A different kind of castaway…
Chapter 41: Establishes the situation on the lifeboat with the hyena, zebra and Richard Parker.
- Martel injects some humour into the narrative with Pi reflecting “I never thought that finding myself confined in a small space with a spotted hyena would be good news, but there you go.” Why does he see the hyena’s presence as “good news”? What does this comment say about Pi’s character?
Chapter 42: Orange Juice, a female orangutan, is found drifting in the ocean. Pi pulls the net she is holding onto to the boat and she climbs on board.
- Why does Orange Juice bring both “joy and pain in equal measure”?
Orange Juice is an element of Pi’s past. She reminds him of what he has lost, thus bringing pain as he reflects upon everything that he once had, but which is now gone due to the sinking of the boat. She brings joy because she “is with [Pi]”, providing him with companionship during his ordeal, but “pain because it won’t be for long”. She makes it easier to endure the ordeal, but is also a reminder of the danger that they are both in.
Chapter 43: Pi thinks about how hundreds of rescuers must be looking for them. The hyena paces the boat, jumps up onto the tarpaulin once, and begins running around the zebra, yipping.
- On what does Pi base his assumption that hundreds of rescuers are looking for them? What does the reality suggest about the insignificance of the ship in the Pacific and the insignificance of human beings in creation?
The boat is tiny in comparison with the vastness of the ocean. Humans place importance on themselves, seeing themselves as being of great importance, but not necessarily placing the same importance of others. Pi at first believes that a huge rescue operation is coming, as he and his family must be seen as important, but eventually the realisation comes that, in comparison, he and those with him are quite insignificant.
- What is emphasised by Pi’s description of the hyena?
The description of the hyena emphasises its overwhelming cruelty. It is very unpredictable, and Pi is left uncertain of what it will do next (“wondered what it would do next”). It emphasises the hyena’s inability to control itself, which in turn makes it unsuitable to adaptation and survival.
Chapter 44: When the sun comes up, Pi still sits on the oar, afraid to enter the boat with the predators. He wonders what the dark will do to the animals before hearing the barking of the hyena and the grunting of the orangutan. Beneath the boat, water predators continue to make noise as well. Pi is surrounded.
Chapter 45: As the sun comes up, Pi searches in vain for a rescue ship. He sees that in the night the hyena has attacked the zebra. It is now eating the zebra alive, having ripped off its back leg. Pi becomes nauseas. When he moves, he witnesses Orange Juice looking sick as well, wondering why she is still safe, not yet killed by the hyena.
- Pi reflects that his “sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival”. How has Pi changed since the ship sank (in these early days of his journey on the Pacific)?
Pi was a vegetarian, but now all he can think about is hunger and the need for food. His need for survival makes him realise the importance of having a (small) amount of cruelty, but not necessarily allowing it to overwhelm him.
Contrast between how Pi reacts to the tiger and goat (Pi hides his face, cannot stand viewing it), and the hyena and zebra (he watches until he becomes sick).
Pi is used to being in control of himself and his emotions. However, he is now being placed in situations where this is not the case – his hunger, need for survival, etc. is beginning to take over his consciousness, which is very confronting for him.
- Orange Juice provides Pi a moment of relief. What is the effect of this stark, and brief, shift in tone?
It gives Pi a brief sense of hope – it is a distraction from the immediate seriousness of his situation.
The juxtaposition of this moment of relief with his complete loss of hope helps to emphasise the desperate nature of his situation.
Chapter 46: Despite all the suffering that Pi will endure, this nigh, his second night shipwrecked, stands out as “one of exceptional suffering”. Orange Juice looks to sea, searching for her sons (or so Pi envisions her). The hyena returns to eating the zebra alive, literally from the inside out. The description is exceptionally graphic. Orange Juice finally challenges the hyena as they roar at one another. The zebra is spurting blood, which attracts sharks, who rock the boat. Pi is left crying.
- What is it about the second night that leads Pi to remember it being a night of “exceptional suffering”?
The second night was filled with a “conventional sort of suffering, the broken down kind consisting of weeping and sadness and spiritual pain”. It was the first time that he fully comes to terms with what he has suffered and the pain it is bringing him. He has lost connection his physical and spiritual connection with the outside.
He “still had the strength to appreciate what [he] felt”. He is caught between the life he has known before, and the acceptance of the ordeal that is to come.
