Life Of Pi's Physical Journey

Mental and Spiritual Journey Rather Than Physical Journey

The novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel displays many struggles from the main character Pi Patel. One of which is portrayed throughout the entirety of the story of how Pi experiences both physical and mental struggles that cause him to slowly decline. While the physical journey of being alone along with a tiger in a lifeboat dealing with severe hunger and thirst, unpredictable weather changes, and physical body deterioration did prove to be significant in Pi’s experience, the mental and spiritual journey was far more remarkable. In this journey, Pi seeks God not only through one religion, but three, and by doing so Pi is able to conquer his greatest endeavors. It may appear that the physical

Not only that, but there are also the environmental factors that chime in as well such as the scorching heat and treacherous storms. Then there is hunger and dehydration. These physical factors can make a story in themselves, however, what makes Life of Pi unique is that it goes beyond the physicality aspect. It reaches out to show the mental and emotional effect that these factors can play on one’s mind. “While surviving the sea, Pi experiences extreme physical fragility because of [his] comparable lack of food and water”. Julia Kristeva asserts “the abject confronts us, on the one hand, with those fragile states... directly relates to the hallucinogenic [state]’”(Steensma qtd. Kristeva). Steensma explains through this quote that one’s physical state is directly reliable to one’s mental state. If a person is going through a strenuous physical situation, they are likely to also have mental complications. These two properties of life, both physical and mental are directly proportional to each other, however oftentimes the mental aspect may make a much greater impact on one’s life. This complication of dire hunger and thirst was a dilemma that Pi unfortunately had to endure, however he was able to use strategy to elongate his supply of food and water to last him a good while. This type of strategy is the type of thinking that allowed for the survival of Pi.

These practices are what ultimately saved him. They gave him a purpose to continue to stay alive. As seen in chapter when Pi describes his daily routine you see that he practices his prayers five times a day: once at sunrise, mid- morning, late afternoon, sunset, and at night. When speaking of the prayers Pi routinely practiced, he states that “...they brought me comfort… but it was hard…”(208). With such difficult circumstances, of course it was hard to pray and hope to receive answers when none had been shown so far, however it was overcoming these obstacles that led him to be stronger. As Pi states towards the end of the book, “It was natural that, bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God” (284). God was the only thing that brought him hope in these times of despair. A spiritual journey is one that can bring so much joy and optimism to one’s view on a situation. When speaking of his own religious rituals throughout his journey, Pi claims how “Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed… They blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving” (209). Through God’s light, Pi was able to sustain through the pain of his physical encounters. This once again proves how this the salient journey of mental and spiritual