Life of Pi Heroic Quest

Life of Pi Heroic Quest

By Haley Caldwell

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Topic Sentence

Concluding Statement

After being rescued by Mexican's after 227 days at sea, Pi will cross threshold between the two worlds again, however, Pi has been transformed by his eventful eventure and returns with wisdom gained from his experience.

Pi Patel was able to return from his journey to elaborate on his adventure to the world, sharing his knowledge and wisdom gained from his horrific journey through writing a novel, as well as telling his story in two perspectives.

Topic Sentence

Concluding Statement

Pi is officially crossing the threshold into the unknown world and cannot return to the ordinary world, therefore Pi must face his fears in order to survive his upcoming journey according to Campbell's Monomyth.

Pi Patel's story begins in India, where he is content to be exploring different religions and working with the zoo animals, however, Pi's life is unexpectedly altered as he must departure to Canada with his family for his father's new job oppurtunity, leaving the only life he has known behind.

Point

Still in shock and very weak after being rescued, Pi was evidentally happy to have survived his ordeal, however he feels as if his prize is missing since Richard Parker is not with him

Proof

"I wept like a child. It was not because I was overcome at having survived my ordeal, though I was... I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me,"

Comment

Pi may be in shock of surviving his journey, however, until he finds Richard Parker again his journey will continue, but within the ordinary world.

Point

After his traumetic journey, Pi Patel decied to write a novel to share his story with the rest of the world after surviving and completing the hero's journey.

Proof

“It was time to impose myself and carve out my territory” (256).

Comment

Through his novel, Pi will be able to share his wisdom and knowledge obtained from 227 days at sea, so the whole world can recognize him as a hero and decide which story they want to believe.

Point

Pi has lived on the zoo his whole life in India, so when his father delivers the news about moving to Canada, he is very reluctant at first.

Proof

"That's how Ravi and I felt. We did not want to go. We did not want to live in a country of gale-force winds and minus-two-hundred-degree winters,"(98).

Comment

Pi's entire life has been at the zoo in India and Pi cannot imagine a life outside of his own comfort zone, therefore the news of moving is very unsettling at first.

Point

Although Pi was against the move to Canada, he came to his senses as he could abandon his family, and accepted the "Call to Adventure."

Proof

"I wildly waved goodbye to India... Things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it,"(91).

Comment

Pi has come to accept the departure from his ordinary world to the unknown, Pi is just reaching the beginning of the initation phase of his Quest for Enlightment.

Introduction

Lead:

Most narratives, such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel, follow a quest pattern known as "The Hero's Journey," where the protagonist must go through three phases on their adventure; the departure, initiation, and the return.

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Thesis:

In Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, young Pi Patel is sent on a life altering journey that coincides with Joseph Campbell's Monomyth structure, proving Pi to be a real hero.

Concluding Statement

Topic Sentence

Now reaching the initation phase of the hero's journey, Pi finds himself on a life boat in the middle of the ocean and is required to overcome several ordeals and challenges in order to survive.

By facing his fears and overcoming the various obstacles, Pi was able to survive 227 days on a lifeboat with Richard Parker, which is a successful representation of a hero completing the initiation phase. Richard Parker is now rescued but he still must complete the final stages of the hero's journey to be known as a courageous hero.

Supporting Arguments:

Conclusion

Point

Pi's real journey begins when he finds himself, alone, or so he believes he is alone, in the middle of the pacific ocean on a small life boat.

Proof

" Tell me it's a bad dream. Tell me it's not real. Tell me I'm still in my bunk on the Tsimtsum and I'm tossing and turning and soon I'll wake up from this nightmare. Tell me I'm still happy. Mother, my tender guardian angel of wisdom, where are you? And you, Father, my loving worrywart? And you, Ravi, dazzling hero of my childhood?," (95).

Comment

Pi receieves a wide awakening as he ends up on a small life boat without any family, he must build courage and perservere in order to overcome this sudden crisis.

Point

The major obstacle Pi faces during his 227 day journey is surviving on a small life raft with a dangerous Bengal tiger.

Proof

"I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me. We were, literally and figuratively, in the same boat. We would live-or we would die-together"(164).

Comment

Pi realized that in order to be rescued and return to the ordinary world, he must keep Richard Parker alive, or both Pi and the tiger will die together, resulting in an unsuccessful heroic quest.

Continuously through Pi Patel's journey in Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Pi is able to display courage through his departure, initation, and his return allowing Pi to become a true hero according the Joseph Campbell's monomyth stuctural pattern. Pi started off as a ordinary boy in India and received a call to adventure to Canada. From here, Pi faces tragedy and faces several challenges while on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a Bengal tiger. From his courage and perserverance Pi was able to return to the ordinary world transformed from his unique adventure. How does Pi's journey develop his character? Would Pi have survived if he let Richard Parker drown and lived with the other zoo animals on board?

• Departure: Pi's story begins in India at sixteen years of age, when he receives his, "Call to Adventure," as his father obtains a full time job in Canada and obligates the family to reside there permanently.
• Initiation: The ship to Canada tragically sinks and Pi crosses threshold into the special world, where he is on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. During this phase Pi Patel must overcome several obstacles in order to survive his 227 day journey.
• Return: Pi is rescued from the lifeboat returning to the ordinary world, where he can now share the wisdom gained from his incredible journey to the unknown world.