Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

In order for his survival, Pi needed to keep himself occupied mentally and physically, where on page 190 he says “I kept myself busy. That was one key to my survival”. It's important that Pi kept himself busy because if Pi had nothing to do, he could be bored to death, literally, by possibly committing suicide to end his misery. Also by keeping himself busy, time goes faster for Pi than it would if he was doing nothing. According to Pi, another way he kept himself mentally stable was by putting the time that has passed aside, he says “I did not count the days or the weeks or the months. Time is an illusion that only makes us pant. I Survived because I forgot even the very notion of time” on page 192. If Pi counted the days that passed, it would be demotivating because he would probably just count the days as for how long he has been stranded with no help. It’s also good that Pi forgot time because if he forgot time

Yann Martel manipulates the narrative style and structural devices within this passage to support the will to survive theme that is present in Life of Pi. Before the shipwreck, Pi was a spiritual individual with a strong appreciation for the joy and peace in life. Pi commonly experienced cruelty and doubt from his family and friends; however, he remained calm by following the guidance from his three religions. After the shipwreck, the spirituality within Pi’s life was tampered with because the chaotic and brute actions of the animals threatened to separate Pi from his peaceful demeanour. At first, Pi maintained his interaction with God, but as the days passed and the conditions worsened, Pi’s animal instincts began to develop.

Throughout the novel, Pi’s thoughts reveal and internal struggle between his desire to live and his own beliefs to what is morally right. Pi grows up on varying religious viewpoints because he studies different religions. His religious diversity forms a moral standard of “dignity not …depravity” (Martel 71). He values dignity and character over corruption of morals initially because he sees

Pi’s collective knowledge from his friends and family provided an opportunity to develop a survival mindset and skills that would eventually help him survive through his journey.

By looking at Life of Pi by Yann Martel, one can see that an individual has a limit to how much physical and emotional strain they can endure before they are forced to resort to doubting their beliefs and values, and when they are forced into isolation, may become mentally unstable and create their own version of reality. Martel portrays this idea best through the main character, Piscine Patel, otherwise known as Pi. Pi unwillingly embarks on a strenuous voyage in the Pacific Ocean in a lifeboat after most of his family dies in a shipwreck during their move to Canada to escape the political situation on India in the 1970s. The emotional pain at the loss of his family is indescribably horrifying, and the physical deterioration that Pi experiences far exceeds his limit, as the whole journey is a question of his love, hope, and faith. According to “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” a theory by Abraham Maslow, first, the physiological needs must be met, then the needs of safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. When one spends their time alone, trying to meet those integral needs of life, there will always be physical and spiritual barriers.

Pi’s belief system was an anchor for his thoughts and experiences and his faith in God prepared him for the Initiation stage of the Hero’s Journey.

Pi quits his vegetarian diet and also chooses to live on a raft next to a bengal tiger on a lifeboat, which are both unusual and unconventional choices for him. He satisfies his hunger by quitting being a vegetarian and eating fish. Pi knows that “A lifetime of peaceful vegetarianism [stands] between [him] and the willful beheading of a fish” (Martel 98). In other words, his body needs the fish because the beheading “had to be done” (Martel 98) in order to survive.

Storytelling is a form of human expression; when something cannot be said outright, storytelling is often utilized. This is due to the fact that, it is interactive, it calls for an imagination and it tells the story the author really wants to tell. Pi uses storytelling to mask the realism of his condition, in other words, to sugar coat what is actually happens to him. Through storytelling he is able to pick and choose exactly what he wants to accept and change what troubles him so that he can remain both faithful and fearless. Throughout his entire order, Pi never accepted anything at its face value; he always added a twist to make himself feel better. “In both stories the ship sinks…which story do you prefer.” (Martel, 352). Pi asks the two detectives which story they believe since it makes no difference; they both liked the one with the animals. It goes to show humans choose to believe the beautiful, but absurd, story they all reject the nasty reality. Accepting the reality makes an event all the more real. It explains why Pi chooses to turn everything into a story; through it he chooses what he wants to accept and what he doesn’t. Storytelling allows you to take away and add to an experience the way you choose to. It gives its

Yann Martel’s theme of truth being relative is again established when Pi experiences a shipwrecked. On the lifeboat, Pi continues to survive living with a bengal tiger, he survives after seeing the other animals on the boat kill each other, and he survives by eating fish even though he is a vegetarian. Inspite of all the suffering Pi is going through he still turns towards God. This is proved when Pi says, “I practised religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances – solitary Masses without priests or consecrated 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. They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love – but sometimes it was so hard to love. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation and weariness, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up...The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining light in my heart. I would go on loving” (208-209). Through this quote, Yann Martel is showing how Pi continues to worship God even though he was suffering and struggling with his faith. Pi still believes that God is the most important to him inspite of what his is going through emotionally

Pi talks about how he must keep Richard read and even attempts to tame him. These actions and behavior is Pi trying to gain dominants over this animal like instincts; even though they help him in terms of survival these impulsive acts, do not always turn out for the best, which leads to him realizing he must have control over them. Being alone with despair, which is Pi’s greatest fear is what created his imagination to run wild. Creating this version of himself, which he may or may not believe is what is helping

When considering which portion of the Life of Pi novel I wanted to analyze I decided on one of the most intriguing sections which I believe touches everyone. The section I decided on was the island that Pi discovered in the middle of his journey. To understand the significance of the island one must go back several chapters to fully understand Pi’s current mental and physical condition. In this essay, we will explore what was going on with Pi just prior to his discovery of the island and what the islands significance means to Pi.

In this moment, Pi experienced what was basically the gift of free food. The next hopeful experience was when Pi landed on the island, “In fact it was chlorophyll heaven.” (258). The island represented a safe haven for Pi, coming upon it was like coming upon a physical representation of hope itself. Pi had many experiences that reflected the world in hopeful

The story starts early with Pi stating, ''I have a story that will make you believe in God.'' This quote immediately establishes what the story is all about. For Pi, belief is one of the most beautiful aspects of human life, to live otherwise is to be suspended in disbelief and to live without purpose. You surrender to the fact that there is nothing beyond life. The author tells the story in a way that shows that God is in everything, and that religion cannot be removed from factual science.

The saying “desperate times call for desperate measures” holds truth to an extent. In the award winning novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, drastic measures are taken by characters in order to survive while stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Through his journey, main character, Pi Patel, endures many hardships and witnesses several deaths. Significantly, the death of the zebra accompanying Pi and the other animals establishes a generalization of human nature being sophisticated yet inherently vicious according to methods of survival.

I walked away from the stall and as I rambled down the street to rejoin Aika. I saw a diary located on the sidewalk. It was bounded by brown paper, twine wrapped around it and a dusty plastic flower at the center. I took a step to pick it up on the highest shelf. Then my heart began to hammer in my ribcage, as I slid the flower on the right side, eyes widened to the name written in swirly black ink, it was my name. An image viewed in my head of writing a diary. I 'd never written in swirly black ink before, or even kept a notebook.