Emotional Survival

Self-will and determination is what is needed when striving to survive.

When Pi is lost at sea, he faces several emotional obstacles that he must face in order to survive.

Pi knows that he must conquer his fear of Richard Parker and tame him in order to survive while on the lifeboat.

“I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me.” (Martel, 181)

Pi’s fearfulness toward the tiger led him to act upon his survival immediately and build the raft which kept him safe throughout his journey. 

Pi states that “fear is life’s only true opponent”. This lesson can apply to everyone. If we constantly lived in fear, we would not be able to progress in life. We learn from this that if we conquer our fears we are able to accomplish a lot more in life.

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In Act I, Scene I of Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, the castle guards (Marcellus and Bernardo) and Prince Hamlet’s good friend, Horatio, quickly tell Prince Hamlet about their encounter with the ghost who they believe is the ghost of King Hamlet. The guards quickly acted upon fear from seeing the ghost and told Prince Hamlet so that action will be taken. Similarly, Pi acted upon his fear from the tiger and took action by trying to tame Richard Parker which greatly aided in Pi’s survival. 

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Pi starts to get lonely and question why he is living. During Pi’s time of need, Richard Parker was able to provide Pi with company and give him mental strength, as he gave Pi a reason to live.

"If I still had the will to love, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances. He pushed me to go on living. I hated him for it, yet at the same time I was grateful. I am grateful. It's the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I wouldn't be alive today to tell you my story." (Martel,164)

   

Richard Parker symbolizes Pi’s will to survive; he is inside Pi’s soul and mind which aided him to stay sane and alive.

In this video, a dog greets her owner who has returned after being deployed for war in Afghanistan. The dog’s reaction upon seeing her owner truly shows the companionship they had together and how much they cared for and needed each other. Likewise, Richard Parker provided Pi with companionship and a need for survival. They both used each other’s presence and strength which helped them live through their ordeal on the boat.

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Pi’s unbelievable ordeal at sea had him doubting his chance of survival but his sudden urges of motivation, determination, and optimism helped him overcome his doubts.

“I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary,” (Martel, 53). 

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  “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.”-  Hal Lindsay

This quote fits Pi’s journey perfectly because even though his ordeal at sea was unbelievable and took every ounce of effort from Pi’s soul, he still never gave up; Pi fought until the very end.

This quote and the theme of determination needed in order to survive also relates to the novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins. In this novel, the characters are faced with daily obstacles such as not having food or water which is similar to what Pi faces while on the lifeboat. The characters in The Hunger Games usually make it out alive if they believe that they will live and actually make an effort to survive, instead of giving up on their survival.