Adaptation In Life Of Pi

“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Adapting to a new situation or experience like violent crashing waves can be difficult. Nevertheless, a person needs to learn how to surf in order to outlast the pounding waves. In a similar fashion, individuals need to learn how to adapt to a challenging situation in order to survive. This idea of the significance of adapting to new situations is often explored in literature. In the novel, Life of Pi, Yann Martel makes powerful use of character development to suggest that individuals may be able to adapt to situations in life through a sense of determination, or through denying reality and using their imagination instead.

The protagonist Piscine Patel is able to adapt to situations in his life through a strong sense of motivation.

This is evident when Pi decides that he will not be bullied anymore or called “Pissing Patel.” When Pi moves to a different school, he tells the reader, “I planned my escape and the beginning of a new time for me.” This means that Pi is determined to stop the bullies and begin a new chapter of his life. One can perceive that persistence when he enunciates, “I repeated the stunt with every teacher,” referring to his approach of writing his name as the number pi (3.14) on the board. Pi adapts to his situation of enduring bullying through a strong sense of determination, allowing him to finally stop suffering the humiliation, and thus adjusting to his situation. Furthermore, Pi adapts to his situation of being afraid of Richard Parker through intense dedication. This is indicated when Pi, filled with courage, declares, “It was time to impose myself and carve out my territory.” Pi becomes determined to display to Richard Parker that he is his master, and to show him that he is not afraid of him. This is established when Pi tells the reader, “Then I made my point... my single-note language blasting from the whistle, and Richard Parker moaning and gasping…” He does