Man Vs Nature in Yann Martel's Life of Pi

Author Nancy Wynne Newhall once wrote “The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.” To man, nature can be manipulated and overrun easily but it is not easily destroyed permanently. In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi convinces himself he has altered the beastly nature of his tiger companion, Richard Parker, however, he fails to realize this as a misconception until the certain events with Richard Parker that ultimately revealing that the savage nature within wild animals cannot be tamed.

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 solution to the problem at hand is “to tame [Richard Parker]…not [wanting] him to die” (Martel 164). After much work, Pi finally believes he has connected with Richard Parker enough for him to understand his role in their relationship. A key method Pi uses to train the tiger is “blowing [his] whistle full blast…shattering the animal’s ears with piercing blows” (Martel 204-5). Pi tortures the animal into behaving more civilized. He believes that he has the ability to tame Richard Parker. Gregory Stephens makes the point that when humans “cannot fully master them, then we confine animals within controlled spaces to give us the illusion of control: zoos or wildlife preserves” which is true because humans feel threatened without control over the animal. Out of fear and pain, Richard Parker temporarily behaves and becomes less of a threat for the time being. What Pi fails to recognize is that the affect he has on Richard Parker is only situational. He believes that after practicing this routine a few ti...

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... wild animal who feels indifferently about Pi and instinctively returns to the wilderness. The author ends their relationship in such a manner to convey a theme that wild animals are not meant to be tamed and, therefore, can never successfully be rid of their savage instincts.

Animals and humans possess the ability to form bonds with one another. Though wild animals and humans are able to establish a tolerance for one another, the idea of riding an animal from its instincts completely is impossible. Pi creates his own superiority in his mind to think he has tamed Richard Parker but his illusion is shattered after emotional experiences with him. Therefore, Pi is unable to tame a wild animal in reality because wild animals are not meant to be tamed of natural instinct.

Works Cited

Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.