. Poor and proud, Santiago strives daily to live his life of a fisherman to set examples of notable morals and values. After eighty-four days of unsuccessful fishing, the weak man embarks on a five-day journey by sea after hooking an immense marlin. He never gives in to adversity or refuses a good opponent. The old man’s entire existence has been writhe with struggle.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was very some who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness(Martel, 204). Pi is able to avoid the signs of giving up by not being depressed while being stuck on the raft with Richard Parker in the middle of nowhere as well as not showing loneliness because in order to stay alive he had to fight his fear of tigers and build a…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Every person struggles sometime in their lives. Some struggle more than others. In the Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old man, had probably one of the most difficult struggles in his life, physically and mentally. He fought between life and death with the largest fish anybody had ever seen. In the end, he lost his fish to sharks who mutilated the fish.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Never Give Up “Fish, I’ll stay with you until I am dead,”(52). In the book The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, the old man has to overcome many seemingly impossible tasks while out at sea. During these tasks, the old man never showed any sign of giving in. Therefore, the main theme of this book is to never give up. This theme was expressed through many smaller themes including courage, pride, and mental strength.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Life Of Pi And The Ocean

    • 1848 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Aside from satisfying his hunger and thirst, Pi must deal with Richard Parker and time. Pi, during a cold night of the ocean, ponders on how to survive with Richard Parker and concludes he must find a means of killing him to have the lifeboat all to himself. However, when Pi hears the “prusten” from Richard Parker, matters change, and Pi realizes that if Richard Parker dies, he “would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger” (Martel 163-4). This demonstrates how Pi had developed to think more deeply and independently when preparing to take actions. Additionally, the enclosed surrounding teaches Pi responsibility, a key component to having independence.…

    • 1848 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Life of Pi is a fictional novel written by Yann Martel. The main character of this book is Piscine Molitor Patel, known to all as Pi Patel. He’s a sixteen year old gentle vegetarian who holds religion very dear to his heart. Overall he was stranded in the Pacific ocean for 227 days with a tiger named Richard Parker. The book is divided into 3 parts, Toronto and Pondicherry, The Pacific Ocean, and Benito Juarez Infirmary, Tomatlan, Mexico.…

    • 2013 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Life of Pi Essay Life has tons of struggles, problems, and challenges in it that we all have to go through, but sometimes, those issues can turn into something much more. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, we follow Piscine Molitor Patel, a young boy who goes from his home in India where his father runs a zoo to stranded in the middle of the sea on a lifeboat with a tiger. Pi has many beliefs that were formulated while he lived in India that we see appear on the lifeboat. These beliefs helped him survive through his time of peril. Pi’s three beliefs are that religion is important, routine makes life less complicated, and that someone needs to take charge in order for things to go right.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pi's determination, motivations and optimism helps him overcome his doubts and fears. At first, Pi doubts his chances at surviving at sea once he realizes that he must share the lifeboat with Richard Parker, the tiger, but his motivation and optimism help him survive throughout the story. As Pi is about to give up, he thinks to himself, "I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare.…

    • 1484 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life of Pi Essay Religion and Faith By: Shlok Mehta Teacher: Ms. Poutissou The novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel is about a sixteen year old boy Piscine Molitor Patel whose journey on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger Richard Parker is really long and exhausting but the hope keeps him going. In the novel religion and faith play a major role in Piscine’s survival. Religion and faith are necessary for Piscine’s survival because it brings out the courage and gives him more strength to survive. Firstly, Richard Parker is not only an animal but he is also the faith and strength of Piscine.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Of Pi Book Report

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The book titled Life of Pi written by Yann Martel is an adventurous story, which gives an account of how Piscine Patel, known as Pi, experiences various adventures and misadventures in the sea. Pi is a young Indian teenager who grows up with animals being the son of the owner of a zoo. The story describes how Pi values the faiths of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, and how he trusts in the values imparted by his family. The ghastly part of the story is the way Pi survives with a Bengal Tiger for 227 days on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean (Martel 184). When Pi and his family decide migrating to Canada so that they could sell their animals, they board a ship, which sinks in the ocean.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays