Life Of Pi Animals Essay

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, tells two interesting stories; one with animals and one without animals. Pi tells both stories and says, “You can’t prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it. […] Which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?” This allows readers to choose. The story with the animals is the better story because the animals as humans represent Pi’s way of coping with traumatic events; it is more interesting and relatable.
Pi has just survived a tsunami. He is traumatized and shaken. To cope with this, his imagination creates animals that have survived the tsunami as well. For instance, the vicious cook from the ship becomes a raging hyena. Representing evil in the world, he kills both the zebra and the orangutan. A young Chinese sailor whose leg is broken is the zebra, representing vulnerability in life. The orangutan is Pi’s mother, representing safety and protection.
Together they provide different aspects of the story, keeping it impactful, light, hopeful, fantastical, and realistic. By telling a fantastical story, the author engages readers, forcing them to imagine while reading; it is light enough that one can be in the story. Pi imagines the animals which forces readers to imagine them, as well. The author presents a more straightforward version too. This version is the story without animals. It focuses on religion, God, and zoology. It is very important to the author. He believes the story without animals is better as it focuses more on God and elements of the spiritual. Martel tells the story with animals because he is trying to relate the story on a level where even those without imagination can understand it. He also tells it this way so that it might appeal to those without imagination, inspiring them to consider the