The Challenges in Yann Martel's Life of Pi Essay

As Pi reaches the second level of the hierarchy of needs, he finds himself on the level of safety he needs to figure out how to stay safe while on the life boat. While Pi was on the boat he was so scared of Richard Parker that he had jumped off the boat to go in the water, but then realizes that there are predators just as scary as Richard parker or maybe even worse that he has to avoid to staying safe. “I noticed the presence of sharks around the life boat…The sharks were makos-swift, point-snouted predators with long murderous teeth that protruded noticeable from their mouths” (Martel 179). Once Pi tries to overcome his fears and tames Richard like a zookeeper would do and once he does, he ends up having a companion that helps Pi get through the struggle to survive. Pi finds an island where he is safe and is able to regain his strength but as he finds a tooth in the algae, Pi

To overcome his constant fear of Richard Parker, Pi devises a system in an attempt to tame the wild beast. Pi realizes the tiger is important to keep around but he is frightened by his presence and killer instincts. His

During this part of the novel, Pi’s father is teaching him a lesson by letting a tiger brutally kill a goat right in front of him. He is trying to teach Pi to not go near an animal such as tigers because they are incredibly dangerous. I believe this thread represents the foreshadowing of what is to come for Pi.

The tiger that Pi refers to throughout his ordeal is could be perceived as the alter-ego of himself, “The tiger killed the hyena- and the blind Frenchman- just as he killed the cook” (311). While Pi was able to use his imagination to portray a tiger as himself, Richard Parker was never more than an extension of Pi’s imagination. Richard Parker simply symbolized Pi in the real world and could never

1. The main characters in Life of Pi are Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) and Richard Parker the Bengal tiger. Pi is the protagonist he is hopeful and believes that things get better. He is very optimistic which gets him through a lot of his troubles. In the beginning of the book Pi seemed to have things the rough way and continues that way but he was very hopeful. In the beginning of his lifeboat journey he was sure things would get better but as time went by he wasn't sure anymore but he had things to remind him to keep going. I also think he became more grownup and stronger by the end of the book. Richard Parker is the tiger on the lifeboat with Pi he is there every step of the way with Pi. He helps Pi get through things. Richard Parker is very

Commentary: When the author notes a step by step way of training the tiger, the reader better understands how important zoos, animals, and animal training was in Pi’s childhood, being the son of a zoo keeper. Instead of reading a training manual (like in the movie) Pi comes up with his own theory on how to tame Richard Parker.

In addition, Pi decides to feed a “450-pound” (Martel 61) bengal tiger named Richard Parker for his own self preservation. He acknowledges, “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity…More likely the worst would happen: the simple passage of time, in which his animal toughness would easily outlast my human frailty” (Martel 164). This means that Pi fears that the fierce animal strength and power of Richard Parker would eventually kill and eat him for food.

Richard Parker, the tiger, is a symbol of Pi himself. Pi directly correlates himself with Richard Parker. If Richard Parker “give[s] up” (121) then Pi is giving up. When swimming toward the life boat Richard Parker “look[s] small and helpless” (121) much like Pi actually is. Next to the tiger, zebra, and hyena Pi is small and feeble; he has no way to defend himself against the other animals. Pi egging Richard Parker on, toward the boat; “keep[ing him] swimming” (122) shows Pi’s resilience for survival; determined for Richard Parker to survive, which is actually his determination to survive. It is often mistaken in the novel as to whether Pi is speaking of himself or of Richard Parker because they could be the same being.

Firstly, a main symbol in the novel is Richard Parker, a four hundred-fifty pound Bengal Tiger. Richard Parker with the main protagonist, Piscine Molitor Patel, also known as Pi, come together during a shipwreck and endure over two hundred days of hardship on a lifeboat, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Pi is

In Life Of Pi by Yann Martel, Richard Parker, and Pi go on a very tough journey all over the ocean with only a lifeboat, and a limited supply of food, and water. They started out with multiple animals on the boat they but only one survived. Richard Parker was the highest on the food chain on the boat. Richard quickly ate the Hyena, Zebra, and the Orangutan. Bengal Tigers have a very large appetite. So, he soon ran out of food after he ate all of the other animals. Therefore, to save his own life Pi started to catch fish for both of them to eat. When this story took place Bengal Tigers were very endangered. Pi was starved, if he killed Richard Parker should he get in trouble? Even though tigers were endangered, and

The story of the teenager's survival at sea is the story of how to deal with Richard Parker's. Because Pi cannot beat the tiger, so he eventually chooses to face with him rafting life. 7 months, He collected fresh water, fishing and catch shrimp, He wants to use all the maritime survival skills to feed the tiger, Also let him survive.Of course, this rafting also encountered storms, shark attacks and a variety of wonderful and bloody dangers. After Pi and the tiger had finished eating all the food, they were ready to die in despair. But miraculously as they drifted into a heavenly island with the boat. After a short stay, he found it was a cannibal island. The frightened Pi and the tigers began rafting again until they were rescued on the beaches of Mexico, and the tigers did not go back and

In the book Life of Pi, Pi is trapped on a boat with a tiger and soon becomes very fond of him. In the book Pi says “ I love you!”....”Truly I do. I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I would make it. No, I wouldn’t. I would die of hopelessness. Don’t give up, Richard Parker, don’t give up. I’ll get you to land, I promise, I promise.”(Martel 298) Richard Parker really did keep Pi alive and gave him the will to live and the confidence to survive. Researcheres have shown that animal can stimulate human brain activity. “Even though we may not feel particularly moved by animal images, the researchers say the resulting brain activity occurs at a conscious level. The researchers stop short of saying that animals inherently trigger our emotions, but it’s possible that they do affect our fear and arousal responses in unique ways.” (Jeran paragraph 10). Also “No matter how high tech and urban we may become, animals continue to affect our brains like no other person..” (Jeran paragraph

By sharing a lifeboat, Pi had a zoomorphic arrangement with Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. At first, Pi and Richard Parker did not coexist well, but then both had to adapt to living on a lifeboat with limited supplies and together they went through traumatizing experiences, such as the storm. By going through this experience with Richard Parker, Pi noticed a bond growing between them. Pi was first scared of Richard Parker, but then as time went on, he thought of him as a friend rather than an enemy. To some degree, Pi even loves Richard Parker and sees him as a human. Once the lifeboat reached Mexico, Richard Parker disappeared into the jungle unceremoniously, which troubled Pi. Humans often expect goodbyes when someone is leaving from their life and this shows how Pi had seen Richard Parker as almost human

Pi contacted with animals when he was very young. Therefore, when he was in trouble and afraid to solve the problem, his savagery will help him. “We fight to the very end. It’s not a question of courage. Its something constitutional, and inability to let go. It maybe nothing more than life-hungry stupidity. Richard Parker started growing that very instant as if he had been waiting for me to become a worthy opponent. My chest became tight with fear”( Martel p.187). Pi finally chose to face the tiger, and save himself. He did not choose to stay until the tiger eats him. Even if he knows that it’s difficult to survive, he did not give up. Pi stayed with animals when he was a child. His curiosity made him have a great interest in animals. He might learn something from the wild animals. Moreover, if animals did something very cruel and their behavior will probably leave a deep impression about those things in Pi’s mind. Therefore, Pi’s savagery leads him to have the determination to against the tiger, Richard

The next key character is Richard Parker, an adult Bengal tiger who Pi inadvertently rescues after the Tsimtsum sinks. He is the only animal that survives the 227 days with Pi until they reach land and he flees into the jungle, which upsets Pi.