Life of Pi Essay

1767 Words8 Pages
Life of Pi Essay “I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life” (Martel 178). Survival becomes a person's ultimate goal to conquer fears when stranded at the sea for two hundred and twenty-seven days. The circumstance Pi learns to cope with are not easy and to adapt to, after being shipwrecked on his way to Canada; but he slowly uses his past to assist him on keep going. One of the biggest factors keeping Pi alive is his survival techniques to conquer his fears. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel introduces readers to a young boy name Piscine Molitar Patel who uses his faith in religion, his adaptability to new surroundings and his knowledge of zoology to conquer his fears and survive. In Life of Pi, while stranded at the sea; Pi’s strong faith in religion keeps him sane through his prayers, gives him hopes through the significance of the colour orange in the boat, and gives him the energy to withstand all the elements and survive. Though Pi is raised a Hindu and believes in Hinduism his whole life, he also believes in Christianity and Islam, resulting in religion becoming an important aspect of his life. The practise of religion specifically through prayer keeps Pi sane throughout his journey, as it is one of the very few activities he is able to do whilst stranded at sea. To keep a positive outlook on survival Pi describes his religious practises, while on the boat. “I practised religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances [...] they brought me comfort, that is certain. [...]Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation and weariness [...] At such moments I tried to elevate myself” (Martel 231). Prayer is a part of Pi's daily routine life; however it became more important after the shipwreck as he prayed to sustain the situations he was left with. His routine gives structure to his time on the

More about Life of Pi Essay

Open Document