18 November 2012
Pi Patel’s Means of Survival
When a person is stranded and fighting for their life, how they decide to use the resources and knowledge they have can be the difference between living and dying. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi’s resourcefulness is what ultimately leads to his survival. Throughout the novel, three resources that Pi relies on are his life in India, Richard Parker, and faith in religion.
While growing up in India, Pi learns many valuable skills that he would later use to help him survive 227 days in the Pacific Ocean. The first of these skills is swimming. Ironically, Pi is the only one in his family ever to learn to swim. Pi describes learning to swim early on in the book as a major part of his life, “I went there with him three times a week throughout my childhood, a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early morning ritual…” (Martel 10).
In his younger years Pi would swim with his Uncle who he referred to as Mamaji. Swimming so often made Pi feel particularly safe around water. Since Pi is comfortable around water he is able to build and stay on a small raft he makes which keeps him a safe distance from Richard Parker.
As well as learning to swim in India, Pi also gains an excessive amount of knowledge of animals from living at a zoo. Pi’s knowledge of animals is a major resource of Pi’s when he has to live on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. As Rebecca Duncan states in her article Life of Pi as a Postmodern Narrative, “Pi contextualizes his early life in the family’s zoo…the boy draws upon this knowledge to subordinate Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, to his will and prevent the beast from devouring him” (Duncan 4).
The Essay on Richard Parker Tiger Life Story
The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a ...
Duncan states that Pi uses the knowledge that he has from living on a zoo to keep himself alive. Pi deals with Richard Parker cautiously because he knows that if he makes one wrong move, he will end up dead.
Finally, in India Pi begins his journey of faith. Pi learns to how practice Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Religion is a particular interest of Pi’s and he enjoys practicing it in many different ways. As Pi states in chapter 16, “A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was left in me to germinate. It has never stopped growing since that day” (Martel 52).
Once Pi starts practicing these religions he never stops, even when stranded in the middle of the ocean. Pi is able to continue practicing religion while he is stranded on the lifeboat. Religion keeps Pi alive in many ways; one of the main ways is that it keeps Pi mentally determined and willing to live.
In addition to his life in India, Pi uses Richard Parker as a way to help stay alive. The first way which Richard Parker helps Pi is he keeps Pi’s mind off the suffering he is going through. As Madhoo Kamra states in his article Yann Martel’s Life of Pi: A Gain of Phenomenal Self, “His relationship with Richard Parker shows his struggle to contact reality and brilliantly allows his subjectivity to drain away” (Kamra 2).
This statement reiterates that it is because of Richard Parker that Pi is able to temporarily forget about all the other issues that he has to deal with such as gathering food, water, etc. This short break from reality helps keep Pi from going insane.
Not only does Richard Parker help keep Pi’s mind off of the immediate issues, but he also helps Pi forget about all the recent tragedies he has been through. When a person loses so many loved ones in such a short period of time, it can often lead to many mental issues such as depression. Pi recognizes Richard Parker’s role in helping him cope with what has happened when he states, “He kept me from thinking too much about my family and tragic circumstances. He pushed me to go on living” (Martel 182).
In this quote, Pi emphasizes the fact that constantly needing to take care of Richard Parker is a useful way of keeping his mind off the recent tragedies in his life and keeps him from becoming depressed and losing his will to survive.
The Essay on Interconnectivity of Religion and Life
Religion since time immemorial has been the essence of man’s existence. It has been a guide for people in knowing the meaning of their lives. To some cultures, religion plays a vital role in their everyday living and decision making. To some, religion is the only way to discover the secrets of this world and the world beyond. One of the world’s oldest cultures is found in China. The Chinese ...
As well as keeping Pi’s mind off of his many issues, Richard Parker keeps Pi alert and aware of what is happening in Pi’s immediate surroundings. Pi realizes that this is an important factor to his survival when he states, “Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate” (Martel 186-187).
