Prompt 1 All stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is no different. However, some argue that the first part, which deals with Pi’s coming of age and homeland, could be disregarded entirely to make a stronger novel. In viewing the completed work, it is clear that every component, no matter how obscure or bizarre, is absolutely critical to the success of the novel. All elements of the writing, from Pi’s religion to his fascination with sloths, are vital, for they all work together to describe a larger story.
At first, the explanation of Pi’s religion and the nature of animals appears to be repetitive and irrelevant. It is nothing more than supportive information, which seems only useful when Pi prays to both Jesus and Vishnu, or when he rattles off facts about female orangutans. As he wrestles with isolation, danger, and despair, he …show more content…
The zebra, having a gravely broken leg, represents Pi’s bruised and wounded side, as he has been physically injured and scarred by his ordeal at sea. He is the sailor with the broken leg, and like the sailor, the physically injured parts of Pi die off quickly and are replaced by psychological pain. The hyena represents Pi’s feral, carnal, and greedy side, as he finds himself resorting to animalistic urges to survive. In Pi’s story, he is the cook, who is murderous and relentless. He dies when he realizes he has violated his boundaries, just how Pi’s greed dies when he accepts his and Richard Parker’s need for each other in order to survive. Orange Juice, or Pi’s mother, is the mourning and grieving pain within Pi. Her death, and Pi’s resulting shift of emotion, is the path through which Pi’s strongest characteristic dominates in the form of Richard Parker. The tiger is Pi himself, and he represents the powerful, resilient, and noble force that guides him through life. Like Pi, he is the one that