Yann Martel's 'Life Of Pi': Character Analysis

Improved Essays
Most of humanity is provided with simple everyday items to aid them throughout the day. Humanity has evolved to be more dependent on others to survive however in Yann Martel’s award winning novel “Life of Pi”, Pascine has to endure and overcome very horrible and gruesome horrors. Pi manages to survive on a life boat and uses many survival tactics to keep him alive such as having strong hope and faith in his religion. The first and last thing Pi does is pray and doing so it keeps his hopes up. Next, he also survives due to Richard Parkers presence on the life boat. At first, Pi is very terrified of Richard Parker but proves to overcome his fear and learned to care and depend on him. Another tactic Pi used was doing daily tasks to keep his mind …show more content…
Richard Parker is aboard with Pi and causes him to be absolutely terrified however Pi discovers that Richard Parker is more of an asset than a total nightmare. Moreover, Pi starts to depend more on Richard Parker everyday and take care of him which helps him physically and Pi mentally. At first, Pi thought “I had a chance so long as he did not see me. If he did, he would kill me right away, Could he burst through the tarpaulin, I wondered” (Martel, 119). However, Pascine realizes that what would bring him amazing hope was what he was deeply terrified of. Next, when the ship was heading towards Pi and Richard Parker then later passing them without noticing anything they both lost all hope, “I love you Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I would make it. No, I wouldn’t, I would die of hopelessness” (Martel, 202). Pi states he would die of hopelessness but because of Pi’s demoting love for Richard Parker and his presence, Pascine continued to look into the future even though an opportunity just sailed passed him. Finally, Pi treated Richard Parker more like a family member rather than a blood thirsty Bengal tiger from a zoo in Pondicherry, India. Pi gave Richard Parker lots of respect which made him Pi care more about him. “Richard Parker has …show more content…
On the other hand, Pascine keeps himself occupied by doing daily tasks to keep him sane and mentally stable. Firstly, all Pi had with him on the lifeboat was a survivors manual and it read “Unnecessary exertion should be avoided. But an idle mind tends to sink, so the mind should be kept occupied with whatever light distraction may suggest itself” (Martel, 184). Notably, Pi creates a system where he does things daily so he would keep his sanity such performing daily lifeboat checks. Also, praying to god was essential for Pi to survive. “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). Furthermore, Pi prayed to god four times a day to escape his situation and it brought him peace and harmony. However, it was very difficult for him to sometimes pray because he would constantly be reminded of where he was by the irritating sounds of Richard Parker and the open sea. But even so, he kept his sanity and his will power to advance to the next step in his journey by keeping his mind

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Due to the experience with Richard Parker and seeing how the natural survival instincts worked with him, it led to Pi discovering the will to survive. It is most evident when Pi describes his reaction after seeing Richard Parker’s attempt to feed himself, “It was a dazzling display of might and speed. Actually, it was not so much the speed that was impressive but the pure animal confidence... Such a mix of ease and concentration, such being-in-the-present, would be the envy of the highest yogis”(Martel, 201). In both plots, a guide develops into a necessity for the protagonists’ survival and ultimate success.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the story of the Life of Pi, Piscine Patel is explaining to a secular author who was convinced that this man could make him believe in God. Thus, Piscine (Pi) tells an adventure from long ago. Pi explains that he was a young religious man born in India from zookeepers and is suddenly that he will move to Canada, as his father has job opportunities there, perhaps even better than in India. However, caos falls onto the boat to Canada and Pi is stranded on a raft with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger; although, the only left alive is him and the tiger. The story is all about how he and his survival instincts pull through and survive the rigorous challenges of the Atlantic Ocean.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Can any person survive at sea for 227 days? Life of Pi’s protagonist Piscine Molitor Patel not only survived his ordeal in the Pacific Ocean, but did it with his only companion, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Yann Martel expresses his belief towards god by first believing in it and second not writing it in chronological order, instead he wrote it as it was told. Pi’s story has always been with faith. That is why Pi always prefers “the better story”(Martel 70) because it helps him emotionally understand his ordeal on the pacific ocean.…

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    The story takes a greater turn once Pi accepts death, “I would rate the day I went blind as the day my extreme suffering began… I resolved to die” (Martel 90). After all he’s been through he finally accepts defeat. He has had low moods before but this time he expresses a sense of peace because he will be reunited with his family. Previously in the novel the reward of taming Richard Parker the tiger has been achieved. In the end, his blindness wares off and once again he is motivated to live.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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

    Through the Life of Pi, Yann Martel has excellently weaved a fable wherein storytelling and imagination is centric to the delivery of the plot. It is clear that Martell has placed a strong focus on anecdotally stylish and recount based storytelling throughout The Life of Pi, and by extension demonstrates the importance and enigmatic power of storytelling and imagination in our lives. A range of techniques and themes are utilised by Martel in order to express this idea; using symbolism, the ambiguity and reliability of narration/storytelling, and Metaphors and Imagery to accentuate to readers this point of view. Many examples of symbolism were present throughout The Life of Pi, many of which serve to add depth and hypothetical content to the…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He later decided that he did not want to kill the tiger, but to simply train Richard Parker to be under his control. Pi now verbally claiming that he loves Richard Parker demonstrates how much their relationship has…

    • 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?…

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved 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
  • Improved Essays

    The Life of Pi is an interesting novel, in which the protagonist, Piscine Patel, finds himself stranded in the Pacific Ocean with a 450 lb. Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Or was he? The novel presents two stories to the reader, one in which Piscine, commonly referred to as Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with animals, and one story in which Pi finds himself stranded in the same setting, but with human counterparts, and a much more gruesome ending.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Life of Pi Essay Life has tons of struggles, problems, and challenges in it that we all have to go through, but sometimes, those issues can turn into something much more. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, we follow Piscine Molitor Patel, a young boy who goes from his home in India where his father runs a zoo to stranded in the middle of the sea on a lifeboat with a tiger. Pi has many beliefs that were formulated while he lived in India that we see appear on the lifeboat. These beliefs helped him survive through his time of peril. Pi’s three beliefs are that religion is important, routine makes life less complicated, and that someone needs to take charge in order for things to go right.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life of Pi is a meta-fiction that inquires the reader’s faith. Using meta-fiction to his advantage, Matel questions the disparity between reality and imaginary. In his novel, he explores the contrast of mother nature, her gentle aura and her cruel behaviour. Her gentle side is demonstrated through the protagonist’s interpretation of the fauna and flora. Whereas, her cruel side is illustrated by Pi’s vivid encounter with ferocious animals.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved 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.…

    • 1484 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Secondly, Pi continuous to practice his religious faith at sea and his belief in God give him more hope and strength. Lastly, Pi faiths keep him emotionally stable. To begin, Richard Parker is not only and animal but he is also the faith and strength of Piscine. Moreover, without Richard Parker, Pi would have not had the strength to survive in the middle of the ocean.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The two crucial stories told by Piscine Molitor Patel, the main character of the novel Life Of Pi written by Yann Martel, contain completely different characters as well as different versions of events that took place while Pi was lost at sea. The differences of these two stories unite to form a commentary on religion, specifically religious tales, and the power of storytelling. In addition to their differences unveiling observations related to people’s beliefs, the similarities between the two also say something about how perception can change reality. The first more detailed story Pi tells includes a unique series events after a shipwreck which leaves the narrator stuck in a lifeboat with several animals, attempting to survive.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays