Life Of Pi Quotes Survival

Life of Pi, a book written by Yann Martel, is an inspiring tale of survival in a time of hardship and peril. The story follows a young boy ,named Piscine "Pi" Patel, through his early life and as he and his family make their journey to Canada aboard a cargo ship with many cages of zoo animals. However, halfway through their journey, their ship sinks and Pi's family perishes while he escapes on a lifeboat. However, he encourages a companion to climb onboard the lifeboat with him; a large tiger named Richard Parker. Thinking the tiger was gone after Pi found him missing, the large feline reappears some time later, much to Pi's dismay. Now, Pi has to survive not only the harsh conditions of nature, but also the malicious and feral instincts of

a wild animal.
In the beginning of the book, Pi says, "If there is one thing an animal hates above all else, it is the unknown" (41). This statement is incredibly true, especially if humans are included with the animals. Humans and animals alike seem to hate and even fear the unknown, which is usually demonstrated through disinclination or even refusal to try and explore the new and unknown. This disinclination or fear manifests nearly every day in many simple ways such as trying a new food, or even straying from a daily routine.
Throughout the book, Pi had to make many decisions that could possibly have severe consequences should his plans be executed incorrectly.

One wrong move or mistake, and he could be severely injured. He could even lose his life. This could be summed up with the quote, "Stupidity has a price" (179). This quote directly states that if you do something even remotely reckless or vacuous, there will most likely be some sort of consequence for your action. Unfortunately, these consequences may not just befall you, but others around you as well. No matter who it affects, stupidity and recklessness will always have a price, just like Pi

said.
In addition to having many memorable quotes and points throughout the book, Martel also seems to have a problem with prolixity, using too many words to express a thought or idea you may have. Many writers seem to think that the more detail in a book, the better the literature will come out. While this may be true in some cases, it would seem that Yann Martel took that idea a bit too far in this novel.
This is first indicated earlier on in the book when Pi decides to make a list of everything he had found on the boat.

It wasn't too bad, but it would seem as if the author tried too hard to make people visualize and envision what he was trying to describe. However, the most distinct transgression of this type is seen when Pi states, "I tried once to eat Richard Parker's feces" (213). After he says this, the author proceeds to go into a bit too much detail about how Pi went about attempting to consume the feline's waste. While it is understandable that Martel was trying to convey the fact that Pi was getting considerably weaker and more desperate, since survival is part of humanity's instincts, he could have done without the extra details of the scene such as describing, nearly step-by-step, how Richard Parker defecated. It is a basic bodily function that everyone does; there's no real need to say

this.
Following this point, Martel states, "All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways" (41). This point is incredibly true, especially when a human's instinct of survival is involved. A human's instinct will drive them to do things that they would not normally do if survival is involved. This point can be connected to the previously stated fact that Pi attempted to eat a tiger's feces, since it is doubtful that he would willingly eat it if he had a choice.
Despite the relatively minor mistake that Martel made, Life of Pi is a very well-written tale that is inspiring and empowering. Yann Martel has created a masterpiece that many people have enjoyed for years, and will continue to for many more.