The Will to Survive in Castaway and Life of Pi
Seclusion from civilization can change anyone. It can create killers, cannibals, and turns intelligent people into nothing more than animals concerned only with where their next meal will come from. Both Castaway and Life of Pi revolve around men alone, taken away from the comforts of society and facing impossible odds. Castaway is about a FedEx employee named Chuck Noland, the only survivor of a plane crash, who lands on an island and is forced to spend four years there. Similarly, Life of Pi is about a boy named Pi Molitor Patel. Pi is the only survivor of a shipwreck and survives for 227 days in a lifeboat with a tiger. Throughout their journeys, both Chuck and Pi learn to do whatever it takes …show more content…
One of the main differences between Castaway and Life of Pi is through the use of religion and hope by the protagonists. Religion is a major theme in Life of Pi. Pi is a follower of three religions because of his love for God. His faith in God becomes one of the main reasons for his survival because of his belief that God is with him. He continues to practice his religions as best he can while he is stranded. Pi says: "I practiced rituals that I adapted to the circumstances- solitary masses without priests or consecrated communion hosts... They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love- but sometimes it was so hard to love,” (Martel 231). Pi is comforted by practicing religious rituals. It acts as a reminder of his old life and helps him to believe he will eventually make it to safety. Despite how hard it would have been to maintain his faith, Pi does and this keeps him grounded. Opposing this faith is Chuck in Castaway. Chuck never appears to follow any religion while he is on the island, and his story appears to only be told as a story of survival. The only thing Chuck focused on was trying to survive and return to his girlfriend Kelly. This is evidenced by the picture of her kept with him at all times. This difference in their stories shows a difference in the focus of each story. For Pi the journey is as mental and emotional as it is physical, whereas for Chuck the fight to survive is more physical. Another difference comes from the belief of the 2 characters that they will survive. When Chuck returns home he sees a psychiatrist to talk about the trauma he experienced. Chuck talks about the hopelessness he felt and says: "So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course.
Seclusion from civilization can change anyone. It can create killers, cannibals, and turns intelligent people into nothing more than animals concerned only with where their next meal will come from. Both Castaway and Life of Pi revolve around men alone, taken away from the comforts of society and facing impossible odds. Castaway is about a FedEx employee named Chuck Noland, the only survivor of a plane crash, who lands on an island and is forced to spend four years there. Similarly, Life of Pi is about a boy named Pi Molitor Patel. Pi is the only survivor of a shipwreck and survives for 227 days in a lifeboat with a tiger. Throughout their journeys, both Chuck and Pi learn to do whatever it takes …show more content…
One of the main differences between Castaway and Life of Pi is through the use of religion and hope by the protagonists. Religion is a major theme in Life of Pi. Pi is a follower of three religions because of his love for God. His faith in God becomes one of the main reasons for his survival because of his belief that God is with him. He continues to practice his religions as best he can while he is stranded. Pi says: "I practiced rituals that I adapted to the circumstances- solitary masses without priests or consecrated communion hosts... They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love- but sometimes it was so hard to love,” (Martel 231). Pi is comforted by practicing religious rituals. It acts as a reminder of his old life and helps him to believe he will eventually make it to safety. Despite how hard it would have been to maintain his faith, Pi does and this keeps him grounded. Opposing this faith is Chuck in Castaway. Chuck never appears to follow any religion while he is on the island, and his story appears to only be told as a story of survival. The only thing Chuck focused on was trying to survive and return to his girlfriend Kelly. This is evidenced by the picture of her kept with him at all times. This difference in their stories shows a difference in the focus of each story. For Pi the journey is as mental and emotional as it is physical, whereas for Chuck the fight to survive is more physical. Another difference comes from the belief of the 2 characters that they will survive. When Chuck returns home he sees a psychiatrist to talk about the trauma he experienced. Chuck talks about the hopelessness he felt and says: "So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course.