Life Of Pi And Survival

Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is a novel about a young boy, Pi, trapped with a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker who survive together in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. The central theme of the novel is Pi’s faith in God, which proves to be a crucial part of his survival during the extreme situation. In the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, the author talks about the importance of literary elements such as symbols, geography, and stories to a literary piece. These elements are used in Life of Pi to develop its compelling story about growing up.

In the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel, we see Pi’s character develop both emotionally and spiritually through the process described in Joseph Campbell’s the Hero’s Journey. Throughout the journey, we see Pi find his faith in his Ordinary Life, lose it during his Ordeal, and rediscover it when he has his Return with the Elixir.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an extraordinary tale of a young Indian boy whose faith is syncretized. His alternate world that he has fabricated is used to blur the line between the harsh and brutal nature of the sea and the personified world where animals come to life. These two worlds clash together to form a Kafkaesque in a faith-based realm which ultimately makes readers question the realities of life.

“Survival can be summed up in these three words- never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” In both the article, “The Lone Survivor,” and the novel, “Life of Pi,” the characters face many challenges in order to survive. The quote relates to these characters due to the fact that they never give up. In an extreme environment their perseverance and determination inspires their will to survive.

Amazing things have been accomplished in the name of God. In the Life of Pi, sixteen-year old Pi survived seven months on a lifeboat with only his faith in God to guide him. Pi had always been a big believer in God. In fact, he practiced three religions, claiming that, “All religions are true.” (ch.23 pg.69). Even while stranded on a lifeboat, Pi found a way to believe and pray. This unwavering devotion was what led Pi to land and civilization after seven long months at sea.

In this journal, I will be questioning whether Pi will survive in the ocean. First, Pi has animals to keep him company aboard the raft. Even though the animals like to fight with each other it still makes Pi feel less lonely, and therefore more willing to try and survive. This shows how Pi will survive because he is determined to. Secondly, Pi begins to learn how to gather food and water to survive. “With time and experience I became a better hunter” (Martel 173). Pi begins to eat quality amounts of fish and turtles, and feeds Richard Parker the tiger some of the fish. This shows how Pi will learn to survive and adapt to the climate around him. Lastly, Pi is realizing what he has to do to survive. Pi was a vegetarian before he became stranded, so having to eat fish is different to him.

Pi survives emotionally, physically, and spiritually but there is still one more means of survival which is considered even more difficult to deal with than the rest- Mental survival. It is surprisingly easy to fail your mental health, especially in Pi’s current situation. Whether he is happy, healthy, and one with god or not, it would be easy to lose his grip on his own sanity; hence why it is considered so difficult. In both stories he experiences life-changing trauma like death, loss, and multiple life-threatening situations, but to hinder the setbacks of this trauma, he keeps himself busy, puts a hold on his feelings, and pushes himself to survive. For example, he refuses to let himself have too much pity for the zebra and he even forces

Religion can grant you a great amount of things, like belief, trust, and faith, but it can also give you the gift of hope. In the book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, an Indonesian boy, named Pi, is shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean. Pi survived 227 days at sea because his faith in multiple religions instilled him with a sense a hope to survive. As a boy, Pi was raised to be a Buddhist and lived in a Buddhist family.

Piscine “Pi” Patel was shipwrecked and lost at sea which he remained for 227 days. In the crash he lost his entire family and was the sole human survivor. He maintained his sanity and innocence by putting his life into god's hands. Pi stayed true to himself and his religion and constantly prayed and talked to god. The Author of the book claimed that the story of Pi would make you believe in god. He developed this claim by detailing the long and adverse time at sea. Not only physically with the lack of food and fresh water, Pi also had a hard time surviving mentally seeing how he was stranded on a life raft for 200 plus days with only a tiger as his company.

When in a threatening situation, life is one thing that will cross a person’s mind because that is what they are fighting for. In life there are many challenges and within those challenges life lessons. These challenges show the true character within a person. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, is a story about a young boy named Pi who finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. Pi must survive both nature and the tiger on board.

Write a composition based on literature that you have studied in which the significance of characters’ responses to the varied behaviors and/or beliefs of others.

Pi uses his profound faith in God to obtain the necessary strength and willpower to survive independently in the vast Pacific Ocean for 227 days in a lifeboat with an adult Bengal tiger. When he is stranded he still continues to believe in god, it helps to survive the multiple obstacles that he encounters over the course of his journey. His studies in religions serve as a defensive safeguard against the harsh situation that he has been thrown into. In his long, dangerous, and lonely exploration he never once questions his faith. Pi astonishingly continues all his religious beliefs he does his daily prayers, which help to sustain his sanity and hope. He is constantly faced with difficulties ranging from salt-water boils, death by a tiger, cold,

Life is defined by adversity. One never truly comprehends the beauty of life until one comes close to losing it. We are put through many hardships in life, whether we are prepared or not, and we learn to understand and deal with those issues along the way; adapting to these situations could include learning how to swim or what animals eat. In Yann Martel’s novel Life Of Pi, Pi Patel is contrasted with the experienced sailor Deborah Kiley by entrusting faith, the use of his knowledge, and adaptation to the situation to overcome obstacles beyond his control.

It is difficult to talk about the Life of Pi text without making a reference to faith, and the same goes with explaining Pi’s survival. Pi’s belief in pluralism and acceptance of the three religions, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam aid his future and is a crucial part of his survival at sea. His faith in knowing “so long as god is with me, I will not die” gives him the mental strength and will power to survive his ordeal. Even in the middle of the ocean, Pi practices all his religious rituals such as ‘‘solitary masses without consecrated Communion Hosts’’

It is known that one of the most difficult things to do, is survive on sea in terms of a survival situation. (Grade Saver). Surviving on sea is one difficult thing to do on your own although imagine doing it with a Bengal tiger? Not imaginable, but it did happen with Piscine Molitor Patel of Pondicherry India. Pi survives on sea for seven months (227) days from India to the coast of Mexico mentally and physically because he had hope, Richard Parker, and religion. Without these three things- he may not have survived because he speaks about the importance of these things to him and the role that they play in his life and the influence they have on him on this treacherous, lengthy journey.