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Life Of Pi's Suffering Analysis

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Topic #6 Throughout the book Life of Pi, Pi suffers from a lot of different things and circumstances. He suffers from the pain of the ship, Tsimtsum sinking and the pain of losing his entire family. Pi also has to deal with the suffering of being alone on the lifeboat with Richard Parker(p.121). Pi had to find ways to deal with all of this pain and suffering, or he would have went mad and most likely died. The main thing that helped keep Pi alive throughout the whole box was Richard Park. Later in the story Pi tells Richard Parker, “I love you! Truly I do. I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn't have you now, I don't know what I would do. I don't think I would make it. No, I wouldn't. I would die of hopelessness. Don't give up, Richard Parker, don't give up. I'll get you to land, I promise, I promise!"(ch.86). Richard Parker helps keep Pi alive by keeping him busy. Pi constantly has to care for not only himself, but also for a 450-pounded Bengal tiger. Pi goes fishing a lot throughout the story. The fish, turtle, and crabs were their main source of food on the lifeboat(ch.66) One of Pi’s weekly, sometimes daily job on the lifeboat was actually cleaning it. Since he didn’t actually have the right supplies, he had to improvise. He would clean up after Richard Parker by …show more content…

He thought Richard Parker was going to kill him, or he would have to kill Richard Parker. He soon realized that he was going to survive and that Richard Parker was also going to survive. In order for that to happen though, Pi had to get Richard Parker to realize that Pi was the alpha “tiger” and that he had to respect him and his face. Pi had to train Richard Parker. It took a little bit, but Pi had made Richard Parker realize his authority(ch.57-58). Later on in the book, Pi also trained Richard Parker to jump through hoops while they were on the floating island on

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Exp1: During Pi’s and Richard Parkers struggle after huge storm they went through, the both suffered through hunger, blindness, and more painful protection. However, they both survived in the movie and in the book because Richard Parker inspired Pi by not be afraid, and to go against his fears. Pi inspired Richard Parker by surviving with him and doing what is right not by killing Pi.

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Significance: This quote is significant because it shows how a fictional story gave Pi the ability to separate himself from the tiger who he shared the lifeboat with. Fictional stories make it seem as if real life is not happening and acceptance is easier. “So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without

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Which he experienced directly and during which he lost his family and many friends. Life of Pi is the story of a man who survives a harrowing shipwreck and months in a lifeboat with a big tiger named Richard Parker. The beginning of the novel covers Pi's childhood and youth. The second half is him trying to fight to the end to and fend himself against the large tiger that he was stuck with on the boat. At the end of the story he was questions about if his story was

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661 Words | 3 Pages

He has difficulty fishing for food to keep them both satisfied. However, Pi is a total coward and makes stupid decisions. He was being too easy and let his food get away from him several times. He lost his shoe in his first terrible attempt at fishing. "The whole shoe disappeared bit by bit... Until I was left with only the rubber sole and the shoelace."

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Pi continues his journey by learning how to live in a small space with these animals and even training one of them. In the end Pi reveals another story with people replacing the animals that were on the lifeboat before. Pi had initially used animals which best represented the people who were really in the boat. This showed how throughout the story, since these people were put into a life threatening situation, they had revealed a more primal side. Life of Pi is accompanied with various symbols, with each

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810 Words | 4 Pages

We can see Pi’s id be interpreted as his need for keeping Richard Parker alive. At the beginning of the novel, Pi rescues Richard Parker from drowning after the Tsimtsum had sunked. There is irony in this young Indian man inviting a dangerous animal into his own territory. However, for Pi, this was not the case as he acknowledges and credits Richard Parker for him being able to survive out on the sea “without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell my story” (Martel,164). This is because, for Pi, Richard Parker gave him a reason for him to find

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At the beginning of the book, Pi was a humble and peaceful person that never harmed other living things and was a vegetarian. After living on the boat and interacting with the tiger, Pi began to hunt and kill animals to avoid starvation. Pi’s character developed from a peaceful vegetarian to a hunter shows how living things will do anything it takes, even the unexpected, to survive. In addition to his character development, Richard Parker influenced Pi by changing his lifestyle; Pi continues to hunt not only as a way to survive but as a way to continue to feed and take care of Richard Parker, and he gradually does not feel bad for killing and eating fish. Pi’s character is changed entirely when he said, “It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even killing”

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Pi, lost at sea where food and water are severely scarce, puts him down all the way to the bottom of the pyramid of physiological needs. * From the moment the ship sank, all that was on his mind was to find all sources to survive before worrying about anything else. His ethics of being vegetarian and Hindu were clearly disregarded through the savage butchering of all the animals he comes by, which he must do to survive. In the beginning, the first sign of this was when he lost all sense of fear and safety to go on the boat and find sources of water, as he was becoming dehydrated. “Now that the word had popped into my head I couldn’t think of anything else, as if the

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He is forced to make it on his own amongst Richard Parker and the other three animals on board. At first, Pi wants to get Richard Parker off the boat in fear that he soon will be killed by him. However as the other animals dwindle away, Pi adapts to having Richard Parker on board. He instills his father's lessons to train the tiger and make the twenty-six by eight foot boat a zoo. Pi “was the source of food and water” (282).

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There is one moment in the story where all his developed instincts were challenged. He was met with a school of flying fish that would jump out of the water and into the lifeboat. He had wrapped one fish in a blanket and intended to kill it with a hatchet. He could not bring himself to kill this fish with a hatchet, but ultimately cannot go through with it. Pi ends

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In Yann Martel's book Life of Pi, Pi has to make some tough decisions that will ensure his survival. He courageously decides that he can no longer be vegetarian, for the only way to survive is to get protein by way of animal meat, he stays faithful through the toughest times, and he made the brave decision to keep Richard Parker on the boat with him. Pi makes moral sacrifices, despite his devout religious beliefs, that allow him to survive. " But enough is enough.

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However, this is not true. Pi was literally stranded in the middle of the ocean with a tiger. He has no other food resources for himself or Richard Parker. Pi says, “The first problem arose: bait. I thought about it.

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Pi encounters a French castaway; the castaway foolishly enters Pi’s lifeboat and is eaten by Richard Parker. After Richard Parker kills the French castaway, Pi starts using the leftover flesh for his own uses, such as fishing: “I will confess that I caught one of his arms with the gaff and used his flesh as bait” (322). In his isolated state, he thinks of nothing but survival and how he will receive his next meal. Soon after, Pi even goes to the extremity of eating the flesh of the mangled dead castaway. This deed of cannibalism barely registers in his mind as he admits, “... I ate some of his flesh.

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He is unable to understand why the Lord isn’t listening to his prayers and why everything is detrimental to him. Keeping his religious beliefs at sea is very challenging for Pi, this leads him to experience feelings of disbelief towards God. Despite his doubts, Pi continues to pray and practice his religions. He eventually comes to the conclusion that once everything is taken away from him and he is in complete darkness, he will always have his faith. He admits that loving God is difficult, but it’s something he must do if he is to survive his journey across the ocean.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

This idea may be based off of the fact that he had to kill the fish in order to survive, and to keep Richard Parker (the tiger) alive as well. Following the time of killing the flying fish (which Pi uses as bait) he catches a dorado, and explains that the food he is catching is for Richard Parker. Pi states, “It was for Richard Parker and he would have dispatched it with expert ease” (Martel 89). Through a religious aspect, it can be seen that Pi did not necessarily change is values, but had to go against his morals because of the specific scenario of survival. This may be true; however, Pi directly mentions that he is changed from the time of killing the flying fish to taking the life away from a beautiful dorado.

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