Life Of Pi Literary Analysis Essay
Instructor Claudia Gresham
English 113
24 February 2014
Literary Analysis of Life of Pi
The novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an intriguing story of a boy, a tiger and their perils of life at the hands of the Pacific Ocean. There are many elements of fiction the characters of Pi Patel and Richard Parker. The setting of the limitless Pacific Ocean, the many different themes like survival and religion, and the symbolism of the color orange are all very important elements in this story that will also be analyzed. Together, the significant elements of characterization, setting, theme and symbolism draw the reader in and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat while reading Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.
Characterization is the first very important element in Life of Pi, especially the characterization of Pi Patel. Piscine Molitor …show more content…
He is a middle aged man with a wife, kids and a job at this point. He is sixteen years old when the Tsimtsum sinks, leaving him desperate and alone with no family left. On the day he realizes his family is really gone, is when his grief really hit him. He states “I lay down on the tarpaulin and spent the whole night weeping and grieving, my face buried in my arms” (Martel, 128). Pi must now overcome the grief of losing his family and become independent and self-sufficient.
Pi is forced to grow up while he is in the vast Pacific Ocean and his survival instincts start to kick in. He finds a survival guide and learns how to fish, quickly realizing that he does not have the luxury of being a vegetarian anymore. This is an internal struggle that he has to face, but he now realizes how important it is to his survival to eat meat. Pi learns how to protect himself from the dangers of the ocean and the Bengal tiger (Richard Parker) this is inhabiting the lifeboat with him. Pi relies a lot on god to help him through his 227 day journey. He prays daily and thanks god for
English 113
24 February 2014
Literary Analysis of Life of Pi
The novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an intriguing story of a boy, a tiger and their perils of life at the hands of the Pacific Ocean. There are many elements of fiction the characters of Pi Patel and Richard Parker. The setting of the limitless Pacific Ocean, the many different themes like survival and religion, and the symbolism of the color orange are all very important elements in this story that will also be analyzed. Together, the significant elements of characterization, setting, theme and symbolism draw the reader in and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat while reading Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.
Characterization is the first very important element in Life of Pi, especially the characterization of Pi Patel. Piscine Molitor …show more content…
He is a middle aged man with a wife, kids and a job at this point. He is sixteen years old when the Tsimtsum sinks, leaving him desperate and alone with no family left. On the day he realizes his family is really gone, is when his grief really hit him. He states “I lay down on the tarpaulin and spent the whole night weeping and grieving, my face buried in my arms” (Martel, 128). Pi must now overcome the grief of losing his family and become independent and self-sufficient.
Pi is forced to grow up while he is in the vast Pacific Ocean and his survival instincts start to kick in. He finds a survival guide and learns how to fish, quickly realizing that he does not have the luxury of being a vegetarian anymore. This is an internal struggle that he has to face, but he now realizes how important it is to his survival to eat meat. Pi learns how to protect himself from the dangers of the ocean and the Bengal tiger (Richard Parker) this is inhabiting the lifeboat with him. Pi relies a lot on god to help him through his 227 day journey. He prays daily and thanks god for