Savagery In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

The book “Life of Pi” is supposedly meant to be a story about a boy, who was stranded at sea after a shipwreck, and how he dealt with starvation, crushed hopes, and a Bengal tiger. However, if the story is taken at face value in this way, the entire point of the book would be lost in the illusionary story that Pi is trying to pass off as the truth. Simply believing in everything that Pi says detracts from what Richard Parker is truly meant to be in the book, and what he actually signifies to Pi. I argue that the tiger is not an actual being, and is actually meant to symbolizes Pi’s most primitive animal instincts.
Firstly, it must be addressed that Richard Parker is clearly meant to be seen as the embodiment of instinctual savagery. He is …show more content…
Besides inherent connotation, this inherency is also demonstrated through the tiger’s actions. This is also evident in the language chosen when addressing those said actions, for they are meant to convey a sense of fear and barbarity. This can be proven in places such as page 156, where Pi says “Many animals intensely dislike being disturbed while they are eating. Richard Parker snarled. His claws tensed. The tip of his tail twitched electrically.” Martel, as well as Pi, are clearly trying to make it clear to the reader the danger and savagery of such an animal by drumming up the emotions of fear and apprehension. Using words such as “snarled” and “claws” elicits a sense of vulnerability and danger, which are feelings that are commonly associated with savagery. Another way this is proven is through the tiger’s actual attacks. They can be seen as deranged and impulsive, especially when referred to in ways such as on page 220, where “Richard Parker turned and started clawing the shark’s head with his free front paw and biting it with his jaws, while his rear legs began tearing at its stomach and back... Richard Parker’s snarl was simply terrifying.” This is an incredibly graphic description, showing just how bloodthirsty and ferocious Richard Parker is. These actions are obvious demonstrations of a wild, carnivorous animal, and are meant to be seen as …show more content…
The story he is telling is one only he can control, and Pi himself isn’t willing to truly tell us, the listeners, the lengths to which he went while stuck in a lifeboat. He is unable to come to terms with the brutal killing of his mother or his actions in his exacting of revenge, nor is he able to acknowledge his beliefs that he broke. By acknowledging that Richard Parker’s savageness is in fact Pi’s very own, we are able to get a window into Pi’s mind and situation that we never would have otherwise, because Richard Parker is a projection of all the things Pi does that he himself deems savage. This is shown most evidently in both Richard Parker’s introduction and departure. The first time he is seen in the book is right after the time where Orange Juice, or his mother, was killed. This is because it is during that time that Pi himself really starts turning into an animal. Both he and Richard Parker kill the perpetrator, but in the animal story, Pi distances himself from the killing by saying it wasn’t him, it was Richard Parker. This shows Pi projecting his barbaric actions onto the tiger. By making this separation, Pi is addressing the issue of what is and isn’t savage within himself. It is necessary to see Richard Parker in this way because it truly allows us to start comprehending how horrific a situation Pi was in. The tiger is a manifestation of Pi’s wants and needs, as well