Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

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Recommended: The role that religion plays in Pi's life

To begin, the transformation of Pi’s behavior and actions play a big role throughout his survival out at sea. In the novel Life of Pi, one can see that Pi has altered himself in contrast to his more devoted and orthodox past in order to survive. For example, in the novel, whilst flying fish are flying over the boat, Pi sets out to catch one for him self and manages to catch a flying fish. Disgusted by the feeling of the fishes suffering, he hesitantly murders it. (Martel202-203). The act of murdering alone is despised by Pi and given his many religious views this must have been a very difficult task for him to accomplish since the animal did not do anything to harm him. This also conveys an immense importance to the development of not only Pi himself but the rest of the novel as well. Furthermore, this can also be a symbol of Pi having to adapt to be able to survive at sea. Pi, having been a vegetarian his whole life and very fond of religion, this indicates that he has an understanding of what he needs to be done in order to survives and that he is willing to go against all his beliefs to obtain his survival. To add to that point, after Pi had caught the Dorado, he states, “killing it was …show more content…

In the novel Life of Pi, Pi seems to not be as determined to survive and one day get home. This can be shown when Pi firsts steps on the island. Pi interprets the island as a place to relax and take it easy, he also feels that the island has brought everything that he needs to survive and feels like he could almost stay there forever (286-310). This shows that Pi believed that the island could have been a gift from god, a gift to end all his hardships and suffering and give him rest, even if it seemed hazardous at night. Furthermore, it demonstrates that Pi was not fully ready to sacrifice the island since the island brought so much to

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    Stranded for 227 days at sea in a lifeboat, with no one else except an adult Bengal tiger. This is exactly what the main character Pi, in "The Life of Pi" went through. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel is a story about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel, an Indian boy who survives more than seven months floating on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean, with no one else but a 450-pound tiger (Cooper). Yann Martel was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain. His parents, Emile Martel and Nicole Perron, were both born in Canada. He spent his childhood in several different countries, including France, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica. As an adult, he lived in many other places but one of them was India, which may be where he got inspiration for writing “Life of Pi”. Yann Martel uses the literary elements similes and foreshadowing, to express the theme that believing in religion can give you the faith to want to survive.

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  • The Role of Richard Parker in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi

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    ...knowledge his shadow self. He was able to survive his plight on the lifeboat because of the characteristics of his shadow self, Richard Parker. Even at the loss of his shadow self, Pi remains connected and constantly misses this part of his persona. After his ordeal on the lifeboat, Pi becomes rational and humane; however his experiences has scarred him, and will forever remain with him. Readers can definitely learn from Pi’s experience with his shadow self. The more we refute our shadow, the more it weighs us down. However, if we are willing to come to terms with the reality of our shadow, learn how it works, “tame” it so that it does not control us, we would be more literate and enlightened.

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  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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    The most dangerous fear that Pi deals with is Richard Parker who has no mercy on his victims. Pi knows that he should deal with Richard Parker in a small damaged lifeboat. He can't run away from his fears, so he makes a border between Richard Parker and himself. Pi says, " I started thinking seriously about how I was going to deal with Richard Parker. This forbearance on his part on hot, cloudless days, that is what it was and not simple laziness, was not good enough. I couldn't always be running away from him. I needed safe access to the locker and to the top of the tarpaulin, no matter on what time of day or the weather and no matter of his mood. It was rights that I needed, the sort of rights that come with the might. It was time to impose myself and carve out territory," (Martel, 224). If one runs away from self-fears, the person will not achieve the goals for which Pi is no different. Despair has had the most destructive effect on Pi that has really stopped him to try rescue him. The only factor that forces despair to diminish is taking practical steps. Pi could survive 227 days on the lifeboat with faith. He reminds himself everything in this world is a creature of God. He says, " Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed. A school of fish appeared around the net or a knot cried out to be reknotted. Or I thought of my family, of how they were spared this terrible agony. The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of high in your heart.

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  • The Role of Richard Parker in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi

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    ...ction of Richard Parker kept Pi aware, by showing Pi the reality of the current situation, assisted him with making the right decisions, committing certain actions, and is his sub-consciousness, his id that fights for survival. In Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi’s coping mechanism has been proven more useful in his projection Richard Parker rather than his beliefs in his religions, which has done nothing for Pi and was useless at that time. Humans and animals are very alike in certain aspects. When it all comes down to survival, humans and animals are almost alike. The human mind brings back the inner id from the human consciousness while in drastic situations to help them cope with it in order to survive. The human psychology has a very interesting way of creating coping mechanisms.

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  • In Order to Survive; One Must Give Up their Morals

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    “All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive” (Martel 44-45). Inside every human being, there is an extremely primal and animalistic trait that can surface when the will to survive becomes greater than the morals of the person. This trait allows humans to overcome their fear to do things which they wouldn’t normally be able to do in order to survive when they’re in extreme peril and in a do or die situation. Throughout the book, Life of Pi, survival is a dominant and central theme. The will to survive changes people and this includes the main character of the story, Piscine Molitor Patel. Survival will even change the most timid, religious, and law-abiding people. Yann Martel, using Pi as an example, tries to explain that all humans must do three things in order to survive a life threatening event: one must give up their morals, one must find a way to keep sane, and one must be ready to compromise and sacrifice.

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  • Zoomorphism In Life Of Pi

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  • Yann Martel's Life of Pi

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  • Life Of Pi Religion Essay

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    Gods in the religions gave Pi hope, encouraged him to survive and fought against all these odds. It made Pi feel that he would getting stronger to beat these difficulties and survived. He can be the only one on the lifeboat, then he would make this miracle into routine until he has been rescued. He felt the God and God gave him power. He also feels safety from the religion that he was believing

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