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Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

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Can happiness be defined by a single person's interpretation of their destiny? After a tragic event, people often feel lost and confused for the rest of their life. No matter whether that person can get back to the place they were before, their life will forever be altered by the event. Frankly, ‘happy endings’ do not exist at all and living is about how you roll with the punches. Life is full of disappointments, painful memories, drastic devastations and tragedies that can cause serious psychological problems later on. In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi experiences a terrible journey that changes his life forever, consequently, the statement, “This story has a happy ending,” is not a valid conclusion to be made.
Pi has a very functional, loving …show more content…
Pi expresses, “I wept heartily over this poor little deceased soul. It was the first sentient being I had ever killed. I was now a killer. I was now as guilty as Cain” (293). In the quote, Pi feels utter remorse over killing a fish. He is obviously not a person who can recover from killing and devouring another human being for his own survival. Secondly, throughout the journey Pi loses his will to live. This contemplation is shown when Pi has to decide whether he should kill Richard Parker or not. We later find out in the novel that Richard Parker is an animal representation of himself. As explained in the quote, “I hatched several plans to get rid of him so that the lifeboat might be mine” (174). Evidently, in the ‘better story’ Pi debating if he should kill Richard Parker is him deciding his own fate. Finally, Pi is never going to be the same, just as zoology and religion heavily affect what he does in the future, his experience on the boat will also affect him forever. Taking someone’s life is always going to weigh heavy on his soul, which is a terrible thing Pi is going to have to endure for the rest of his life. Therefore, being at a point where death or killing is constantly on his mind, he may have brighter days but the past will always haunt …show more content…
To Pi storytelling is a coping mechanism to essentially elude the truth because it is too painful to handle. At the end of the novel, Pi asks the two Japanese men which story they prefer and they do not choose the presumably correct story. No matter which story is the ‘better story’ Pi had to live through the human version and it is obvious that it was devastating. Pi having to live through those events are just unforgettable. When the two Japanese ask Pi for what really happened he is hesitant to tell them. Pi says, “You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality" (336). After being difficult Pi finally tells them the other story which is harder for him as it was more of a suppressed memory. Pi explains that the best stories have an invention element and that’s what makes it such an insane story, the truth, however, was much harsher and tragic. In the novel, Pi uses storytelling as a mean of survival. His behaviour and need for a coping mechanism is not normal and can only be caused by a truly catastrophic

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