Mental Illness In Life Of Pi

Life of Pi is a novel written by Yann Martel and published in 2001. Franz Kafka wrote the Metamorphosis in 1915, which Ian Johnston of Malaspina University-College Nanaimo, BC, translated. Although Life of Pi and The Metamorphosis initially exhibit transformation into animals as a coping method for severe stress and trauma in their representation of mental illness, ultimately they reveal completely different outcomes.

In Life of Pi, the protagonist Pi Patel believes that he has been thrown overboard into a lifeboat by himself when the ship begins to sink. Pi does not yet realize that his mother and two other crew members are also with him in the lifeboat. When his initial panic and fear of what has happened to him passes, he discovers the other

He has difficulty lifting himself out of his bed and is horrified to find that his body has been transformed into a cockroach’s. He attempts to convince himself that he is still dreaming but he never changes back into his human form. Leaving the bed is no easy feat, and his family repeatedly tries to enter his room but they are unable to because he has locked the door. They eventually call his manager and after many, many attempts, Gregor opens the door to his room. His manager and his family are shocked when they see Gregor’s state. Gregor even attempts to chase after his manager, but he is physically unable to. Seeing the expressions on his family’s faces, Gregor locks himself in his room. When their maid comes into his room to clean and sees him, his sister Grete begins caring for him as his parents are unable to come to terms with the fact that Gregor is suffering from severe mental illness (“She walked to the side, caught sight of the enormous brown splotch on the flowered wallpaper, and, before she became truly aware that what she was looking at was Gregor, screamed out in a high pitched raw voice ‘Oh God, oh God’ and fell with outstretched arms, as if she was surrendering everything, down onto the couch and lay there motionless”). His sister is disgusted by Gregor; as he does not even shower or attempt to practice personal hygiene. He regresses into a more primal state, only focused on survival. His family further isolates him from themselves as time goes on, and Gregor grows tired of being isolated. He wants to ask for help, but when he tries to, his father mercilessly attacks him by throwing apples at him. One even gets stuck in his back, but in his current state, he cannot fish it out of himself. He suffers terribly and he is left to fend for himself after his failed attempt at talking to his family. They begin to think of Gregor as more of a hindrance than ever before and