LIFE OF PI - The human story vs the animal story
HUMAN STORY ANIMAL STORY MEANING
“‘The ship sank. It made “The ship sank. It made Pi begins both stories in
a sound like a monstrous a sound like a monstrous exactly the same way.
metallic burp. Things metallic burp. Things This immediately
bubbled up to the bubbled up to the establishes a connection
surface and then surface and then between the two and
vanished.’” (pg 294) vanished.” (pg 99) suggests that maybe
they are the same story-
just one with Pi’s
embellishments that
helped his spiritual
survival and one without.
Pi describes the swim to In the animal story, it is This suggests that when
the lifeboat as “‘It was Richard Parker who is Pi landed in the water,
the hardest swim of my swimming to the boat. Pi his innate survival
life. I didn’t seem to be describes him as instinct already kicked in
moving. I kept “struggling to stay at the (RP represents this),
swallowing water. I was surface of the water”, trying to get him to
very cold. I was rapidly “panic-stricken”, “small physical safety. Pi calls
losing strength. I and helpless”. Pi is the to RP and assures him
wouldn’t have made it if one that throws the life that he is a strong
the cook hadn’t thrown buoy to Richard Parker. swimmer and can make
me a life buoy and pulled (pg 99-100) it. When Pi throws the
me in.’” (pg 294) life buoy to RP it revives
him. These things
suggest that Pi was
assuring himself and
willing himself to reach
the lifeboat while he was
in the water.
“‘Four of us survived. Pi and the zebra jump Similarities establish the
Mother held on to some onto the lifeboat before it connection between the
bananas and made it to is released from the ship. stories.
the lifeboat. The cook Pi later discovers the
was already aboard, as presence of the hyena
was the sailor.’” (pg 294) aboard, and they find
HUMAN STORY ANIMAL STORY MEANING
“‘The ship sank. It made “The ship sank. It made Pi begins both stories in
a sound like a monstrous a sound like a monstrous exactly the same way.
metallic burp. Things metallic burp. Things This immediately
bubbled up to the bubbled up to the establishes a connection
surface and then surface and then between the two and
vanished.’” (pg 294) vanished.” (pg 99) suggests that maybe
they are the same story-
just one with Pi’s
embellishments that
helped his spiritual
survival and one without.
Pi describes the swim to In the animal story, it is This suggests that when
the lifeboat as “‘It was Richard Parker who is Pi landed in the water,
the hardest swim of my swimming to the boat. Pi his innate survival
life. I didn’t seem to be describes him as instinct already kicked in
moving. I kept “struggling to stay at the (RP represents this),
swallowing water. I was surface of the water”, trying to get him to
very cold. I was rapidly “panic-stricken”, “small physical safety. Pi calls
losing strength. I and helpless”. Pi is the to RP and assures him
wouldn’t have made it if one that throws the life that he is a strong
the cook hadn’t thrown buoy to Richard Parker. swimmer and can make
me a life buoy and pulled (pg 99-100) it. When Pi throws the
me in.’” (pg 294) life buoy to RP it revives
him. These things
suggest that Pi was
assuring himself and
willing himself to reach
the lifeboat while he was
in the water.
“‘Four of us survived. Pi and the zebra jump Similarities establish the
Mother held on to some onto the lifeboat before it connection between the
bananas and made it to is released from the ship. stories.
the lifeboat. The cook Pi later discovers the
was already aboard, as presence of the hyena
was the sailor.’” (pg 294) aboard, and they find
