Pis feat of Mental Strength

Fear is lifes only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life- Pg 161 of Life of Pi. On the boat, Pi experienced fear time and again, and displayed tremendous mental strength to maintain the composure necessary for survival. By coming to terms with his mortality, he protected himself from his true opponentfearwhich is symbolized by his tiger companion, Richard Parker. Only after he made peace with the fact that there was a tiger on board, did he start attending to his physical needs. He looked for food and water and started reading the survival manual. He built a raft to put some secure distance between him and the tiger and started taming the tiger using his innate knowledge of animal behavior. I looked Richard Parker dead in the eyes. Suddenly his brute strength meant only moral weakness. It was nothing compared to the strength in my mind. Any zookeeper will tell you that a tiger, indeed any cat, will not attack in the face of a direct stare but will wait until the prey has turned its eyes. But to know that and to apply it are two very different things. pg 222 of Life of Pi. Indeed, to apply his knowledge of natures savagery, he needed mental strength to command strength from his body. At one point, fear becomes necessary for Pis survival. Had he not saved Richard Parker, he might not have been able to concentrate on his survival as he would have been grieving for his family and worrying about his forlorn conditions, rather than figuring out ways to survive.. If I still had the will to survive, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances. Pg 164, Life of Pi. In chapter 92, Pi finally set foot on land, only to discover that it was just a floating island of algae. However, that island provided him fresh water, algae to eat, a respite from raw sea food, shelter and meerkats for food and company. When Pi deduced that the island was carnivorous, he decided to leave the island as staying on the island would mean to go on living with a dead spirit and a numbing hopelessness. He decided to go off in the lifeboat and face the unpredictable conditions and hardships once more because for him, optimism and the hope of reuniting with civilization were greater than the physical comforts the island provided. I preferred to set off and perish in search of my own kind than to live a lonely half life of physical comfort and spiritual death on this murderous island- pg 283, Life of Pi. He took Richard Parker along with him as by that time, Pi had tamed the tiger and realized that Richard Parker was necessary to sustain his will to live. Ultimately, the author tries to show that only when one overcomes ones mental struggles, does one become capable of gathering courage to take on physical struggles without fear. References from: sparknotes.com ; mcshermlitlog.ning.com ; fanfiction.com .