Pi's Life Of Pi And Pi

Improved Essays
Chaos erupts the moment the Tsimtsum capsizes into the turbulent waves of the stormy Pacific Ocean. Pi watches powerlessly from a lifeboat as his life sinks/ family disappears in front of his eyes. Pi soon discovers he is not the only one on the lifeboat. He learns he must share his lifeboat with an orangutan, hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, and a Bengal tiger, named Richard Parker. The hyena dispatches the zebra and the orangutan. Consequently, Richard Parker kills the hyena. After the slaughtering concludes, Pi and Richard Parker are the only ones who have survived. Pi realizes he must train Richard Parker, in order to remain alive. Miraculously, Pi succeeds in training the Bengal tiger, but he and Richard Parker constantly are on the …show more content…
Conversely, Pi suffered equally in his first story as the second. In both accounts Pi loses all of his family and is never reunited with them again. Even though, in the second story Pi witnesses his mother being killed by the cook and cannibalism, in the first he is exposed to the cruel reality of animals killing other animals. Ultimately both stories involve animals slaughtering other animals. In the first story, Pi suffers for a longer period of time with loneliness. During the second story, Pi has human company for a time, while in the alternate version of the story Pi is alone for the complete journey to Mexico. Thus, each story presents Pi with its own set of challenges he is forced to overcome in order to survive. For example, in the first story Pi constantly experiences discomfort, because he is anxious Richard Parker will eventually kill him. Pi worries, “Still others-and I am one of those-never give up. We fight and fight and fight. We fight no matter the cost of the battle, the losses we take, the improbability of success. We fight until the very end….Richard Parker started growling that very instant, as if he had been waiting for me to become a worthy opponent. My chest became tight with fear (148). While suffering through the first story, numerous times Pi mentally suffers. At times, Pi loses hope and believes he is going to perish. Pi utters, “Still that second night at sea stands in my memory as one exceptional suffering, different from the frozen anxiety of the first night in being a more conventional sort of suffering, the broken-down kind consisting of weeping and sadness and spiritual pain…” (Martel 124). When Pi becomes blind in the first story, his lifeboat encounters a Frenchman. After conversing for a while, the Frenchman eventually attempts to murder Pi. “He [the Frenchman] landed upon me heavily. We fell onto the tarpaulin, half

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Pi's Life Boat

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Whenever Richard Parker would try to enter Pi’s territory, Pi would immediately blow a whistle, drop the anchor, and therefore roll the boat, causing major nausea for the tiger. By using this psychological trick, Pi causes the tiger to remember excruciating nausea every time the whistle is blown, and thereupon retreat. “Treatment should be repeated until the association in the animal’s mind between the sound of the whistle and the feeling of intense, incapacitating nausea is fixed and totally unambiguous” (Martel 205). With this strategy Pi asserts his territory and authority and becomes the alpha male in the pair. This effectively destroys the potential threat of the tiger and makes life drastically safer for Pi. He shows himself to be confident in his abilities and creative enough to use his little materials to the fullest. Now the leader of the two, Pi can live in relative…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Strangely enough, this follows somewhat of what an Enlightenment thinker, Thomas Hobbes, said. Thomas Hobbes was a man born in the 16 hundreds and examined thoroughly of the human nature. From his studies, he created a hypothesis: he thought that people are naturally evil and are instinctively dark. This can be quite clearly shown in the movie in numerous ways. When Pi was thrown onto a lifeboat in (literally) the middle of nowhere, he saw the death of his mother and the murder of a innocent japanese sailor, which all came from the cook. due to the lack of materials on the float, he kills the “happy buddhist” and tosses Pi’s mother overboard, in which her body got fed to sharks. In a fit of rage and necessary self defense, Pi kills the cook, leaving only him and his survival instincts on the boat. It is as clear as day that Pi and the cook unleashes their “human nature”, as Hobbes describes it. Furthermore, (as explained earlier,) the cook is depicted as a hyena and Pi’s darker half is considered Richard Parker, otherwise known as a tiger. According to society, these animals are known for being evil and carnivorous; dangerous in many senses, which only encourages the thoughts of Thomas…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He constructs a makeshift raft out of life jackets and oars. He ties his raft to the lifeboat so he can still reach the food, water, and other supplies.(187) Pi has taken his first step into the adventure that lies before him. The next stage in a hero’s journey is “Tests, Allies, and Enemies.” (“Stages of the Hero’s Journey”) In this stage, Pi comes face to face with his biggest foe, Richard Parker. Pi witnessed Richard Parker kill the hyena and was shocked at the sight. Soon after, Richard Parker began approaching Pi. Luckily for Pi, a rat appeared and ran toward him. Pi snatched the rat and hurled it at Richard Parker, who devoured it instantly. That gave Pi enough time to escape back to his raft.(190-193) Some of Pi’s biggest tests deal with his quests for food and water. He begins fishing for food. This proves to be difficult and unsuccessful at first.(225) After a while, however, it starts to work out.(232) To satisfy his thirst, Pi uses solar stills, that he finds in the boat, to catch rainwater.(236) Ironically, Pi’s biggest enemy becomes his biggest ally. Pi credits Richard Parker with keeping him alive.(204) The 7th stage of a hero’s journey is “Approach.” (“Stages of the Hero’s…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Pi had finally decided to move from the same spot he had been for three days he searches for water and as he does he discovers that a 400 pound tiger is on the same boat but, he keeps on searching for water, “And so I pushed aside all thoughts of Richard Parker and fearlessly went exploring for fresh water” (Martel 81), this evidence demonstrates Pi’s bravery. Pi finally finds food and water but has to calculate how many days of food that he has so he calculates, “That meant that I had food rations to last me -31 x 3-93 days…. There were 124... So I had water rations to last me 124 days” (Martel 91) according to the evidence Pi shows his intelligence when calculating how much food he has. After finding Richard Parker Pi realizes to be able to survive he has to tame Richard Parker, “I had to tame him.” (Martel 92). Pi demonstrates bravery, intelligence, and patience, these characteristics helped him survive the harsh environments that he had…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Throughout the novel Pi goes through a range of emotions. 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

