What types of adversity are present in Life of Pi?

Pi, the protagonist of Life of Pi, endures both normal and extraordinary adversity in the novel. During his years growing up in India, Pi endures the normal adversities of bullying, sibling rivalry, and growing up. He deals with the teasing of his classmates by shortening his real name, which sounds like "pissing," to Pi. His older brother, who normally acts superior to Pi, actually gives him a subtle compliment for that victory. As he matures, Pi grapples with the apparent contradictions between science and religion and among the various approaches to spirituality. He is able to reconcile these various mindsets and arrive at a unique blend of science and three different religions that he feels defines him.
The extraordinary adversity Pi faces begins when the ship he and his family take to Canada sinks. He survives the shipwreck by getting on a lifeboat, only to find that the boat also contains wild animals, including a hyena and a Bengal tiger. Seeing the hyena kill and eat the zebra and orangutang is horrifying enough, but when the tiger revives from its seasickness and makes its presence known, Pi realizes he must keep the tiger alive in order to preserve his own life. Thus he must deal with his own fear in order to tame the tiger. He rigs up a side raft for himself so he and the tiger can coexist. He then trains the tiger with food and by using the tiger's tendency toward seasickness to his advantage. The challenge of finding food and water for himself is difficult enough, but it is complicated by having to feed a huge carnivore as well. Interestingly, Pi credits this adversity with keeping him alive because it lessens the toll of loneliness and boredom.
Other extraordinary hardships Pi endures include wild storms at sea, sunburn, and going blind due to an infection. While blind, he has arguably the most terrifying experience of his journey when he meets up with another survivor of the shipwreck. As Pi, delirious and near death at that point, converses with the man, he realizes the man intends to kill and eat him. However, the man is also blind and ends up being killed by Richard Parker, the tiger.
One of the greatest blessings Pi encounters on his voyage is the rejuvenating algae island where he finds nourishment and rest. However, this blessing turns out to be a curse; Pi realizes that the algae become carnivorous at night. Finding the teeth of the island's victims in a tree reveals that he is in danger, so he hurriedly leaves.
After 227 days at sea, Pi lands in Mexico. A final hardship he endures is the meeting with the insurance investigators of the shipwrecked Japanese vessel. After recounting his tale, they don't believe him. He then offers an alternate explanation and gives them the choice. Whether the reader believes the story with the tiger or the other tale, it seems that providing an acceptable account of his journey isn't easy for Pi. One can assume that after the trials of such a voyage, a person would continue to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Living through such extraordinary adversity can never be forgotten—and perhaps cannot even be explained.


Life of Pi is filled with adversity that Pi Patel overcomes. One early example deals with Pi's name. His full name is Piscine Molitor Patel, and it's not exactly a name that his friends go easy on. He's teased about it, and Pi's solution is quite elegant. He simply shortens his name to "Pi." If this was the book's largest bit of adversity, the book would be quite boring, so the narrative does continue to ramp up adversity in Pi's life. The central point of adversity for Pi becomes his personal survival after the ship he is on sinks. Pi manages to get himself aboard a small lifeboat; however, a tiger named Richard Parker also gets onboard the life boat. Pi's survival is a great story of human endurance, perseverance, and ingenuity. Pi has to figure out how to feed himself, get fresh water, avoid the blistering sun, and so on. He has to do all of this while making sure the tiger is taken care of well enough so that he doesn't see Pi as a possible food source for himself. Pi survives for 227 days in this harrowing situation, and he is eventually rescued. His final hurdle is convincing the authorities of the authenticity of his story. It's a great ending, and perhaps even a bit frustrating, because the authorities and readers are left wondering if the amazing tale really happened the way Pi told it or not.

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