Life Of Pi Illusion Essay

Humans have an innate desire for truth; we see illusion as an unfavorable concept because it seems to keep us away from the truth. However, there are some who recognize the value of illusion as a weapon for survival. Social activist Noam Chomsky once said “if we choose, we can live in a world of comforting illusion.” Yann Martel depicts a similar view in his novel, Life of Pi. In an unfortunate turn of events, a young boy named Pi finds himself stranded at sea. In order to cope with his grief and the actions he has to take to survive, he creates a fictional reality. Through the two stories of his journey that Pi presents, the self-imagined figure of Richard Parker, and Pi’s delusion of his family’s survival, Martel demonstrates the necessity …show more content…
In the message that Pi seals into a glass bottle, Pi writes: "please advise family in Winnipeg," demonstrating that he still has hope his family is alive (238). Another instance of his delusional belief in his family is when on the approximate date of his mother's birthday, Pi "sang Happy Birthday to her out loud" (209). These events show that despite evidence and all logic suggesting otherwise, Pi continues to believe his family somehow managed to survive the shipwreck. Had Pi accepted the fact that his family did not survive the shipwreck, he would have been overcome with grief, unable to survive the first few days of intense stress on the lifeboat. By believing his illusion that his family still lives, Pi gives himself a reason to persevere and survive. The impact of illusion on Pi’s life reveals how illusion can allow one to persevere through perilous times. By creating a mirage of what is reality, it is possible to live with morally questionable actions. By using illusion as a weapon of survival and purpose, one can find that illusion can indeed provide a sense of hope and security during tragic