    LOTF/LOP Juxtaposition

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages

    With Yann Martel his main character is Pi; he is a young boy that is raised in a zoo. Pi will soon find himself lost in the middle of the ocean where he be there for almost one year. In both of this two epic adventures we see how salvergy is in everybody when there is no order. In analyzing, and juxtaposing this two works of art, many of emotions and questionable ethical credibility and choices continue to occur.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The detail seems important because in the Author’s Note Mr. Adirubasamay said to the author “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” Thus, Mr. Patel majoring in religious studies seems significant and it appears as though religion will be playing an essential role in this novel.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Likewise, Pi realizes that in order to survive he must gain control of the fear factor in his mind and not let it remain as the dominant emotion over his survival instincts. So he discards his previous plan to kill Richard Parker and instead ponders the possibility that Richard Parker and he could coexist and form a symbiotic relationship with each other. Killing each other becomes unnecessary and Pi realizes that Richard Parker would be his pillar of support. Unlike Harry, Pi relies on his companion to provide him with motivation and balance his mental state. “What was missing here to tame Richard Parker? Time? It might be weeks before a ship sighted me. I had all the time in the world. Resolve? There’s nothing like extreme need to give you resolve. Knowledge? Was I not a zookeeper’s son? Reward? Was there any reward greater than life? Any punishment worse than death? I looked at Richard Parker. My panic was gone. My fear was dominated. Survival was at hand” (165). Gaining control over the fear factor is an important event that has to happen in order to guarantee Pi’s survival in the middle of the ocean. By prioritizing his need for surviving, he ranks taming Richard Parker first. “Either I tamed him, made him see who was Number One and who was Number Two—or I died the day I wanted to climb aboard the lifeboat…

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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. Leaving Pi alone in a lifeboat with Richard Parker stranded in the middle of the ocean. Pi struggled a lot through his journey, his fear is one of the main reasons to make him feel like he is hopeless. On page 161 Pi quoted that “Only fear can defeat life” Pi was illustrating the dangers…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Pi Hero's Journey

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This is the section of the story where Pi is stranded at sea. The first stage is the road of trials which is a period in the hero’s journey where he must face many challenges. He does not have to face them alone and each trial can be more difficult than the last (Monomyth, C.M). Pi must face numerous trails. The first one being that he had to avoid being eaten by all the other animals on the boat such as, Richard Parker, hyena, zebra, and orange juice. The next trail he had to overcome was that he had to learn how to provide for Richard Parker and himself for them to survive. "I tried once to eat Richard Parker's feces. It happened early on, when my system hadn't learned yet to live with hunger and my imagination was still wildly searching for solutions"(Life of Pi, 213). Although at first Pi struggles, he overcomes adversity and it makes him…

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior 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
  • Great Essays

    Life Of Pi And The Ocean

    • 1848 Words
    • 8 Pages

    A conversation that Pi has with Mr. Kumar, the biology teacher foreshadows the value of faith. Although Mr. Kumar asserts that “[r]eligion is darkness,” Pi continues to believe that “[r]eligion will save us” (Martel 27). This foreshadows how faith will save Pi when he is alone in the ocean later in the story. An example of how faith helps Pi in the ocean is when he needs to be saved from the hyena and asks, “God, give me the time” and immediately afterwards, Richard Parker “had risen and emerged” steps in to kill the hyena which demonstrates the power of faith in survival. A literary critic, Paul Cockeram, similarly argues that his “faith, not his reason, enables Pi to survive” in such conditions (3). Cockeram supports his argument with a quote where Pi explains relying on reason would have resulted in his death. Another critic, June Dwyer, states that in the ocean, Pi searches to find companionship and “is simply grateful to have another sentient being sharing his ordeal” where Richard Parker satisfies these conditions (17). Both these critics imply that company was key to Pi’s survival, whether it was faith or Richard Parker, whom offer the support and hope that exists in…

    • 1848 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    the author wanted to tell his readers the importance of being able to tell a story and to have faith. Pi chooses to make his unfortunate experience into a story because it helps him to better cope with his situation. Religion is mentioned heavily in the book and is often brought up when Pi is near his end or when he needs some motivation. The author wants to tell us the importance of literature and the aid it can give someone.…

    • 2013 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior 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. I will beat the odds, as great as they are" (Martel 186). Pi shakes off his doubts and tries not to lose hope in himself. He motivates himself and is determined that he can overcome any challenge he faces, which helps him survive in the end. His new decision to live is the beginning of his loss of innocence. At this point, Pi knows that in order to survive, he will have to do things he never would have done in the past. He also starts preparing himself mentally for his journey ahead. Moreover, Pi survives mentally by conquering his fear for Richard Parker and using his knowledge of animals to tame and train Richard Parker mentally to show him who is the boss. When Pi and Richard Parker are alone on the boat, Pi remembers his father's words about tigers. "I looked at him, full of fearful wonder ... I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized that necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me" (Martel 206). Even though Pi is very scared of Richard Parker since he is a tiger, he…

    • 1484 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Of Pi Religion Essay

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The shipwreck turned Pi into an adult. Being alone in a boat after being part of a devastating accident made Pi find himself more. Pi was in god’s hand through the whole journey.”Faith is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love”, Pi finds himself loving life through this unique kind of journey. His mind developed so much by understanding life more through learning how to survive on a boat in the middle of nowhere and trying to tame Richard Parker the Tiger.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays