Richard Parker is a Royal Bengal tiger. He weighs 450-pound and is about nine feet long. He and Pi live on one lifeboat for 227 days. Yann Mart uses indirect characterization to describe the characteristic of Richard Parker. In Life of Pi, Richard Parker is characterized as an animal which being fearsome and bestial in order to render an atmosphere of terror and reveal Pi's animalistic instincts in the story.
Although Richard Parker is fearsome, ironically his existence makes Pi stay alive.
The following quote indicates the responses of other characters. "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" (Life of Pi 201). If Pi leaves Richard Parker, he will fall into despair. Richard Parker's presence makes Pi have no time …show more content…
It suggests that Richard Parker compels Pi to survive. "Formidable" emphasizes that despair is a terrible enemy since it is more horrible than Richard Parker. The image of the tiger is functional to render an atmosphere of terror. Meanwhile, his presence helps Pi to overcome all difficulties. During the process of taming the tiger, Pi successfully defeats his fear and despair. It indicates that Richard Parker accompanies Pi through several lonely nights. "He gave me life, my own, but at the expense of taking one. He ripped the flesh off the man's frame and cracked his bones" (Life of Pi 380). Richard Parker shows that his brutal nature is primitive. He kills strangers who attempt to loot Pi's biscuit. In the story, the tiger symbolizes Pi's brutish nature and badness. When Pi lives on the lifeboat, the tiger is like the embodiment of his evil. The image of Richard Parker
Although Richard Parker is fearsome, ironically his existence makes Pi stay alive.
The following quote indicates the responses of other characters. "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" (Life of Pi 201). If Pi leaves Richard Parker, he will fall into despair. Richard Parker's presence makes Pi have no time …show more content…
It suggests that Richard Parker compels Pi to survive. "Formidable" emphasizes that despair is a terrible enemy since it is more horrible than Richard Parker. The image of the tiger is functional to render an atmosphere of terror. Meanwhile, his presence helps Pi to overcome all difficulties. During the process of taming the tiger, Pi successfully defeats his fear and despair. It indicates that Richard Parker accompanies Pi through several lonely nights. "He gave me life, my own, but at the expense of taking one. He ripped the flesh off the man's frame and cracked his bones" (Life of Pi 380). Richard Parker shows that his brutal nature is primitive. He kills strangers who attempt to loot Pi's biscuit. In the story, the tiger symbolizes Pi's brutish nature and badness. When Pi lives on the lifeboat, the tiger is like the embodiment of his evil. The image of Richard Parker