Every day, people are forced to face many challenges, physically, mentally, and socially. Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a key example of the challenges a character must face in order to survive in the vast ocean with no food, water, or company. Yann Martel’s masterful use of tone creates a character whose struggles for survival are not only physical, but also psychological. In Life of Pi, the author, Yann Martel uses humorous and reflective tones to further describe the main character, Pi’s primary method of coping with the challenges he faces throughout his life.
A humorous tone, achieved through the use of diction, allows Pi to see events in such a way that they become amusing, rather than confusing or frightening. For example, after hearing
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For example, Pi explains his view on zoos: “One might even argue that if an animal could choose with intelligence, it would opt for living in a zoo, since the major difference between a zoo and the wild is the absence of parasites and enemies and the abundance of food in the first, and their respective abundance and scarcity in the second” (Martel 18). The choice of formal language underlines the clear and well-thought out nature of Pi’s ideas as well as his reflective tone. The language used in this quote reflects Pi’s intelligence and higher level of education and shows he is well-versed in the ethical matters concerning a zoo. Furthermore, Martel’s use of varying syntax underlines important statements in the book. For example, Pi muses over his life as a castaway, remarking, “Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with fewer pieces. The elements couldn’t be more simple, nor the stakes higher” (Martel 217). The use of simple sentences contrasts with the words in the quote, “[t]he elements couldn’t be more simple.” Pi’s choice of shorter sentences highlights his ruminative tone as he reflects upon the nature of life at sea. A reflective tone illustrates Pi’s way of contemplating life in order to make sense of