Survival in Yann Martel's Life of Pi

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The saying “desperate times call for desperate measures” holds truth to an extent. In the award winning novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, drastic measures are taken by characters in order to survive while stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Through his journey, main character, Pi Patel, endures many hardships and witnesses several deaths. Significantly, the death of the zebra accompanying Pi and the other animals establishes a generalization of human nature being sophisticated yet inherently vicious according to methods of survival. As the least threatening of the animals, the zebra has a connection to all of the organisms on the boat so its death causes mixed reactions. When the hyena kills the zebra, it does so in a barbaric and cruel manner. Though the hyena killing the zebra can be viewed as an action out of desire to live, the zebra was “eaten alive from the inside” by the hyena and painfully lived on for days “[attempting]..self-preservation” (Martel 125). The zebra suffers a long, drawn out death caused by the hyena. Though Elsie Cloete questions “whether animals can suffer", it is obvious that the zebra does by its actions. The animal even “rear[s] its head straight up, as if appealing to heaven” to take away the pain it is feeling (Martel 126). Because the hyena kills the zebra in such an unconventional way, it is easy to see the cruel side becoming predominant in the hyena’s character. The hyena portrays a savage being due to its ruthless, merciless actions towards the zebra and the manner of which it consumes it. Furthermore, once the zebra finally dies, the orangutan, Orange Juice, becomes violent towards the hyena. Because Orange Juice acts as a mother figure and tries to defend the zebra, the death o... ... middle of paper ... ...uman ability to be rational and civilized by not using violent means in the situation at hand. Hence, Pi is the subconscious will of humanity to remain passive and ultimately good. Therefore, when broken down into human forms, the passengers exemplify different levels of reaction to the sailor’s death and also the complexity of the human mind found throughout all mankind. Survival versus death triggers different subconscious reactions. In the scene of the zebra’s death, the characters all react and transform in varying ways because of their power and control over their own mind. Once dissected, the actions of each character give insight to the rational and cruel factors of the human mind. Ultimately, death is an altering component to the mind and behavior of humans. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.

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