The Game Of Survival
In most survival stories, the protagonist is placed in an extreme environment that requires plenty of motivation, not only to sustain oneself but to also mature mentally, emotionally and physically. While Martel’s Life Of Pi and Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” both feature protagonists on the edge of insanity during their struggle for survival, Martel’s protagonist has more motivation to survive and develops as a character throughout the story, whereas Hemingway’s protagonist shows no motivation to survive and no real development.
In Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” the protagonist Harry, a writer, is on the verge of dying as his right leg is infected with gangrene while his wife and he are on an expedition …show more content…
In Martel’s Life Of Pi a young adolescent by the name of Pi, finds himself stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. His only companion that remains alive throughout the whole ordeal is a 400-pound bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker. Like any other adolescent, Pi is immensely afraid of death and constantly contemplates the many possibilities in which his death would be the final outcome . “I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me. Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten...” (107). Simultaneously, he is willing to give his life up in order to escape going through this life-changing experience. However in contrast to Hemingway’s story, Martel’s protagonist does have a turning point that helps him transition to be a survivor and ensure a happy ending. His first step of development is when he first thinks of trying to survive and get food. “I thought of sustenance for the first time. I had not had a drop to drink or a bite to eat or a minute of sleep in three days. Finding this obvious explanation …show more content…
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
In most survival stories, the protagonist is placed in an extreme environment that requires plenty of motivation, not only to sustain oneself but to also mature mentally, emotionally and physically. While Martel’s Life Of Pi and Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” both feature protagonists on the edge of insanity during their struggle for survival, Martel’s protagonist has more motivation to survive and develops as a character throughout the story, whereas Hemingway’s protagonist shows no motivation to survive and no real development.
In Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” the protagonist Harry, a writer, is on the verge of dying as his right leg is infected with gangrene while his wife and he are on an expedition …show more content…
In Martel’s Life Of Pi a young adolescent by the name of Pi, finds himself stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. His only companion that remains alive throughout the whole ordeal is a 400-pound bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker. Like any other adolescent, Pi is immensely afraid of death and constantly contemplates the many possibilities in which his death would be the final outcome . “I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me. Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten...” (107). Simultaneously, he is willing to give his life up in order to escape going through this life-changing experience. However in contrast to Hemingway’s story, Martel’s protagonist does have a turning point that helps him transition to be a survivor and ensure a happy ending. His first step of development is when he first thinks of trying to survive and get food. “I thought of sustenance for the first time. I had not had a drop to drink or a bite to eat or a minute of sleep in three days. Finding this obvious explanation …show more content…
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