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Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

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Yann Martel portrays human nature through symbolism, using animals to effectively illustrate human characteristics and adversity. In many ways, the animals on the boat have more than one meaning which highlight aspects of humanity. The Life of Pi, is a social allegory of human nature - the mental qualities, feelings, and behavior humankind - as told from the perspective of Pi Patel. The zebra symbolizes the most vulnerable people in a society, Richard Parker, the tiger is used to represent Pi’s primal self, and the hyena shows the evil and competitive side of human reality.

The zebra is embodies the weakest people in society. Throughout Pi Patel’s journey, the main character in Life of Pi, he has gone through a lot hardships and witnessed …show more content…

"The hyena feels no disgust at this mistake... A hyena's catholicity of taste is so indiscriminate it nearly forces admiration." (pg.129). This quotes is significant because it is reinforcing how the hyena is very atrocious animal."I realized something else: the hyena was the reason those sailors had thrown me into a lifeboat. They weren't trying to save my life. That was the last of their concerns. They were using me as a fodder. They were hoping that the hyena would attack me and that somehow I would get rid of it and make the boat safe for them, no matter if it cost me my life. Now I knew what they were pointing at so furiously just before the zebra appeared.(pg 40) .This quotes is important because the fact that the hyena exists is enough to make Pi fear a lot through the first few nights on the boat. “It has been left behind. The pet does not understand. It is as unprepared for this jungle as its human siblings are. It waits around for their return, trying to quell the panic rising in it. They do not return. “(2.47.8). This quotes is powerful is because really, this is a sad in the novel. Pi discusses the stupidity of returning pets to the wilderness . How can the creature survive in a habitat that is has to adapt to eventually thrive in? But Pi also reflects loss of his brother Ravi because he was abandoned. The author uses many different methods to reinforce how the hyena is a evil animal throughout the

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