Hero's Journey In Life Of Pi, By Yann Martel

A hero can be defined as a person who shows exemplary courage while undergoing a quest for enlightenment. In the novel “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, the protagonist, Pi, is considered a hero. According to Joseph Campbell, the man who created the quest pattern, a hero must undergo three distinctive parts of his or her journey for it to be considered a true quest for enlightenment. The innocence factor relates to the life the hero lived before their journey of becoming a hero begins. They normally are not one hundred percent satisfied with their life and feel like something is missing. Pi’s life was much like any other, besides the fact that he grew up in a zoo. To fill the missing hole, he studies three types of religion. The initiation deals with the adventures the hero endures on his journey. In Pi’s case, this is when he suffers the hardships while spending 227 days on the ocean with a Bengal Tiger. Lastly is the hero’s return, where the hero returns home. However, although Pi does not return to his home in India, he lives his life in Canada, as planned. He then reflects upon his adventure and continues to grow spiritually and mentally. Martel uses Pi’s perseverance to show that initiation, chaos, and return are needed to truly have a mythological hero’s journey.
As a young boy living in India with an adequate life, Pi yearned for something different and …show more content…
Pi followed the quest pattern by wanting to find something more within himself and the world, where he then turned to religion. He being stranded out at sea tested his abilities to overcome great things, thus leading him to return to safety, where he is declared a hero; leaving him as the successful man he is today. If Pi fell short of completing this adventure, and failed to finish the quest for enlightenment, it is undeniable that he would still be considered a