Life Of Pi Minor Characters Essay

With no guidance, it can be easy to lose sight of hope and to fall onto a wrong path, which is why it is essential that the role of minor characters is played in order to help and support the protagonist on their journey. At times it can be more beneficial to acknowledge and face the truth head on rather than avoiding it, but at the same time it could be detrimental and the role of minor characters in both A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and the Life Of Pi by Yann Martel demonstrate this point adeptly throughout the novels. Ness and Martel use shifts in character relationships between the protagonists and minor characters to develop the plot and to help resolve the ongoing theme of isolation and fear of the truth. In both novels there is a similar theme of …show more content…
As Pi was stranded in the middle of the ocean aboard a raft, along with a 450 pound Royal Bengal tiger, he experiences an anagnorisis and there is a strong shift in his relationship with Richard Parker. “I will tell you a secret: a part of me was glad about Richard Parker. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger. If I still had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker.”. In this section of the novel, Pi emphasizes the importance of Richard Parker and his company. Pi implies that Richard Parker was his hope; will to live and that “without Richard Parker, [he] wouldn't be alive today to tell you [his] story.”. (87-88). It is through this epiphany that Pi was able to survive, building a sort of mutualism relationship with Richard Parker by living interdependently going forward. In advance, Pi would rely on richard Parker for his company while Richard Parker would rely on Pi for his meals and ability to catch fish. With Richard Parker as his companion, Pi would