Monday, July 09, 2012

Life of Pi: Chapters 70-72

http://www.jaunted.com/files/16133/Sea_Sick_Kitty.jpg
I don't understand why running from Richard Parker -- which has worked well so far -- is suddenly out of the question. Why does there need to be a change?

Pi continues to become more savage, but is seems Richard Parker is becoming less so...is it just me?

I know Pi is telling his story from a point in the future, but how does he know that his plan of action will work as he's doing it? How does he know what Richard Parker thinks is his territory? How does he know the exact right level of provocation?

So the plan is to make the tiger seasick and have him associate the whistle with seasickness...Although it apparently worked for Pi, I wouldn't recommend this strategy...ever...

How is it that Pi knows so much about a tiger's reticence to fight? He better be sure of that info...

26 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't understand why Pi wants to face Richard  Parker so suddenly either. If it were me, I would avoid a 450-pound Bengal tiger at all costs. I think the change is to make Pi feel more confident in "his territory." Pi is DEFINITELY becoming more savage, while Richard Parker seems not to care, but I don't think Richard Parker was ever savage. I think Pi compromised some of the story since he is telling it in the future, because he's picking many successful events to talk about. I think the whistle strategy seems like a bit of a stretch, I don't recommend anything associating with a 450-pound tiger to throw up, just saying. He knows some facts from the zoo about a tiger's resistance to fight, but he hasn't ever witnessed it first hand.

Elise.G. said...

Pi wants to make a change and face Richard Parker so suddenly because if he doesn't, the next time there's a bout of no fish/food, Richard Parker will surely ravage Pi, just as he did the hyena and the zebra. Pi needs to establish himself as the Alpha for means of survival (in the case of Pi vs. 450 lb Bengal Tiger, that is). I agree that it seems Pi is becoming more savage and Richard Parker less so. I think that can be attributed to Pi's survival instincts kicking in and the resemblance of Richard's territory on the boat becoming more and more like his cage at the zoo as Pi's training continues.
I don't think Pi is 100% sure that his course of action will in fact work, but I do think he's thinking that it seems to be the best chance he's got. I also feel like his plan comes from his best educated guess based on his zoo knowledge.

twirl4life said...

I believe that Pi thinks there needs to be change now because he knows they are running low on food and he doesn't want Richard Parker to feel desperate and go after him in order to receive food. I believe that this is just reassurance that he is safe from Richard Parker in the future as things become tougher.

I think Pi knows it is going to work because he has seen similar approaches in the zoo while growing up. Ever since the ship wrecked and Richard Parker and Pi were stranded together on a lifeboat, they have always had an understanding of where ones territory started and ended. Pi knows the exact right level of provocation because he can tell when Richard Parker is getting irritated enough to know who is in charge. When Richard Parker would make the first swing at Pi, that is when he knew he should back off.

Pi knows so much about Richard Parker's reticence to fight because he has observed Richard Parker in great detail. Pi has figured out what irritates Richard Parker enough to attack and what only bothers him. It also helps that Pi grew up in a zoo and has observed many animals over the years.

Unknown said...

Pi probably realized that living in fear of Richard Parker had to stop. Either Pi was going to be in control or Richard Parker Or Richard Parker in control of him. Pi also probably realized that they were going to be stranded for a very long time I noticed Pi’s dwindling hope to be rescued and more self-reliance on himself. The change of who was going to be in charge is the difference between life and death for both Pi and Richard Parker
Pi probably knows his plan is going to work and everything about Richard Parker because he has been with the tiger for weeks stranded with nothing to do but observe. In addition, he had his background with animals back at his home. He had to gain some knowledge about animal while living at a zoo. I also think Pi is just getting desperate. Either he will die from Richard Parker attacking him, or die from being stranded, he really has nothing to loose
If Richard Parker truly needed to fight, Pi would have been dead long ago. Richard Parker grew up in captivity and I believe he got used to living in a zoo and being taken car of. With Pi gone then Richard Parker would have no chance of living. I think Richard Parker wants Pi to be with him, Pi offers a sense of security that Richard Parker is used to. I think Richard Parker knows that Pi is in control, similar to how Pi’s family was in control at the Pondicherry zoo.

Amalie Farah said...

