Darkness of the Mind the Emotional Survival of Piscine Patel free essay sample

Pi’s hesitation had to be overcome in order to survive his 227 day ordeal. Pi was strictly a religious vegetarian. His belief that all life is sacred restricted him from taking a life to survive. If he had not adapted to the idea of killing, Pi would have been emotionally and psychology traumatized. Pi was greatly ashamed and sorrowful after killing a flying fish for the first time, stating that all sentient life was sacred. â€Å"I wept heartily over this poor deceased soul. It was the first sentient being I had ever killed. I was now a killer. I was now as guilty as Cain. † (Martel 203) Pi felt guilty because of killing an animal, although it was necessary for his own survival at the time. Pi, being a devout Christian, compares his act of necessity to the heinous crimes of Cain, the first biblical murder who killed his brother out of envy. As his journey across the Pacific progresses, Pi gradually adapts to the unfortunate situation. He begins to accept that he must kill to survive. He killed a dorado with much less discomfort than when he killed the flying fish. He noticed the change, saying that: â€Å"†¦a person can get used to anything, even killing. † (Martel 205) Pi acknowledges the simple and brutal truth. No matter how opposed he was against killing, even Pi a devoutly religious vegetarian could become accustomed to it. Although this may seem bleak, his ability to adapt to the situation saved him psychologically. If he had faced the same emotional torture every time he killed an animal, he would have surely become insane from the emotional and psychological trauma. Pi needed to overcome his hesitation to be able to make effective decisions. He learned to accept hardships and to trust his instincts. Loneliness and lack of human interactions plays a huge role in the emotional struggle of Pi’s story. Pi, losing his family and almost all he held dear, was very lonely on the lifeboat. Although the presence of Richard Parker was a very dear aspect, an animal alone was not enough to sooth Pi’s needs. This could seen when he had declared that he was dying. He had prostrated his body and soul, and was prepared to die. In this exact moment, the true power of loneliness is seen. Loneliness had worn him down so much, that he had imagined a tiger at first talking with him. Martel shows that Pi had gotten to the point of such emotional strain that he had hallucinated a talking tiger! This is the moment the Frenchman comes on board. Immediately, a surge of power radiates from Pi. He seems to have gained more life force, simply by the arrival of this Frenchman. â€Å"My mind made a final attempt at being lucid† (Martel 276). This quote shows that at the thought of somebody being there, he made a desperate attempt at communication. Pi’s loneliness had taken over and wanted to converse with somebody so badly he said â€Å"It was too much – I would go mad†¦ I roared to the elements with my last breath† (Martel 276). He put all his power to try to make contact with this other human, showing how emotionally deprived Pi was at this stage. Pi still maintained a better state of health than the aforementioned state, and seemed much livelier. Although their physical needs were demanding their full attention, they had each other. Both the Frenchman and Pi lacked food, but the gained strength from each others’ company. Come my brother, let us be together and feast on each other’s company† (Martel 282). The conversation between the two was just as satisfying for Pi as any food would have been. Although both of them were physically deprived, their company had given each other power, and emotional satisfaction. Pi learnt to appreciate the presence of human company and that heâ₠¬â„¢d almost gone insane due to solitude. Pi deals with many obstacles and battles that cause him to lose hope in surviving. In the book, Pi lost hope and gave up numerous times because he felt his life was so miserable. He had lost his family, had been stranded on a boat with zoo animals and did not have a sufficient amount of food or water. The result of this led him to think, â€Å"I was giving up. I would have given up† (Martel 163). He was actually thinking about giving up, until a voice said to him that: â€Å"so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen. † (Martel 164) Just as Pi was about to give up and let death take over, he realized that religion was with him. God brought him comfort and reliability when he needed it. This leads Pi to believe that as long as God is with him then his suffering will be decreased. With all the religion he practiced in the first part of the story, he looked to God in a sense of hope and that He will be there whenever he needs help. In the middle of the book, Pi astonishing sees a ship and screams out to Richard Parker, â€Å"Do you understand Richard Parker? WE’RE SAVED! † (Martel 259) Yet soon after, the ship passes them and Pi feels dread and loneliness once again. He â€Å"expressed longing, hurt, anguish, loneliness. † (Martel 262)and just about as he is going to have the feeling to give up, he sees Richard Parker. Simple, calm, soothing, Richard Parker as he â€Å"settled down to another nap. † (Martel 262) Pi, now realizing that without Richard Parker, he would â€Å"die of hopelessness† (Martel 262) and wouldn’t think he would have made it without him. This is because Richard Parker was like a friend towards him, kept him company and even though he wasn’t human, he gave Pi a sense of hope and determination to keep both of them alive. Losing hope plays a big role in Pi’s adventure, but he overcame his obstacles by keeping his religion in mind and by having Richard Parker as company. He learnt to trust his religions and look towards those around him in times of need. Pi’s sanity relied on his ability to cope with the many uneventful hours of his journey. Mental health relies a lot on being happy, or experiencing other emotions, and as Pi puts it, â€Å"Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life†¦You get your happiness where you can. † (Martel 241) Pi extracted happiness from many seemingly boring and repetitive portions of his survival. Pi stated that â€Å" [his] greatest wish – other than salvation – was to have a book to read. A long book with a never ending story. One I could read again and again, with new eyes and a fresh understanding each time†¦At the very least, if [he] had had a good novel! But there was only the survival manual, which [he] must have read ten thousand times over the course of [his] ordeal. † (Martel 230) This quote shows Pi’s desire for reading material during his time on the lifeboat. Pi also stated that he had read the survival manual many times, indicating that he was attempting to occupy his mind with anything, even repetitive reading. A novel is an instrument that could keep the mind entertained and occupied, and to stray thoughts away from the hopelessness of the grim situation. However, despite not having anything interesting to read, Pi kept a diary, keeping record of â€Å" things that happened and how [he] felt, about what [he caught] and what [he] didn’t, about seas and weather, about problems and solutions, about Richard Parker. † (Martel 231) He recorded his life, created his own novel. This was one of Pi’s ways to cope with the boredom at sea. Pi also copes with the boredom by appreciating the small events and victories during his ordeal. During the large thunderstorm, while Richard Parker was frightened by the thunderstorm, Pi was shocked, awed, â€Å"but not afraid. † (Martel 259) Pi regards the thunderstorm as a sign of God, and mutters: â€Å"Praise be to Allah, Lord of All Worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgement Day. [ ] This is a miracle. This is an outbreak of divinity. † (Martel 259) Pi later states that this was â€Å"one of the few times during [his] ideal when [he] felt genuine happiness. (Martel 259) This shows that even in times of mortal peril, Pi sought to seek happiness, and chose to take the event as a sign of god, and appreciates the storm instead of cursing it. These examples show that Pi’s coping with boredom had been very important to his own mental health, and was essential in his survival. Pi learned to appreciate the small miracles in life. In order to face the challenges that were presented to him, Pi had to face the imperfections within himself. Over the course of the story, Pi encounters many emotional obstacles that hinder him and make the readers feel as if the story is over. However, Pi turns these situations around, and overcomes them. These obstacles are critical to the turnout of the story, and Pi also takes away great lessons from them. He learns to overcome doubt, challenge loneliness, have faith, and keep himself busy. These lessons change Pi’s outlook to survival on the ship, aid him in his emotional journey through the 227 day ordeal.