Life Of Pi Illusion Vs Reality Essay

Have you ever experienced something so unbelievable and horrifying that you can’t even talk about it? In Life of Pi by Yann Martel the protagonist Pi faces this situation head on. After an unexpected shipwreck, he is left alone, or so we think, to survive with zoo animals, including a ferocious tiger. Once Pi finds land, he is interrogated by two Japanese men where, after some coercing, he tells the real story; The one with all the gory details. It is revealed that he was too scared and shocked to tell the real account first which clearly represents how sometimes illusion is easier to grasp than reality. In the first place, Pi spends more time telling the animal story, instead of the true account, which shows that he prefers a zebra, a tiger, a hyena, and an orangutan over the real people involved because with real people the tragic events must also be real. While telling his story to the two Japanese men investigating him once he

Right before the men depart, Pi asks them this question, “In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer… Which is a better story?” (Page 398). He points out that there is no factual difference either way, so it makes the most sense to tell the more compelling tale. It is more intriguing for listeners, and easier for Pi to cope with having to talk about the situation. Immediately, after he makes this point, when told the men will be watching out for Richard Parker, the tiger, Pi explains, “He’s hiding somewhere you’ll never find him.” (Page 399). Richard Parker symbolizes Pi when he is on the lifeboat; The part of him he doesn’t want to admit is there and wants to forget. By using illusion to tell his story he is able to reference that the part of him he thinks of as the tiger is now gone for good. Proven by this, Pi relies deeply on illusion to portray his inner feelings instead of telling them as they