Theme Of Friendship In Life Of Pi

Have you ever been alone and you wished for a friend to provide comfort and keep you going? Yann Martel, in his novel The Life of Pi, tells the story of a character who needed exactly that, given his circumstances. In his story, Martel expresses and promotes this idea through a long boat journey and some some incredible animals. Using these circumstances, Martel teaches the reader that in the face of danger, people find comfort in even the most unlikely friendships. In the beginning of the journey, just after the ship Pi is on sinks, taking his family with it, Martel gives us a peek at the comfort in friendships by giving Pi a temporary friendship in the form of Orange Juice (the orangutan from the zoo). Pi relies on this friendship to keep him still slightly alive and sane in the first part of the long boat trip. After the ship sinks, Pi is left alone on a lifeboat with an injured zebra, a full grown hyena, and a hidden tiger, none of which can offer him any form of comfort or joy. Then, Orange Juice came along. “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary. The rising sun was behind her. Her flaming hair looked …show more content…
Martel showcases this through Pi’s temporary friendship with Orange Juice the orangutan, Pi’s survival-induced loving friendship with Richard Parker, and Pi’s despair when Richard Parker leaves. Friendships are one of the most important things people have in their possession, especially in times of terror or danger or trauma. Whether it’s just a simple issue or a traumatic problem, friendship is always a blanket of comfort waiting. So if you are ever feeling alone or depressed, or have just seen the most terrifying thing in your life, turn to a friends, or make a new one. That’s what they’re there