preview

Grant Zebra In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

Good Essays
Open Document

What if the glorious animals of Life of Pi never really existed? Life of Pi is no doubt a very innovative and creative novel. An example of this is how it uses animals to tackle challenges that one faces when stranded at sea. The most prevalent animals were a zebra, hyena, orangutan, and a Tiger known as Richard Parker. However the animals were never really there, but instead were just metaphors for Pi’s changing psychology and personality throughout the book. The Grant Zebra is one of the first animals Pi comes in contact with. The Zebra is a metaphor for the drastic change of Pi being thrown into this situation and how it affected him. “It was a male Grant… It landed with a loud crash on the last bench smashing it and shaking the whole …show more content…

For Pi to become stronger and survive the Hyena, his strong side, had to kill the Zebra, his weak side. “The hyena had attacked the zebra. It’s mouth was bright red and it was chewing on a piece of hide” (Martel 120). At that moment, Pi first gets the idea about how bad his situation is. Eventually, he realizes exactly what’s going on and what he must do to survive. “I had to stop hoping so much that a ship would rescue me. I should not count on outside help” (Martel 168). At this moment, Pi is completely abandoning the part of his personality that represents weakness and is starting to embrace his stronger side. This is translated by the Zebra giving up and dying. After Pi embraces a stronger side it is easy to see the similarities between him and the hyena. An example of this would be their disregard for hygiene. “My urine look delicious!...I splashed my urine on the tarpaulin and over the locker lid” (Martel 172). Although not as severe as the hyena Pi displays a large lacking of hygiene by even considering drinking his urine and pouring it on where he spends most of his time. Another trait Pi adapted from his new personality is his sense of greed. The hyena is known for greed, and even displays this on the boat. “When it was no longer satisfied with the reach it had from behind the zebra… it started pulling out coils of intestines... seemingly overwhelmed by …show more content…

“She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary” (Martel 111). As soon as Pi sees Orange Juice he relates her to a savior like the Virgin Mary. The main reason the Orangutan was introduced was because Pi lost a major factor in his life as a result of the wreck. Pi obviously loved his mother very much, and a main reason for this was because she was very protective and wanted his well-being. “‘Oh really, is this necessary?’ interrupted mother… ‘but Piscine? He’s only eight,’ Mother insisted”. (Martel 32). With the information about Orange Juice and Pi’s mother, it is easy to see the similarities between the two. Orange Juice was actually vital to Pi’s survival. “children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress” (Mom’s Love Good for Child’s Brain). Orange Juice was crafted by Pi’s psyche as a type of coping mechanism to help deal with his stress, and also help bring some joy to him. The Orangutan can also be seen as a sense of protection. This is mostly visible in the times of conflict with the Hyena. When the Hyena kills Pi’s innocence (Zebra) the Orangutan becomes anxious but still remains. Soon after though Pi’s savage and ruthless side (Hyena) kills of Pi’s protection and love. This

Get Access