Yann Martel Survival

After meeting one’s physical needs, in order to survive they must meet their emotional needs to keep their sanity, they must also keep their spiritual needs, to keep tranquility in the midst of their survival. Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a man who survives 227 days in the pacific with the company of a bengal tiger after a ship carrying him and his family sank. Yann Martel shows how Pi’s knowledge and unique beliefs help him meet his various needs, and this is the main reason he is able to survive his ordeal.
In order to meet his physical needs Pi must use his knowledge and resources to the best of his advantages. The lifeboat survival kit is equipped with vital resources such as: A fishing kit, solar stills
and equipment for shelter, these three things help Pi meet his physical needs. The fishing kit provides Pi with the option for food, without this he will starve. Chapter 66 shows how Pi uses this kit to survive “With time and experience I became a better hunter. I grew bolder and more agile. I developed an instinct, a feel for what to do. My success improved greatly when I started using part of the cargo net.”
(Martel 195) This shows that as Pi uses the kit he begins to provide food for himself, and develops instinct that will help him later in his ordeal.
In order for Pi to survive he must be hydrated, it is more likely for one to die at sea because of dehydration rather than starvation. One of Pi’s resources is the solar stills. Solar stills turn seawater to freshwater in a matter of days. These are vital to Pi’s survival. Pi discovers the importance of these stills in chapter 62 he proclaims “The solar stills were the only other possible source of drinkable water. I looked at them doubtfully. They had been out two days now. I noticed that one of them had lost a little air. I pulled on the rope to tend it. I topped off its cone with air. Without any real expectations I reached underwater for the distillate pouch that was clipped to the round buoyancy chamber. My fingers took hold of a bag the was unexpectedly fat” (Martel 187) Pi knows that without these stills to provide water he would eventually die of thirst, they are crucial to his survival. Pi’s emotional state is always in jeopardy, without things to keep him busy he would go insane. Pi has several things in the boat with him to keep him busy. One of these things is Richard Parker. Pi fears for his life constantly because of Richard Parker, Richard Parker also keeps Pi from loneliness and isolation. After thinking of plans to kill Richard Parker, Pi realizes that he can use his knowledge to train him, Pi comes up with his
“7th plan” while training Richard Parker because sees how Richard Parker reacts to his demands “He backed off and dropped to the bottom of the boat.
The first training session was over. It was a resounding success. I stopped whistling and sat down heavily on raft, out of breath and exhausted. And so it came to be: Plan Number Seven: Keep Him Alive” (Martel 166) This quote focuses on Pi’s realization of how important Richard Parker is to his survival. Though Richard Parker is a
good way to keep Pi busy, he is also incredibly dangerous and Pi cannot always be around him, Pi must turn to other things to keep him occupied such as the survival manual. The survival manual not only gives Pi the necessary knowledge to survive but also is an escape for Pi. Pi’s knowledge of survival is weak, but Pi uses the survival manual as if it were a book, which keeps him occupied, this is shown in chapter 65 when Pi says “I spent hours trying to decipher the lines in the survival manual on navigation. Plain and simple explanations on living off sea were given in abundance. but a basic knowledge of seafaring was assumed by the author of the manual.” (Martel 192-193) This shows how the book can keep him busy and challenge his mind. Pi has a unique beliefs system that helps him meet his spiritual needs because to have 3 different religions is difficult, he must believe in all three strongly each of these beliefs help him survive. To help himself keep calm and have tranquility Pi prayed four time a day regularly, this went along with a schedule for his everyday activities. This is was a key to his survival as he says in chapter 63 “I kept myself busy. That was one key to my survival. On a lifeboat, even on a raft, there’s always something that needs doing.”(Martel 190) This schedule included his prayers, without these prayers Pi’s faith and hope in surviving would be greatly affected. Pi’s belief in God is what helps him keep from giving up, and a huge reason why he is alive. Pi shows how he was gonna give up in chapter 53 when he says “I was giving up. I would have given up--if a voice hadn’t made itself heard in my heart. The voice said ‘I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat te odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen everyday. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen’” (Martel 148)Without God he would have given up on a chance for a miracle, after that he will lose all hope and eventually his will to fight and live. If Pi hadn’t have met his many needs he would not have survived, but because Pi was able to use knowledge, religion and resources to meet these various needs he was able to survive this terrible ordeal.