Life of Pi Essay

What would you do if you were stranded on a boat in the middle of the ocean? How would you survive physically and mentally? In the book Life of Pi, sixteen year old Pi Patel spends 227 days on a life boat in the Pacific Ocean. He is accompanied by a wild tiger named Richard Parker and runs into some strange animals like an orangutan, a zebra and even a hyena. He also encounters a blind man who wishes to eat him. But is he really surrounded by all of these animals? Is this blind man he's seeing a real person? Or is it just his imagination taking over his mind?

While Pi and Richard Parker sat there in the middle of the ocean all of a sudden a blind man hopped on their boat . I think that Pi and Richard Parker were partly blind when this man arrived. I don't think they were literally blind but I think because they were so exhausted, dehydrated and hungry that they weren't in a clear state of mind. As soon as the blind man tries to take a bite out of Pi, Richard Parker attacks him.

When I first read about the blind man I wasn't sure if he was a real person or simply just a dream or a thought. But now, after finishing the whole book I have a theory on the blind man. I believe that the blind man is a part of Pi. Almost as if he's Pi's conscience. Because of Pi's poor nutrition his imagination is taking over his mind. This explains why the blind man wanted to kill Pi.  He thinks that suicide is the only solution which is the part of him that is the blind man. 

There is a very large amount of symbolism in this book which can cause the reader confusion. While reading the book I didn't understand it until I finished and everything fell into place. The blind man, the island, and the animals all suddenly made sense.  This book was about survival. Pi had to rely on Richard Parker to protect him and keep him safe. At the beginning of the novel,  Pi was very scared and guarded with a wild tiger on his side. But as their journey on the boat continued they became closer and shared a deep trust.

You may disagree with me about the blind man and what he symbolizes. But my personal opinion is that the blind man is a part of Pi that wants to end his suffering, his subconscious. His lack of nutrition causes him confusion and he's mentally out of it. Pi's not literally blind, but his mind is blind, out of focus and confused. Which could happen to anyone under the same circumstances.