As depicted in Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi acts of courage not only affect, but develop and nurture personal integrity. Contradicting his beliefs, Pi required great mental strength to finally “bring the hatchet down [...] and complete the action”(Pg 230) beheading a fish. Driven by Pi’s hunger to survive when “life is threatened” he carryouts acts that blunt his “sense of empathy”(Pg 151). With his acceptance of the courageous acts committed, Pi eventually becomes the same boy he was in India with an amazing story that will “make you believe in god”(Pg ix). After a complete paradigm shift of the world he knew. Although Pi has taken part in many faiths he must break his beliefs in order to survive. A task that had gotten easier through repetition was fishing and killing many sea animals (fish, turtles) in order to eat. Although this was difficult the first time, when he saw “the thing was gasping for water”(Pg230) he could not kill it. Pi …show more content…
With that part gone he no longer feared death, but rather he embraced it. Pi is able to carry on in complete knowledge of his inevitable fate perking up with nothing to lose. Salvation threatens Pi’s life when he makes it to the island. Realizing it was carnivorous and could kill him was not the only threat to his life. More important than physically dying on the island would have been emotionally dying there. There is a difference between surviving and living, had he chosen to stay Pi would have only been surviving. Pi would rather “perish in search of his own kind” rather than living a “lonely half life”(Pg 357). Showing that he still had faith that he would find true salvation in the arms of society, Pi leaves the island. This is all important to nurturing his his personal integrity; even though Pi had a lack of empathy when living on the boat he regains it. Regaining it when he made it to the mexican shore, with new insights on why animals kill to live, and just how much he needs other
Another way Pi was able to survive through his harsh times was by learning how to live with Richard Parker. At first Pi was terribly afraid that he might be the next goat. “I had a choice so long as he did not sense me. If he did, he would kill me right away. Could he burst through the tarpaulin, I wondered.”(Martel, 119) Since Pi was afraid of Richard Parker, he would try his best to avoid him. His fear towards Richard Parker distracted Pi from the sorrow left by the sinking of the Tsimtsum. Even if Richard Parker was a man-eating carnivore he had to learn how to live with him. “In my case, to protect myself from Richard Parker while I trained him, I made a shield with a turtle shell...” (Martel, 228) If Pi wasn’t able to tame Richard Parker
Religious people often sacrifice their beloved items such as food, jewelers, and even animals in order to impress God, so they can fulfill their wishes and desires. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the author tries to relate individual’s life’s goals and sacrifices through the characters of his story. In order to survive, the main character of the novel- Pi - sacrifices his beliefs and integrity. The young, bookish, and religious boy faces the harsh truth of reality. He stays with Richard Parker-a Bengali tiger-on the dangerous journey of his life. Throughout the novel, he learns about sacrifices and he himself gives sacrifice. One of the major themes is sacrifice; Martel argues that sacrifices are often essential in order to gain higher goals.
Pi’s journey is his spiritual development; in order to successfully complete the journey, he has to avoid excessive physical comfort. His arrival in the island is potentially equivalent to the “abyss” stage, because physical sloth may captivate him. As he has been through countless harsh and perilous conditions of the ocean, it may be tempting for him to remain in the island, because it provides him with safety and physical comfort. Pi gradually realizes that the consequence of remaining in the island is being “eaten” as the “island [is] carnivorous” (312). If Pi indulged in physical comfort by remaining in the island, he would not have been able to complete his heroic journey as he would be spiritually “eaten” by the island.
“It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing.” (Martel 205) This quote describes how even though Pi despaired his first killing of the fish because he took a life, he now becomes delighted at the idea of killing fish; he even has hunter’s pride now. This displays how Pi loses a part of his morality because of the decisions that he had to make in order to survive because he did not have anyone to confide in or talk to in order to stay grounded to who he is. “He gave me life, my own, but at the expense of taking one. He ripped the flesh off the man’s frame and cracked his bones. The smell of blood filled my nose. Something in me died then that has never come back to life.” (Martel 283) This is a dark moment for Pi as he experiences an awful event, which causes him to lose the morality that he had during his
The will to live is a strong urge of survival that occurs when one’s life is threatened. The novel and film Life of Pi is about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel who is lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean due to a shipwreck with a 450 pound Bengal Tiger. The theme that fits the novel and film the best is the will to live. The novel and film effectively prove the theme by using symbols to portray how badly Pi wants to live. Characterization also plays an important role in proving the theme as the novel and book show how Pi and his tiger have to change themselves to live. Cinematic techniques such as different types of camera angles are used as well to prove that the will to live is the essential theme in the film. In the novel, Yann Martel shows how the camera angles prove what they prove. The film and novel Life of Pi effectively capture the theme of the will to live by the effective use of symbolism, characterization, and cinematic techniques.
