Life of Pi Essay
Walton 1
Woody Walton
Mr. Esthus
October 15, 2012
Life of Pi: The Will to Survive
The main goal of every living thing on earth is to survive. Creatures will do amazing, extraordinary, and heroic things to live. However, they might also do terrible and horrific things in dire situations. It is interesting to think about how far one may go to keep their life. Shameful things might be done and morals might be broken. Times like these are what really show the true colors of people and hold anyone watching or reading or hearing in fascination. In almost every book or movie there is, most of the time, a life threatening situation the character must overcome: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Life of Pi. Almost every story follows this classic monomyth archetype structure in which a character starts at home but is soon thrown into a situation where they must overcome many hard and life threatening trials. Yann Martel’s novel , Life of Pi, is a great example of the will to survive. Yann Martell uses the Monomyth archetype and the journey of a boy named Pi to show the extraordinary things people will do to survive, even if it puts their morals and even their religion at risk.
In the first part of the monomyth archetype, life at home, Pi is still living in a reality where everyday needs are held for granted and believing in God and following his beliefs are relatively easy. Pi is a very content boy who strongly values his religion and his morals. He lives a modern and relatively simple life in which he is blessed with things like grocery stores, running water, a house, etc. Pi is also a very spiritual boy who honors his values. He simultaneously believes in the Hindu, Christian, and Islamic faith which he follows avidly. He does not eat meat, he reads his bible, and he attends the mosque every Friday. His vegetarian life is also made possible with his abundant supply of alternative foods. It is obvious that he holds his morals in high regards and follows
Woody Walton
Mr. Esthus
October 15, 2012
Life of Pi: The Will to Survive
The main goal of every living thing on earth is to survive. Creatures will do amazing, extraordinary, and heroic things to live. However, they might also do terrible and horrific things in dire situations. It is interesting to think about how far one may go to keep their life. Shameful things might be done and morals might be broken. Times like these are what really show the true colors of people and hold anyone watching or reading or hearing in fascination. In almost every book or movie there is, most of the time, a life threatening situation the character must overcome: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Life of Pi. Almost every story follows this classic monomyth archetype structure in which a character starts at home but is soon thrown into a situation where they must overcome many hard and life threatening trials. Yann Martel’s novel , Life of Pi, is a great example of the will to survive. Yann Martell uses the Monomyth archetype and the journey of a boy named Pi to show the extraordinary things people will do to survive, even if it puts their morals and even their religion at risk.
In the first part of the monomyth archetype, life at home, Pi is still living in a reality where everyday needs are held for granted and believing in God and following his beliefs are relatively easy. Pi is a very content boy who strongly values his religion and his morals. He lives a modern and relatively simple life in which he is blessed with things like grocery stores, running water, a house, etc. Pi is also a very spiritual boy who honors his values. He simultaneously believes in the Hindu, Christian, and Islamic faith which he follows avidly. He does not eat meat, he reads his bible, and he attends the mosque every Friday. His vegetarian life is also made possible with his abundant supply of alternative foods. It is obvious that he holds his morals in high regards and follows