In order to survive Pi realizes he must be alert to what is happening around him and be very careful with everything he does because one mistake can be the difference between life and death. Richard Parkers presence forces Pi to pay attention to what is happening and this helps keep Pi from becoming careless and making foolish mistakes.
Lastly, Richard Parker is a friend for Pi. Although Richard Parker is Pi’s biggest fear on the boat, he is also his only friend. Martel illustrates their friendship when he writes, “A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair” (Martel 182).
Pi recognizes that Richard Parker is both an enemy and a friend. Although Pi must be careful of him, Pi enjoys Richard Parkers company, he keeps him from becoming lonely. It is said that one of the essentials of life is love, and in a strange way it is Richard Parker who provides Pi with this love.
The final resource, in addition to his life in India and Richard Parker, which Pi uses to ensure his survival, is religion. The three religions Pi studies throughout the novel are Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Pi relies all three religions in many ways; Pi even lists God as one of his resources for survival on his list of materials. The first thing religion does for Pi is it gives Pi hope for survival. Pi’s great amount of hope is illustrated when he says, “Yes, so as long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen” (Martel 164).
This quote emphasizes Pi’s faith that he will live with the help of God. Without hope for survival Pi has nothing. He has no reason to even try to stay alive. Religion is what gives Pi his hope and is one of the reasons that Pi continues to fight for his life.
In addition to hope, Religion gives Pi something to appreciate. It does not take much to please Pi, however even for the most easily pleased person, it is hard to find positive moments while trapped in the middle of the ocean on a life boat. Pi however creates these positive moments through religion. Pi continues his religious practices while on the boat by doing many things such as holding mass, praying, and doing ceremonies. In her article Life of Pi as a Postmodern Narrative, Rebecca Duncan writes, “Pi relishes moments of spiritual peace and appreciation for being alive”. Duncan states that Pi’s time of spiritual peace when he practices religion gives him something to appreciate. This appreciation helps Pi keep positive throughout his time at sea. Pi’s positive attitude is important as it keeps Pi motivated and determined to get rescued.
The Essay on Life Of Pi Richard Parker
Having just experienced the sinking of his family's ship, and being put onto a life boat with only a hyena, Pi felt completely lost and alone. When he sees Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger from his family's zoo, it is a familiar face to him. His initial reaction is to save the life of his familiar friend so that he may have a companion, and a protector aboard the lifeboat. Suddenly Pi realizes ...
Lastly, religion helps Pi cope with what he witnesses on the boat. Pi is witness to many inhumane happening on the lifeboat such as animals killing each other, and a cannibal attempting to kill him. Pi turns to religion to help him cope with what he goes through. As Madoo Kamra states, “With soft qualities of humility, Pi demonstrates his vigour and spiritual strength to make his life beautiful and encompassing” (Kamra 4).
This quote effectively describes how Pi turns to religion to make his life seem less barbaric and to keep him calm. Pi realizes that in order to survive he cannot get worked up about things that disturb him; he must stay calm and worry about his own survival.
In conclusion, Pi’s use of his knowledge and resources is what ultimately leads to his survival. Three resources that Pi constantly depends on are his life in India, Richard Parker, and Religion. Pi effectively uses these resources to keep him from getting mauled by Richard Parker, to keep him sane, and to inspire him to keep living. Without access to these resources, Pi would have not survived.
Works Cited
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2011. Print.
Duncan, Rebecca. “Life of Pi as postmodern survivor narrative.” Mosaic [Winnipeg] 41.2
(2008): 167+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
Kamra, Madoo. “Yann Martel’s Life of Pi: A Gain of the Phenomenal Self.” N.p., Jan.
2006. Web. .
The Essay on Analysis of Life, Death and the After-Life in Religion
Do not stand at my grave and weep;I am not there, I do not sleep.I am a thousand winds that blow.I am the diamond glints on snow.I am the sunlight on ripened grain.I am the gentle autumn rain.When you awaken in the morning's hushI am the swift uplifting rushOf quiet birds in circled flight.I am the soft stars that shine at night.Do not stand at my grave and cry;I am not there, I did not die.-- ...
