Throughout a majority of the novel Life of Pi, the main character, Pi, attempts to go against all odds and find a way to survive. He survives for two-thirds of a year after a shipwreck and completes this journey with his tiger companion. Even though Pi learns a lot along the way, all of the growth that experiences is a direct result of his willpower and want to continue living life. Pi’s will to live is tested in many different ways. He is tested three times, which are used to demonstrate his thirst for life. First, he needs to tame the tiger in order to make sure that it won’t hurt him. Next, he must learn how to stay alive while in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Last, he must struggle to keep his story alive when he retells his journey to officials from the Japanese Ministry of Transport. Through these struggles, Pi is able to understand the value of life in addition to his unique experiences.
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Pi’s thirst for survival is first tested when he must fight for survival against the zoo animals. When Pi first escapes the shipwreck on his boat, he quickly notices that he is surrounded by some of the zoo animals from the ship. When he first boards the boat, he sees that there is an orangutan, a zebra that is hurt, and a hyena. Pi is very scared because even though some of these animals are usually peaceful it is possible that they can hurt him because of the small space. In addition, since the hyena eats meat, he is worried that it will eat him. “As evening approached, my anxiety grew. Everything about the end of the day scared me. At night a ship would have difficulty seeing me. At night the hyena might become active again and maybe Orange Juice too.” (Martel 126). In fact, the hyena did end up eating the orangutan and the zebra, and Pi is afraid that he will be next. However, he tries to remain hopeful. In the end, he discovers that a Bengali tiger is hiding away in the boat, and Pi is saved from the hyena. Even though Pi is saved at this point in time, he still needs to defend himself from the tiger. To do so, he puts forth major effort.
Pi’s thirst for survival is tested once again when he must tame the tiger. When Pi is finally alone with the tiger, he notes that he should take action to defend himself and tame the tiger so that the two will be able to remain onboard with one another and live peacefully. Because Pi is afraid, he states “I have read that there are two fears that cannot be trained out of us: the startle reaction upon hearing a unexpected noise, and vertigo. I would like to add a third, to wit, the rapid and direct approach of a known killer” (Martel 1988). Even though he is afraid, Pi creates a small raft that he connects to the back of the boat. He encourages the tiger to remain on this raft for a period of time so he could ensure his own protection. During this time, he trains the tiger, giving him treats for his good behaviors and punishing him for his bad ones. Because Pi is able to think on his feet, he ensured both his own survival and the survival of the tiger. This shows that Pi is unwilling to give up despite the odds against him. Therefore, it is apparent that this is a trial of survival that Pi works hard to overcome.
Pi’s thirst for survival is tested for the last time when he must explain his story to the Japanese officials. At the very end of the tale, Pi attempts to demonstrate his bravery and will to live for the last time by explaining his situation to the officials from the Japanese Ministry of Transport. When he first reports his journey, the officials are very confused at his description of the animals he has encountered and believes that the boy is hallucinating. Pi decides to retell his story by replacing animals with human people, and the officials decide he is telling the truth this time because the two stories are closely related. In this sense, his survivability is tied to his credibility. He knows that he needs to tell someone what happened to keep his story alive, so he changes the facts in a way that convinces the officials to believe him. Pi demonstrates a want to keep his story alive despite the fact that he no longer fears death because of the lesson he has learned. “By the next morning I had lost all fear of death, and I resolved to die” (Martel 325). At this point, Pi wants the ideas he has learned through his journey to survive so that others will benefit from this understanding.
In conclusion, life is an important theme in The Life of Pi. He is tested three different times and his success shows his drive for life and the essential nature of this theme to the story. While Pi simply wants to survive in the beginning of the story, this want for survival takes him on a spiritual journey that allows him to learn important life lessons. In the end, he values life more and wants others to achieve the same understanding of God that he has. Therefore, a major shift occurs; he is no longer concerned about his own life and instead cares about the lives of others. Pi shows us the importance of struggling to survive because this commitment to life can teach us many lessons along the way.
Works Cited
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. New York: Knopf Canada, 2001.
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