Life Of Pi Adversity Analysis

To overcome adversity is a part of life. Havelock Ellis wrote once “Pain and death are a part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself.” Throughout life one faces many challenges; psychological, emotional and physical. These challenges have the power to strengthen a person or to break them down completely. In Life of Pi Yann Martel illustrates exceeding one’s physical limitations and overcoming the greatest adversity of all; the fight against one’s mind and heart. Pi’s outlook on life is greatly shaped by the time he spent at sea combating the forces of unforgiving nature and the forces of his own relentless mind.

Pi’s hardships begin the night the Tsim-Tsum sinks. Tragedy comes to him in the form of fierce winds and relentless waves.

The storm causes Pi the most psychological harm; he replaces the survivors of the wreck with animals from the zoo to soften the blow of his trauma. Richard Parker is the physical manifestation of Pi’s fierce bloodlust and survival instincts. He is the external representation of Pi’s animalistic self; the side to him that horrifies him but is necessary for survival. Though the tiger represents Pi’s fear, he is also a symbol of Pi’s strength. It is the strength Pi doesn’t realize he has until he needs it. Richard Parker gives Pi the strength to do unimaginable things in the name of survival such as the incident of the blind Frenchman. The blind Frenchman intends on killing Pi for food when he stumbles onto Pi’s lifeboat but before he can, Richard Parker attacks him. Pi describes ferocious attack as “the terrible cost of Richard Parker.” (p. 283) Richard Parker can only provide Pi life at the expense of one; the cost of Pi’s survival is paid by his bloodlust. It causes him to murder and eat the blind Frenchman but does not make him immune to the weight of his act. The killing of the blind survivor displays Pi in one of his darkest moments.