- Why does Orange Juice react the way she does to the zebra’s demise? How do you interpret these actions?
It is a desperate action to try and protect herself, but ultimately it will be futile.
If we see her as embodying a caring, maternal nature, then it can be seen as a desire to not merely sit by while another creature is being made to endure terrible suffering. It revulsion against the cruelty of the hyena.
Chapter 47: The zebra finally dies at noon the next day. The hyena then attacks Orange Juice. The two animals battle, but despite a furious attempt to defend herself Orange Juice is finally, and inevitable, killed by the hyena. The description is again graphic. Pi sees that Richard Parker is still there, waiting beneath the tarpaulin.
- What side of Orange Juice do we see in this Chapter and what does it suggest to us about animal instinct versus human instinct?
We see an innate desire to survive, to fight back against any threat. While she has appeared caring and, mostly, calm up until now, here we see a ferocity and violence within her. We see a side that we haven’t seen before, brought out by this desire for survival. “her eyes expressed fear in such a human-like way”. Survival is as much an animal instinct as it is a human instinct.
- What function does the grizzly details of the death of the zebra and Orange Juice serve in the story? Why has Martel chosen to go into this level of detail?
It demonstrates the reality and the seriousness of the situation. Pi is being forced to confront something he hadn’t expected- it reflects his shock. It also helps to set out the morals/ behavioural tendencies of the various ‘animals’ on the boat. We see Pi maintaining his morality (disgust) while the hyena sinks into depravity.
Chapter 48: This chapter contains the story of how Richard Parker came by his name. Read it to find out.
Chapter 49: Pi realizes that he’s been awake and hasn’t eaten or drank anything in three days. For some reason, the situation with Richard Parker, as hopeless as it seems, enlivens Pi who begins to look for a source of drinking water.He no longer fears the hyena because of the tiger’s presence and he now figures out the prior odd behaviour of the other animals was probably in response to the tiger. He is unsure why the tiger is acting strangely, assuming it’s sedatives or seasickness.
- Pi says that having “lost all hope” he “perked up and felt much better”. Explain this apparent contradiction.
Pi now knows that he must rely upon himself – he cannot be placing his faith in others, waiting to be rescued, and must instead rely upon himself. This realisation makes him feel better because he now understands that he isn’t at the whim of others – he has control over himself and his situation (to a degree) – he is responsible for living or dying. It alleviates the angst and tension of Pi getting his hopes up for rescue, and allows him to adapt to his new situation, and let go of the past.
- Pi rationalises that the hyena’s behaviour can be explained because “in the face of such a superior predator, all of us were prey”. What does this suggest about nature and our place within in?
As humans, our defence is our mind, while animals’ defences are their strength. Pi sees that he cannot do anything himself, so he now sees himself as prey. It will only be later that he realises that he can once again reassert his dominance by using his ‘mind’ (intelligence/experience) to train Richard Parker.
Circumstances and Pi’s surroundings because a predator just as dangerous as Richard Parker. All of us are prey to something.
Chapter 50: Here, Pi describes in minute detail every aspect of the lifeboat, from the size to the shape and room Richard Parker is taking up under the tarpaulin.
Chapter 51: Pi peels back the tarpaulin to search the supplies on the lifeboat. He finds food and water. He immediately discards his vegan diet.
Chapter 52: Pi lists the inventory of the lifeboat in precise detail.
Chapter 53: Richard Parker kills the hyena. He turns to attack Pi, but Pi throws a stray rat at Richard Parker who, satisfied with the offering, returns under the tarpaulin. Pi creates a makeshift raft from the lifejackets and leaves the boat.
- Compare the killing of the hyena by Richard Parker with the deaths of the Grant Zebra and Orange Juice. In what ways is this scene different? What effect does this have on how Richard Parker is introduced?
The hyena’s killings were prolong, painful. Richard Parker doesn’t hesitate – he is quick, overpowering, dominant. He is quick, efficient and ruthless, suggesting that his attitude to survival will be similar.
Richard Parker is being introduced as something strong, powerful and dangerous. RP is protective and does not attack indiscriminately. He has been quietly observing, only becoming involved at a time of his choosing. He lacks the cruelty of the hyena, but there is no question as to his dominance.
It is now just Pi and Richard Parker left on the lifeboat…