I think Pi decided that running from Richard Parker is out of the question because he has a better chance of surviving if he can train Richard Parker. If Pi can establish his dominance over Richard Parker and make him realize that Pi is the superior, Richard Parker will be less likely to attack in the event that they run out of food. Pi doesn’t want to become the goat that he saw get viciously torn apart in the Pondicherry Zoo and he is not leaving anything to chance. Keeping Richard Parker under his control is ultimately a better survival choice for Pi than just trying to run away from him.

While Pi is becoming more savage, it seems like Richard Parker’s attitude hasn’t changed. Since Richard Parker was captured when he was young, he is used to being in cages and confined spaces, so the lifeboat doesn’t seem to make him more or less savage. Pi is becoming more savage because he has to. After forcing himself to get used to killing and beginning his training of Richard Parker by splashing urine everywhere, it makes sense that he is becoming less civilized.

I don’t think Pi knows for sure that his plan of action will work but he is willing to try anything that will help him avoid getting torn to pieces by Richard Parker. I think he can kind of tell what the right level of provocation is because he has been around animals his whole life and can tell what bothers them from his years in the zoo.

Unknown said...

I dont think Pi is eaxctly sure of his plan but he knows it what he has to do to survive. But as far as how much he has to do he has to just be guessing. He is better prepared for a situation like this because of his life at the zoo

Liz Joyce said...

Pi knows the meaning of risk and during his time on the boat he has really nothing to lose. Pi goes against his beliefs and becomes a harder more aggressive version of himself. When put through a situation like Pi's there is no excuse not to become savage. Richard Parker's attitude remains the same but seems less aggressive compared to Pi's hostile mind-set.

Since Pi grew up in a zoo he does have some prior knowledge of claiming territory. Pi applies his knowledge to creating boundaries. Since there is really no other option available Pi does whatever he can to create dominance over the beast. To be honest, blowing a whistle is more annoying than threatening. Pi does not realize that he is not taming a dog but a tiger. If Pi’s only other option is aggressively blowing a whistle, than it must be worth the risk.

Renee Goforth said...

I believe that Pi is suddenly facing Richard Parker because he is gaining confidence. He needs to act confident around Richard Parker, or it may cost him his life. If he appears scared and weak, he appears an easy target.
Pi is definitely becoming more savage as his journey continues, because he is becoming more desperate to survive. I don't think Richard Parker was ever very savage to begin with, just being a typical 450-pound tiger.
I don't know if Pi is 100% sure that his plan will work, but he is going off what he knows from growing up around animals his whole life.

Anonymous said...

Pi's knowledge of zoo animals leads him to believe that Richard Parker won't cooperate for long. One of them must take on the role of the alpha male, in order to establish a proper environment. Pi knows that his training plan might not work but at this point it's his only chance at staying alive and he has nothing left to lose. The plan is to make Richard Parker seasick and associate the whistle with seasickness, however, I don't understand how this strategy worked. They have been on the boat for a long period of time and Richard Parker seems to be handling seasickness fine, but when Pi starts training him, it suddenly comes into play? Why wasn't it affecting him the rest of the time? Seems highly unlikely that things would play out like this and end up working in Pi's favor.

chang said...

In the book, on page 255, Pi explains that he needs safe access to the locker and the top of the tarpaulin, no matter the time of day or the weather, no matter his mood. He can only accomplish this if he stands up to Richard. I think Pi is becoming a lot more savage. When he explains how he kills and eats the turtle and how he drinks the blood, it seems to me at that part is when he becomes savage. I think Richard parker seems a lot less savage because most of the time he is laying down in his den. Also Pi is the one feeding him, he’s not the one doing all the hunting and killing. So compared to Pi, Richard Parker really isn’t that savage.
I think that Pi knows that his plan will work because he has seen how Richard Parker acts when he is seasick. Pi knows where Richard’s territory is because that is where Richard stays. Also Richard parker urinates at where his territory is. I don’t think that Pi really knows how much to provoke Richard Parker. He is probably just guessing and when Richard looks like he’s about to attack Pi probably stops.

Erin Mulleavy said...

