Life Of Pi Multimedia Essay Part One

Introduction:

            Canadian Author Yann Martel’s famous novel “Life of Pi,” tells a story of a young man named Piscine Molitor Patel, also known as Pi, who at the age of sixteen survived 227 days on a raft on the Pacific Ocean.  Throughout Pi’s journey it becomes increasingly evident that he has a strong will to survive. Pi is conveyed as a strong human being that uses his strive to survive as a way of making it through the ordeal of being lost at Sea. In the narrative, Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses the reoccurring motifs of territorial dominance, hunger and thirst and ritual to contribute to the theme of the will to survive.

Topic Sentence One:

The reoccurring motif of territorial dominance is evident in both Pi and Richard Parker. Because tigers are very territorial creatures, Pi concludes that it is necessary for him to display dominance over Richard Parker if he wanted to survive the journey.

 Point One:

Animals often urinate on objects to mark their territory.

Proof One:

“A smell came to my nose, a musky smell of urine, quite sharp what every cat cage in the zoo smells of. Tigers are highly territorial, and it is with their urine that they make the boundaries of their territory.” (pg. 191)

Comment One:

At this time, Richard Parker is holding dominance over Pi as he has marked his boundaries of which Pi is not to cross. Pi devises a plan to state his claim on the tarpaulin of the safety boat in an attempt to make friends with Richard Parker, or at least to show him who is the more dominant mammal of the two.

Point Two: 

Pi urinating over Richard Parker's to show dominance and state his claim.

Proof Two:

“I splashed my urine on the tarpaulin and over the locker lid to stake my claim.”

(Life of Pi, pg.191)

Comment Two:

Because of the tiger’s territorial persona, Pi needs to stake his claim over Richard Parkers to show that he holds dominance on the lifeboat. By doing this, Pi hopes that he will be able make it back safely onto the lifeboat as he continues his quest for survival.

Point Three:

Similarly Pi continues to claim territorial dominance not only by stakes of claim of urine but rather with acts of aggression.

Proof Three:

 “When he looked up, I stared him aggressively in the eyes and I blew on the whistle a few times. He disappeared under the tarpaulin.” (Life of Pi, pg. 209)

Comment Three:

This quote shows Richard Parker that Pi is indeed the more dominant mammal. If it were not for Pi, Richard Parker would be hopeless and die from dehydration and starvation over time. Richard Parker disappears underneath the tarpaulin shows that he is backing down to Pi and admitting to being the lesser mammal for the day.

Concluding Sentence:

In other words, territorial dominance is used both by humans and animals in this novel as a way to gain control over ones chance of survival.