Life of Pi

When you are a 16 year-old man and lost your family in a spontaneous shipwreck, you might think you have the worst life in the world, but Pi would have the luckiest. It is amazing that Pi was able to tell the tale about his 227-day odyssey through the Pacific. Pi claimed that he was not alone, he claims to be with a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. Richard Parker was Pi’s protection and source of living.

Richard parker was not the only imaginary animal; there was a gentle orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a vicious hyena. All of the animals were real people. From the start of the ship wreck there was a certain way the author talks about the animals. One part he talks about how the orangutan floats on the crate of bananas with the sunlight behind her. The author made the ape sound like a real person.

The only person that wasn't a real human was Richard Parker. Richard Parker I believe was Pi's survival mode. Pi believes that he needs the tiger to survive and so he could be safe from things that try to kill him such as the blind man. If Pi was alone on the boat he would have psychological brain damage and thoughts of suicide might have occurred. The tiger Pi made up didn't just help him physically, but mentally, too.

The tiger symbolizes power and passion. It also represents cruelty and wrath and its appearance in dream is usually a sign of new power or passion that has awakened within a person. This fits the story with Pi having to suffer on the sea. He is awakened with three religions that follow him through the book. 

Pi had gotten power with Richard Parker by his side. He was able to stand up to the tiger for his well being and had more confidence in himself.