Loss of Innocence: Pi’s Development in Life of Pi Innocence is like a ship on a vast ocean; one small crack can expose it to the darkness that lies beneath. The enthralling novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel shows the complexities of survival and the importance of self-awareness within an individual. Pi was forced to break many rules, resulting in him committing various terrifying acts through his struggles to survive. Pi’s change in perspective allowed him to overcome various barriers and obstacles ensuring his survival at sea which resulted in his loss of innocence. Through Pi's journey in the novel; Martel shows the importance of self-awareness and perspective change and how developing these facets can result in one overcoming life’s challenges. Loss of innocence is when an individual undergoes a different …show more content…
The challenges faced by Pi forced him to change his beliefs and adapt to certain behaviors in order to survive. Pi witnessing the cook murder his mother led him into taking the life of the cook, killing him out of fear for his own survival and the revenge of his mother. “The cook killed my mother…Then we fought and I killed him” (Martel 343, 344). Through Pi’s desire for revenge, he condemned violence and killed the cook even though he was essential for Pi’s survival, often providing him food and water; however, Pi resorted to killing him when he felt his own sense of survival was threatened. Pi understood the harsh reality of the human mind; that a person can do anything for their own survival even if it meant ending another person’s life. Due to Pi’s desperate circumstances he was forced to break his vegetarian diet and started eating fish in order to survive resulting in his loss of innocence. “Lord, to think that I’m a strict vegetarian. To think that when I was a child I always shuddered when I snapped open a banana because it sounded to me like the breaking of an animal's neck. I have descended to a level of savagery I never imagined possible”
After this, Pi describes the killing of the cook/hyena surprisingly easy, this is the shadow self and survival instincts shining through as well. what does this say about pi? Has this changed him? Go into more depth, this seems a little rushed. Concluding
(New PDF 103) At first, Pi is deathly afraid and wants to kill him, but reading further into the book, Pi starts to depend on Richard Parker and cling to him as his only companion and friend, similarly to aid from the supernatural. In other words, Pi’s frailty along with his ingenuity will truly shine as he finally has begun his
The portrayal of his character as being highly moral and religious in the beginning of the story were destroyed in his search of satisfying his basic physiological needs by turning into savagery. At many points in the story, Pi sees himself no different to Richard Parker as we are all animals looking to survive. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the story of The Life of Pi, demonstrates that our minds are controlled in stages, in which one set of needs must be satisfied before reaching the satisfaction of another. To understand the psychology of the human mind which allows us to reach the highest of stages of achievement, one must realize the darkest depths a mind can turn to in order to
Unlike Cain, who did not feel guilty after his brother’s death, Pi “wept heartily” after the fish’s death. Clearly, this event had a great impact on Pi. This incident is very important, because it further emphasizes that Pi must abandon his morals if he wants to survive at sea. Growing up, Pi was a vegetarian. As a result, he never ate meat and considered it to be morally wrong.
There is one moment in the story where all his developed instincts were challenged. He was met with a school of flying fish that would jump out of the water and into the lifeboat. He had wrapped one fish in a blanket and intended to kill it with a hatchet. He could not bring himself to kill this fish with a hatchet, but ultimately cannot go through with it. Pi ends
The initial struggle was with the cooks who killed the sailor and Pi’s mother. He eventually killed the cook. Pi as a Hindu never thought he could kill a human being, but he was enraged after the cook killed his mother and had to get revenge. Pi had to fight hard against sea sickness,fear,hunger, and thirst. Because he was Hindu he was at war with himself over killing fish and eating them to stay alive.
Not everyone can stand eating or drinking unpleasant substances, survive while being blind, and live next to carnivorous creatures. Pi on the other hand withstands all this misfortune for nearly a year. Additionally, another theme that comes to mind is that survival instincts result in some
When Pi’s life is put in serious danger, he has to adjust his wants and needs of many different aspects of his life. Pi was living what he called a perfect life. From spending most of his days with animals to practicing swimming, he learned to love everything about his life. However, things changed when a ship that his entire family on sank in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout the beginning of Pi’s life, he is told not to kill any animal due to his vegetarian values. However, in this scenario, he has no choice. Through this, Pi transforms into a
Someone who has lost their innocence changes their personality and perspective on life, which results in them acting in situations differently than they would before. When someone loses their innocence from the death
Through determination and perseverance, he developed his hunting skills and adapted to the challenges he faced. Each day, Pi became more proficient, learning from his experiences and adjusting his strategies. By paying attention to nature's cues and seizing opportunities, he transformed from a novice to a skilled hunter. Pi went from this “I Covered the fish's head with the blanket and turned the hatchet around… I put the hatchet down.
Pi encounters a French castaway; the castaway foolishly enters Pi’s lifeboat and is eaten by Richard Parker. After Richard Parker kills the French castaway, Pi starts using the leftover flesh for his own uses, such as fishing: “I will confess that I caught one of his arms with the gaff and used his flesh as bait” (322). In his isolated state, he thinks of nothing but survival and how he will receive his next meal. Soon after, Pi even goes to the extremity of eating the flesh of the mangled dead castaway. This deed of cannibalism barely registers in his mind as he admits, “... I ate some of his flesh.
Other examples of his slipping humanity would be the first time he killed a fish. As Pi addressed in the book, “to think that I 'm a strict vegetarian. . . and always shuddered when I snapped open a banana because it sounded to me like the breaking of an animal 's neck. I descended to a level of savagery I never imagined possible.” (249) He is aware of the changes that are occurring inside of him.
He is unable to understand why the Lord isn’t listening to his prayers and why everything is detrimental to him. Keeping his religious beliefs at sea is very challenging for Pi, this leads him to experience feelings of disbelief towards God. Despite his doubts, Pi continues to pray and practice his religions. He eventually comes to the conclusion that once everything is taken away from him and he is in complete darkness, he will always have his faith. He admits that loving God is difficult, but it’s something he must do if he is to survive his journey across the ocean.
Pi frequently speaks about the importance of storytelling in our society. Even before his boat sinks, and he finds himself stranded, Pi uses stories as a way to understand how he relates to the world around him. When Pi discovers Christianity