Life Of Pi Hero's Journey Essay

Emilio Collie

Ms. Swigart

Honors 9th English

Period 1

4/14/23

Life Of Pi Essay - Hero’s Journey

All people on this Earth progress through their own journey. For many people, the rate of progression will be determined by the difficulty provided and the help received. In the book, Life of Pi, Yann Martel conveys the elements of a hero’s journey and the meaning behind the monomyth itself, especially when Pi is forced to adapt to his specific circumstances and internal survival instincts. He explores this concept through the development of Pi, the start of his voyage, and the conclusion of the adventure.

Martel first explores the hero’s journey through the creation of Pi’s character and how he fits into his society and community. In the chapter

(Martel New PDF 19) This emphasizes one of the key parts of the hero which is to have special abilities unlike or unknown to their family or friends. In this case, Pi learning to swim is so vital to his survival and it plays into how he was the only one to survive because he had this ability. Additionally, when Pi and his parents get confronted by the 3 religious teachers, he has to reveal that, “Yes, it was all forcefully brought to the attention of my bemused parents. You see, they didn’t know. They didn’t know that I was practising Hindu, Christian and Muslim.” (New PDF 58) This illustrates another unique feature and ability that Pi has since he is sort of one of a kind being someone that equally follows 3 religions. These religions were so important to Pi and are what helped keep him sane in his journey, as well as what later would keep

When Pi and his family are on the Tsimtsum, Pi is the only one to wake up, and while he tries to wake up Ravi, he ultimately starts the call to adventure by exploring the explosion on his own. (New PDF 83-84) This symbolizes the very beginning of the hero’s journey and how Martel spent most of the first half of the book developing Pi so we as the readers can understand what he is about to go through. Next, Pi gets thrown onto the lifeboat with a ton of animals, being the only one to survive the boat sinking. This emphasizes Pi’s crossing into the new threshold as he is forced to leave how he would live normally and traverse through an unknown and dangerous realm foreign to him. Then, right after the death of Orange Juice by the hyena, Pi discovers something terrifying, “Between my feet, under the bench, I beheld Richard Parker’s head. It was gigantic. It looked the size of the planet Jupiter to my dazed senses. His paws were like volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica.” (New PDF 103) At first, Pi is deathly afraid and wants to kill him, but reading further into the book, Pi starts to depend on Richard Parker and cling to him as his only companion and friend, similarly to aid from the supernatural. In other words, Pi’s frailty along with his ingenuity will truly shine as he finally has begun his