In reality people must face the harsh truth, no matter how difficult. However, if a person is unable to endure the truth, they will project a fantasy onto reality to better be able to bear it. The authors of both Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman and Life of Pi by Yann Martel work in similar ways to teach the reader that using fantasy as an escape is an effective way to cope with the harsh reality. Each author does this with a high degree of effectiveness, through the use of devices such as imagery, comic relief, and irony. At the end of Life of Pi the author reveals a second “reality” that makes the reader ponder the truth of the animals that accompanied Pi on his journey. Man of La Mancha, in fact, exposes the audience to three realities, which can be described as the prison, the life of Alonso Quijana, and the life of Don Quixote. The actions of the main characters in each work directly relate back to the main theme. Additionally, the authors both use the theme to bring out the relationships that the main characters have with their fictional creations. Martel’s use of sound imagery in Life of Pi successfully emphasizes how the relationship between Pi and his fantasy allows him to cope with reality. When Pi discovers Richard Parker on the lifeboat, the tiger decides to assert his …show more content…
Through this. the playwright effectively introduces the audience to Don Quixote’s imaginary world. Don Quixote is unable to cope with his dull reality, and must instead escape it through fantasy. It is obvious that each of the authors use imagery in similar ways, as they each evidently reveal to the reader the underlying reality in the fantasy being described. However, Martel applies the imagery to reveal a sinister reality, whereas Wasserman’s imagery reveals a dull or even boring