This document entails a detailed analysis of the Pi and the lessons he learnt in order to survive, delving into the representation and meaning behind each character and situation happening in the story and how they led to hid survival.
1. His knowledge on zoology and zookeeping:
Pi’s father is a zookeeper and owner of Pondicherry Zoo, and Pi and his brother
Ravi are raised amongst exotic wild animals. Pi’s tale frequently digresses to
explanations and the lessons he obtained about zookeeping, animals & their
territories, taming and boundaries.
His father warns him of the danger a wild animal is capable of and allows Pi to
watch a tiger eat a goat - this brutal killing taught pi the fundamental lesson that
“an animal is an animal”, allowing him to give reason to the behaviour of those on
the lifeboat, think strategically and mentally survive 227 days stranded in the
Pacific Ocean.
His knowledge on the nature & anatomy of wildlife ultimately allows him to
manipulate the truth in order to find peace with the “crude reality” of his
ordeal: When the Tsimtsum sinks, part 2 follows the story in which there are no
human survivors except for Pi. Pi sees a tiger, Richard Parker, and encourages
him to climb aboard. Pi eventually finds himself on the lifeboat with a zebra,
a hyena, and Orange Juice the orangutan. The hyena kills the zebra and eats it.
The hyena then fights and kills Orange Juice. Pi notices that Richard Parker is
still in the boat, hiding under a tarpaulin. Richard Parker kills the hyena, leaving
Pi alone with the tiger. Pi tells the real story in part 3 - replacing the animals with
humans – in this version Pi is on the lifeboat with a French cook, a Chinese
sailor, and his own mother. The sailor dies and the cook eats his flesh. The cook
later kills Pi’s mother, and then Pi kills the cook.
This reflects the sign in Pondicherry zoo that states “the most dangerous animal
at a zoo is Man.”
2. Reasoning - the action of thinking about something in a logical, sensible
way.
In order to survive at sea, he needs to think logically in order to sustain him
physically. His reasoning assists Pi to fight for survival, discarding his moral
beliefs and humanity. He transforms from being a staunch vegetarian and
having a deep reverence for life to killing and resorting to cannibalism. He
learns to fish and to catch turtles, often violently butchering his catch.
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