I also don't understand why Pi feels the need to change the relationship between him and Richard Parker. And I agree that Pi continues to become more of a savage, and Richard Parker seems to be getting more and more used to the idea of being trapped on a lifeboat with a man and not killing him. It continues to amaze me that Richard seems to have no disire to kill Pi. I expected him to do that a long time ago. I don't understand why the whistle method works. If the boat is always rocking, as I'm assuming it is because they are out in the middle of the sea, how would Richard Parker know that the whistle makes the rocking worse? This concept makes no sense to me. While I was reading it, I was just hoping that Pi knew what he was doing.

Anonymous said...

I believe the whole reason Pi suddenly wants to face Richard Parker is out of fear. I think Pi believes that if he becomes dominant over Richard Parker, he is less likely to be attacked. I think Pi is also getting scared because their food supply is getting lower, which gives Richard Parker even more reason to attack.
I think Pi doesn’t know that his plans will work. I think he believes he has nothing to lose and so much to gain. Pi also learned a lot throughout his life because of the zoo. If it was me on a boat with a tiger and Pi on a boat with a tiger, I would put my money on him, simply because of all the knowledge he has over me on zoo animals.

Megan Grohnke said...

I think the reason for the sudden change to tame Richard Parker rather than run away is for a back up plan. Pi realizes that he needs to have a plan in case anything else goes wrong. Taming Richard Parker becomes his plan so that he won't be attacked like the other animals previously on the lifeboat.

I think that it is just perspective. Chang put it correctly that it isn't necessarily Richard Parker becoming less savage, he was never excessively savage in the first place. In the same thought, it seems more acceptable for animals to kill other animals and we claim that it is part of the animal instincts. When Pi begins killing things, we see it as vile and disgusting because much of the human race is just used to seeing the final product of food (such as we just see the ground meat, not the butchering, etc.)

I don't think that Pi knows his plan will work. When I was reading that part, I assumed what was going through Pi's mind was, "Well, I might as well try this because it's plausible logic and I'm going to die eventually, so let's try it!" Not in those exact words though. He knows Richard Parker's territory because of where he has previously gone and watching the movements of Richard Parker. I don't think Pi knew the exact level of provocation. Personally I believed that he was just "winging it" and guessing.

zoewestlund said...

Pi knows that he cannot survive forever by running from Richard Parker. He must take control in order to survive and stay sane.

Pi is becoming more savage while Richard Parker is becoming less so because they are outside of their elements and becoming less and less like themselves.

Pi doesn't know that his plan will work. He prays that he is doing the right thing, he hopes that it will all work out but he doesn't know for sure about anything. He has no idea if Richard Parker will attack or if his plan to dominate will work in favor of him, but he has hope and no other options.

Pi has observed what upsets Richard Parker and what provokes him to attack. At least he thinks he knows what wil cause that. Pi just takes his previous zoology knowledge and attempts to apply it in hopes of it working in his favor.

Paige said...

I think Pi realized that if he is going to stay alive on the lifeboat, he had to make it easier for himself. He didn't want to be tip-toeing around for who knows how long with a tiger aboard. I think setting boundaries and territories was a smart idea on his part. It's weird that a sixteen-year-old boy knows so much about training a tiger even with his father being the owner of a zoo. If I was in Pi's situation, I would have no idea how a tiger usually acts and so I really wouldn't know how a tiger would act on a small lifeboat with an Indian boy in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Audrey said...

I think the reason that Pi began to be more savage is that he realized in order to survive, he had to more tough. He had to stop beginning scared of Richard Parker and befriend him. Richard Parker is less savage because he begins to be weak. Pi is also the one who supplies him with food, so he doesn't feel like Pi is a threat.

Sean.Bacon said...

Pi decided he needs to stop running from Richard Parker because he needs to be able to get to his supplies if he cannot produce fresh water or catch fresh fish in a day and have more space to operate in if he catches a heavy and or cumbersome fish or turtle. Pi is definitely becoming more savage or at the very least more aggressive however I believe that Richard Parker had never been savage he just had the same animal instinct as Pi has now survival of the fittest, Richard Parker is becoming more and more domesticated through Pi's training. I feel Pi didn't know his plan of action would work back when it was happening but he was confident things couldn't get worse than they already are. He probably knows what Richard Parker considers his territory from the places Richard Parker "marked his territory." Pi most likely knows how much to provoke a tiger without instilling homicidal rage through his experiences in the zoo or he is over-glorifying his knowledge and it was just dumb luck as he is the only one who knew his story. Pi probably knows of the Tiger's nature not to fight by his zoo background.

