In this first part of the story, the events —the death of the zebra, Orange Juice, and the hyena—are
clearly alarming, but not devastating. In Pi’s second go-around, the moments of narrative are steep with the horror of a
227-day ordeal—the murder of a sailor, cannibalism, a mother’s
brutal murder, and Pi’s choice to kill another man in revenge and
for survival.
The main concern in this section is survival.
From here until the end of the book, survival will become Pi’s and the
story’s, compelling force; here it is a new burden, and Pi learns for the
first time how it will change him. which is not at all that bad—it allows Pi to be
distracted from the tragic and terrible loss that he suffered of his whole family—but it is
more consuming than he could have expected.
The motif of naming comes up in this section, when we learn the origin of Richard Parker (why he was named that). Throughout the book
Life of Pi,
Pi always refers to Richard Parker using his name—he is never uses “the tiger.” That this name is meant for a human adds to the feeling that Pi has
humanized Richard Parker. He manages to survive with him for so long,
but it does, in the end, pay for it emotionally, because he expected a
humanized goodbye from the tiger - which he does not get from the tiger.
This
section also emphasizes on Pi’s deep isolation. The size of the
ocean, the overpowering nature as it rains on him, make
his odds of survival very small. Pi does not accept it, but he and decides that he will survive. Yet, even while making his decision, he quickly realizes that the one plan he has come up with
that seems that all of them will not succeed.
The power of
nature is also emphasized in terms of emotional toll. Pi loses all
of his hope he had , and accepts his parents’ and brother’s deaths, and the feels true of the overpowering emotion fear. Still he also able to find freedom in his hopelessness, and
he discovers that he has an ultimate will to survive that cannot be crushed.
This section also paradoxically marks both the
beginning of Pi's transition into more beast-like behavior, it was driven by
survival needs to a greater degree than Pi would have believed himself
capable of, and the beginning of Pi’s control over Richard Parker, who
represents the truly wild and bestial. Pi, a lifelong vegetarian, is
here driven both to eat meat, and to willfully take life for the first
time in his life.
He adjusts to this surprisingly quickly—the
flying fish that he very reluctantly and very unhappily kills to use as
bait catches him a dorado, which he almost gleefully beats to death. He
eventually is even driven to kill a sea turtle, which he finds to be
wonderful and one of his favorite foods.
As Pi grows more
carnivorous, he comes to realize that he must tame Richard Parker. He
begins the training that he has devised so that he can have his own
territory on the lifeboat and feel relatively safe there. Although it
is not easy and is highly dangerous, he eventually manages to mark out
his own territory and exert a certain amount of dominance over Richard
Parker.
It is within this section there also that time loses meaning.
Before this, even at sea, there has been some feeling of chronology in
Pi’s story. Within this section, however, Pi says that he was at sea
for 227 days, and with that the chronology stops. Pi, who can no
longer keep track of time - which proves something of a blessing.
The
danger of loneliness also rears
This section represents there is a decisive turning point in Pi's narrative
and arc. Here Pi truly loses his innocence, survival exacts the dearest
cost, and his suffering becomes tangible. Ironically, this section also
continues sparks of real hope. After all, Pi encounters not one but
two boats - a miraculous stroke of good fortune that comes to naught.
The
dashing of these hopes comes almost as soon as Pi can appreciate them.
First, the oil tanker that could save him almost kills him, then
continues on into the distance without ever seeing him. Second, and
most horribly, Pi’s first interaction with another human since the
Tsimtsum
sank brings not the companionship he is so excited for, but instead
attempted murder and brutal death—and with it, profound guilt.
Pi
makes it clear that whether the first story is taken symbolically or
literally, the Frenchman’s death is in either way caused by Pi’s own
fight for survival. Thus he must forever accept that his survival came
at the cost of another’s life. Whether Richard Parker, or the survival
instinct that Richard Parker symbolizes, is the actual killer seems
irrelevant to Pi, since the result is the same.
The despair and suffering that follow the Frenchman’s death are
highlighted by the excitement that precedes it, though that excitement
is tinged with surrealism. Since Part 2 and Pi’s loss of all human
companionship is understandable. So
with the arrival of the Frenchman, who Pi and the reader both first
assume to be some kind of hallucination, the novel’s form suddenly
changes course in dramatic fashion. This sudden proliferation of
dialogue, combined with Pi’s extremely weak state and blindness, and
confused belief that he is speaking to Richard Parker, make this scene
the least believable of Pi’s tale. The scene’s ending, however, makes
it clear that this is also the scene that Pi would be least likely to
make up—its horror would serve him no purpose. We also see one
of the few instances in which Pi does not try to tell the better story:
he cannot mix God into this awful memory.
Pi's life on the boat
