A Freudian Examination of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi

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Society is known to put everyone and everything into roles that, if or when the role assigned is changed, all hell breaks loose. Through Freud’s theory, he explains the behaviors that are associated with the id, the ego, and the superego. Being that Pi was someone who had been relatively well-off prior to embarking on his trip to Canada and then thrown into a new scenario that involves him becoming a starving survivor of a boat wreck stuck in a boat with a tiger that is threatening to eat him, it can be seen that Freud’s theory is displayed. When observing the events that take place throughout Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, it is observable that he creates an impressive relationship between Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego and Pi’s mental facade while using a paradox within the specific animals, as well as his strive for survival. According to Sigmund Freud, the id is made up of two different types of biological instincts that are classified as Eros and Thanatos. Eros is life instinct that assists people in survival by directing activities that sustain life. Some examples of these activities would be breathing, eating and sex. These life instincts are known to give people energy that is called libido. Thanatos is the opposite of Eros; it is death instinct. The death instinct is seen as the destructive forces that exist in every person. This is a form of energy that is shown as aggression and violence towards others. Sigmund Freud thought that Thanatos were not as strong as Eros due to the fact that people were able to survive as opposed to destroying themselves (McLeod). Both of these are displayed throughout Yann Martel’s Life of Pi and assist in creating the story. Eros is shown when the hyena eats the zebra’s broken le... ... middle of paper ... ...eating the zebra alive in Chapter 45. Another example of Thanatos is shown when the hyena bites a hole into the zebra and Pi feels a sense of hatred towards the hyena for hurting the zebra and he even considers attacking it. An id and ego split is also shown between Pi and Richard Parker by showing Richard Parker to be an imaginary tiger that is created by Pi in order to keep him alive and focused on staying alive. Pi eventually abandons his superego and partakes in eating meat, even though he was a strict vegetarian prior to being lost at sea. Over the duration of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, the story relates to Freud’s theories in several ways that are made blatantly obvious; these relations are what makes this story come together to keep the reader involved and interested. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.

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