M.Martin said...

Running away from Richard Parker needs to change because Pi needs better protection during storms and he wants to establish complete dominance over Richard. He needs to be able to access the boat in case of emergency without worrying about being eaten by a tiger.
Yes, Pi becomes more savage, but I don’t think Richard becomes less savage. I think Richard’s savageness just becomes less noticeable due to Pi’s increase in becoming very similar to this beast of a tiger.
This whole book is practically based upon the telling of a story. Therefore certain aspects change from the reality. Of course in the present reality of these events Pi wasn’t certain his plan of action would succeed but being a storyteller from the future he knows whether or not it did workout and this knowledge is applied to the story. He knows what Richard’s territory is by observation; same with the right level of provocation.

Blake Miller said...

Running away from Richard Parker is probably just getting tiring for Pi. He is probably beginning to lose hope and believes that if he doesn't act soon, his chances of survival will slip away. Also Pi needs access to the shelter, locker, and water at any time, and in order to do this he needs to be the alpha male.

I believe Pi knows his plan will work due to the knowledge he gained from growing up in a zoo. Pi probably has witnessed, read, or had his father tell him of Tigers territorial patterns as well as training habits. But as far as Pi absolutely knowing what Richard Parker thinks is his territory, I think Pi is just assuming cause there is no way to tell for sure.

JacksonLamb said...

Running from Richard Parker probably became job like to Pi and it wasted alot of energy that he needed. I think that Pi realized that if wanted to try and survive long term with Richard Parker he needed to try and train him.
Pi is killing animals very violenly and is becoming more savage while Richard Parker doesnt do much of anything except sleep.
I think Pi's experience living at a zoo really helped him out in this situation because he knows alot more about tigers than the average person but nothing can really prepare him for how a tiger may act when its on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a human being.

Syoma said...

I think Pi realized that you cant keep running from your fear. If you keep running you will let fear take over you and it will win the battle (metaphor from previous chapter). I think that by facing his fear of richard parker, Pi's chances of survival increased tremendously. I think Pi is becoming more savage because he has to fight for his life. He has to get his own food and water, where as richard parker is handed his food and water by Pi. I think Pi knows everything about the tiger because he grew up in a zoo and im sure he learned alot of things about animals just by watching their daily actions.

Logan Smith said...

With every plan there are an endless amount of plausible failures. I think that Pi looked for a change to have more than one thing to fall back on in case of an attack. I feel that as Pi remains in isolation the more he evolves back into instinct, and as Richard Parker spends more time with pi, more trust is gained between them.

Julia Mendez said...

I feel that the reason for Pi and Richard Parker switching traits had to do with their situation. Pi began doing what it takes to survive. Richard Parker, on the other hand, didn't understand the extent of situation. I think he knew, though, that Pi was supplying food and that was enough for him to let Pi live.

Josh Ortiz said...

Pi focusing on the change of the running away to being intimidated by richard parker is because he is tired of being bullyed and he wants to be the man of the boat.

larchmeany said...

The end.

Hannah.Kessler said...

Pi challenges Richard Parker because why not. At this point he doesn’t have much else to lose. Now, I am no expert on tigers as Pi seems to be, but I think it would be important that PI establishes his Alpha status early, otherwise Richard Parker might challenge it then it turns into a fight for Alpha, my money would be on Richard Parker.
Pi does seem to be quite the expert on Richard Parker. I know he did grow up in a zoo but based on earlier chapters it didn’t seem like he had a huge part in raising them or was even being trained to understand animals. So assuming all of that is true, he would have come by all of this knowledge based on observation. Doing the math, let’s say he became interested at age six, take off a year or time spent not observing Richard Parker, due to school, religion, home life, and observing other animals, he spent five years as a child watching this tiger, and that’s a generous estimate. I don’t think you can gather the necessary information from a tiger living in a zoo, far from direct contact with humans, to know enough to survive for seven months with said tiger. But again, I didn’t grow up in a zoo.