Pi being able to normalize animal killing for his own survival eventually helps him come to fully understand and appreciate the sanctity of a living being. Having known what it is like to feel the life escaping another sentient being gave him a deeper perspective on the deeply seeded Hindu tradition that any form of sentient life is sacred and must be respected as such. The first time Pi felt this phenomenon was an extremely emotional time for him. Although he was doing what he needed to do purely for the sake of survival, Pi felt like a murderer as he snapped the fish in half. Through the present-day form that the story is told in, it is revealed that Pi “never forget[s] to include this fish in his prayers” (183). Pi’s deeply seeded vegetarianism, rooted in his faith, has only been strengthened during his voyage, and Pi notes that he reverted to vegetarianism after returning to regular life. Rather than accepting the diet that he had adapted to on the lifeboat, his religious quest further grew his respect for sentient life. Instead of making this choice solely by principle, he made it based on his experience on the lifeboat. The killing of animals during his voyage strengthened his belief in the blessedness of all sentient life, and further evolved his vegetarian
He is most likely frighted by this idea because he lived with animals and woke up with them every single day throughout his childhood. However when he is put in a situation where he needs to fight for survival, he needs to change his eating habits. Pi tried for a very long time to stay away from consuming animals, but at one point he realized in order to stay alive, he needed to eat his first ever animal. When reminiscing about the event he said, “You may be astonished that in such a short period of time I could go from weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death a dorado. I could explain it by arguing that profiting from a pitiful flying fish's navigational mistake made me shy and sorrowful, while the excitement of actively capturing a great dorado made me sanguinary and self-assured. But in point of fact the explanation lies elsewhere. It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing” (185). This line is so powerful because he truly does feel bad for the animal. Even through all of the tough times that he is enduring on the boat, he still feels really bad about
The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of high in your heart. I would go on loving" (Martel, 232). He knows that humans are the greatest creatures made by God. As a result they can do whatever they want to, no matter how hard that action is. Pi controls Richard Parker with blowing in the whistle. One can learn clearly from Pi that it does not have to be complete loss or lack of hope. Faith transfers hope into Pi's heart. It's like giving water to thirsty grass, or charging a battery that is out of charge. He keeps faith, however, he doesn't know much about his religion. He explains, " I practiced religious ritual that I adapted to the circumstances solitary Masses without priests or consecrated on communion hosts, darshans without murtis and pujas with turtle meat for prasad, acts of devotion to Allah not knowing where Mecca was and getting my Arabic wrong" (Martel, 231). New activities lighten the monotony of Pi's daily life, though they are quickly absorbed into routine. Each "first" in the lifeboat or on the raft is treated in the account with detail and great passion. However, inevitably those firsts quickly meld into a monotonous series of repetitions that dull the senses. The first time Pi kills a fish, we are held in thrall as he hesitates and frets over the act. But, as soon as it is over, it is as though a spell has broken: Pi is now free to kill as many fish as he can, any way he can, without any sort of
Humans generally face struggles in their lifetime. Such struggles could be within themselves or with someone or something else but commonly stem from some sort of opposition in lifestyle. In Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, Pi’s passion for personal survival conflicts with his moral obligations to himself internally, morphing his external character.
“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.” This mighty quote, plummets out of the novel Life of Pi. Its idea of the story that Yann Martel tells in this novel is of a journey that makes the story sound realistic. It’s undoubtful that only a master storyteller, like Yann Martel himself, could write such dominant and lifting quotes. Martel gives us the novel Life of Pi, which is a coming of age story about a young boy who reaches maturity through tragic, but uplifting loss and miraculous survival. The story, Life of Pi, is reflected apron on a wild journey that comes with many adventures, tragics, some laughs, and also survival.
Lastly, Pi’s state of mental malnourishment assisted him into his new life by his faith and still praying to god even though he was put in such an unimaginable situation. From connecting the storm to god trying to intimidate Richard Parker and the fish that came to Pi in his time of need to a gift from god, Pi kept his faith when most would think that their god has forsaken them. In conclusion, Pi’s mental cravings to exist once again in the real world help him actually fulfil this
Life of Pi shows that humans and animals should do anything necessary to survive whatever challenges they face to live instead of just accepting death. Whatever ways that help one to survive are necessary, even if they compromise personal values, are vicious, or are wicked. Pi, a human; a hyena, and a blind man all fight to survive in a variety of ways that are examples of this thesis.
“You might think I lost hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better.” At several points in my life, I have reached a point at which I lost all hope. I lost my energy and determination, but from that negative energy came a light to guide me in the right direction. When we realize we are in a dark place, it motivates us to try to escape it. This dark place can lead to the best creation and some of the greatest levels of accomplishment in life. When I lost the first art contest I entered, I thought I was a failure, unable to create anything worth looking at. However, some of my best work came after that instance. In friendship the same applies. My best friend had been using me all my life,
Strength during a survival situation is the most important thing to stay alive. This gives an individual the willingness and drive to do what is necessary to survive. Pi’s mental strength is paramount to survive during this ordeal. Without maintaining mental strength Pi would lose his sanity and eventually die. “I Will Not Die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously” (Martel 148). A strong mental mindset using proactive thinking is key to keep morale high, and having the willingness to survive. The passage shows how Pi is very determined to survive no matter the odds. Mental strength can survive without physical strength, but human necessities will provide physical strength. Pi demonstrates physical strength through his last effort of
Pi is no longer capable to survive, he had to try to eat Richard Parker’s feces. It does not concern Pi that he tried to eat Richard Parker’s fece. Pi has lost human like qualities and is now using savage characteristics to help him survive and