Martel's Suffering In The Life Of Pii

Martel writes, "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."(Martel, 361). Such a quote shows Pi’s courage to endure the challenges he was facing. Pi has encountered numerous challenges in his 227 journey that has caused him a lot of pain and suffering. In the novel, Pi has to withstand all the harsh conditions and he shows his strong will to live. Pi does not only suffers mentally but also physically. Martel shows the readers how Pi used his mental strength to overcome physical suffering. It look as if Pi’s physical suffering is a test of his mental strength and courage. The story shows us how one has to adapt to his or her environment and getting to know ourselves in the process. Pi discovered himself through his sufferings “It came as an unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I noticed, with a pinching of the heart that I ate like an animal that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate.” (Martel, 225).

Pi’s suffering started when he survived a shipwreck in the middle of the sea. Pi and his father were travelling to Canada and a shipment of big wild animals, the journey abruptly end when they are involved in an accident. Pi and Richard Parker a tiger survive and they start a new life in a raft despite the danger of sharks and other dangers “Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see