Life of Pi: Sixteen Year Old Boy Stranded at Sea
Yann Martel wrote Life of Pi in 2001, after a previous novel failedto find much of an audience, or critical acclaim. Life of Pi is the storyof Pi Patel, a sixteen-year-old Indian boy who is stranded for months atsea on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Although the plot may seemunlikely, Martel intends the outlandish story to demonstrate how resilienta human being can be when faced with overwhelmingly dire situations. Life of Pi begins by introducing our main character and his life inIndia. Pi leads a pretty typical life for a teenage boy, with theexception of his indiscriminate religious
While at sea, Pi is faced with many obstacles. "I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as Iwas, you too would elevate your thoughts. Pi is initially a regular teenager, but when he is stranded on thelifeboat, he is forced to bring the tiger to his submission, so he won't beeaten. Finally, Martel presents analternate version of Pi's story and presents us with this same challenge;reject Pi's story and be a skeptic forever, or accept it and let the mindsoar. "You might think I lost all hope at that point. His father is azookeeper in Pondicherry, who decides to move his family to Canada to givethem a better life. By tackling all of these challengesas they arise, Pi Patel becomes a stronger character, one who isn'tdefeated by anything. He does this by using animal training techniques he used from thezoo. That being settled, why not do something aboutmy parched throat'" (p149). Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger on the lifeboat is Pi's companionthrough most of the novel. By dealing with small, practical tasks (likesecuring water and food), Pi is able to keep the tiger from killinghimself.
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Acceptance Essays
