Survival in Yann Martel's Life of Pi and The Story of Keesh

In the short story, “The Story of Keesh”, and the novel, “Life of Pi”, the authors develop characters who have the will to survive in extreme environments. “The Story of Keesh” is mainly about a teen boy, named Keesh, who has to find the strength to live in an extreme arctic environment, long ago, on the rim of the polar sea. Similarly, the “Life of Pi” is mainly about a young man named Pi who makes an effort to survive in extraordinary circumstances after a shipwreck at sea. Both characters must find the courage and strength within themselves to survive in these extreme environments.

Throughout the progression of the story, Keesh faces many challenges that he must overcome. For example, after his father, Bok, died, people forgot the deed of his father, which was to end famine in the village. Keesh and his mother came to live in the poorest igloo and they didn’t have the same quantity and quality of meat as the strong hunters. They received meat that was old, rough and had an unusual quantity of bones. In addition, when Keesh showed the “blood that ran in his veins and the manhood that stiffened his back” and confronted the elders, both the elders and Keesh got angry. The council threatened that “Keesh should have no meat at all and promised him sore beatings for his presumption.” This was a problem because at the time, women and children didn’t have a say in council. Finally, the last challenge Keesh had to overcome was when people accused him of witchcraft because he was bringing a lot of good meat to the village being just thirteen years old.

These conflicts were resolved when Keesh becomes a successful polar bear hunter. At the end of the story, Keesh lives in a large igloo where he and his mother, Ikeega, lived in comfor...

... middle of paper ...

...vive alone with Richard Parker as his only companion. Given these points, both characters from these texts are able to survive in harsh living conditions.

All in all, the main characters from these two texts are inspired to survive in extreme environments. In “The Story of Keesh”, Keesh is inspired by his deceased father to survive in the extreme arctic environment. Keesh follows his father’s example and he is looked upon with respect because of his value as a hunter and as a person. In the novel excerpt, “Life of Pi”, Pi is willing to survive because of Richard Parker. He claims that without Richard Parker, he will have no motive to live. Both authors of the story convey the central idea of survival through supporting ideas developed over the course of the texts.

Works Cited

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