Imagine getting lost at sea after losing some of the most important people of your life. How will you motivate yourself to survive, let alone taking care of someone else. In the book “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel a similar event happens to “Pi” Piscine Patel.
Throughout the book, Pi is lost at sea after a shipwreck and losing the people closest to him. Yann Martel uses symbolism to show how when put in a dangerous situation it brings out the strength of an individual. The color orange, Richard Parker, and the Algae
Island all represent something in Pi’s life.
In the book the color orange symbolizes hope and survival. Just before Pi talks about the Tsimtsum sinking, the narrator describes visiting the adult Pi at his home in
Canada and meeting his family. Pi’s daughter, Usha, carries an orange cat. This moment shows the reader that the end of the story, if not happy, will not be a complete tragedy, since Pi is guaranteed to survive the wreckage. As the Tsimtsum sinks,
Chinese crewmen give Pi a lifejacket with an orange whistle; on the boat, he finds an orange lifebuoy. In this part of the book it shows how the color orange is a symbol of survival, both the lifejacket and the lifebuoy are used so that you don't drown at sea.
While on the lifeboat Pi encounters Orange Juice, an orangutan that provides a measure of emotional support that helps Pi maintain hope in the face of horrific tragedy.
This color orange in the book has a greater meaning than just a color, it represents hope of survival and a reason to want to survive.
The Algae Island represents represents Pi’s religious beliefs. Up until he reaches the island, Pi does not choose a specific religion he just wants to "love God." When he is on the lifeboat, Pi treats all religions equally. "Vishnu preserve me, Allah protect me,
Christ save me," he screams when his life is in danger. But on the island, he abandons
Christianity and Hinduism, seeing only Islam: "As my heart