While his original story contains some unbelievable details such as the animals in the lifeboat, orangutans floating on bananas, and the carnivorous meerkat island, it is still a story of survival, be it fact or fiction. Both versions of the story depict astonishing courage, a will to live, and an end to a 227 day journey. As Pi recounts his time on the meerkat island, he comes to a conclusion that pushes him to leave the island. “I preferred to set off and perish in search of my own kind than to live a lonely half-life of physical comfort and spiritual death on this murderous island” (154). Whether, the island existed or not, Pi knew he that he would not want to live a life alone and away from other humans. He knew that he needed to leave the island, not fall prey to its comforts, and seek out a human world. He expresses his will to live, and he continues his path to salvation; this is the takeaway that is easy for the reader to acknowledge. Pi’s recollection is likely a coping mechanism for the reality that he had faced, and despite some of the unreliable details, there is truth and lessons within it. When faced with a life-threatening situation, the message is to do what is necessary to
While his original story contains some unbelievable details such as the animals in the lifeboat, orangutans floating on bananas, and the carnivorous meerkat island, it is still a story of survival, be it fact or fiction. Both versions of the story depict astonishing courage, a will to live, and an end to a 227 day journey. As Pi recounts his time on the meerkat island, he comes to a conclusion that pushes him to leave the island. “I preferred to set off and perish in search of my own kind than to live a lonely half-life of physical comfort and spiritual death on this murderous island” (154). Whether, the island existed or not, Pi knew he that he would not want to live a life alone and away from other humans. He knew that he needed to leave the island, not fall prey to its comforts, and seek out a human world. He expresses his will to live, and he continues his path to salvation; this is the takeaway that is easy for the reader to acknowledge. Pi’s recollection is likely a coping mechanism for the reality that he had faced, and despite some of the unreliable details, there is truth and lessons within it. When faced with a life-threatening situation, the message is to do what is necessary to