Thursday, July 12, 2012

Life of Pi: Chapters 85-89

http://www.stocktradersdaily.com/News%20Release/oil%20tanker.jpg
The power of nature -- especially during the most violent storms -- is truly awe-inspiring. Have you ever witnessed a state of nature where you felt there MUST be a higher power based on the power and majesty of nature at that moment? Take me there.

Put yourself in Pi's position during the oil tanker encounter. What effect would that have on you afterwards?

Why does Pi express his undying love for Richard Parker? What is that love based on?

What purpose does the dream rag serve? What might it symbolize?

What is significant about the trash heap that floats by?

Why put a note in a bottle and release it in the ocean where not even something as large as a lifeboat can be seen from a ship, let alone a bottle?

At the end of this section, there seems to be a complete loss of hope -- yet we know that Pi continues on in the face of this utter hopelessness. How does he manage this? What drives him to stay alive?

31 comments:

Elise.G. said...

The effect the oil tanker encounter would have on me is a loss of hope of rescue but it would also give me some hope of getting to land at some point soon, and for a short time it would lessen my feeling of total isolation.
I think Pi expressed his love for Richard Parker because of the feeling of hopelessness that settled in him after the oil tanker passed them without rescue. I think that love is based upon Pi's survival and the company Richard Parker is for Pi.
The dream rag serves as Pi's "escape" from his horrid life on the boat and as some means of reprieve.
I think Pi put the note in the bottle just to kind of do it. I'm sure he knew it proffered him no survival or chance of rescue, but maybe he did it purely for the sake of trying to do something for himself and Richard Parker.

chang said...

The effect of missed being saved by just a few feet would’ve probably been too much for me. I probably would’ve been so mad at myself for a firing a flare that bounced off the ship instead of going above it. I also would’ve been super depressed. I probably would have given up on living.
I think Pi loves Richard Parker so much because Richard is what is keeping Pi alive. He is the only company that Pi has. The dream rag in the story is used so that Pi can pass time and just relax. I am not really sure what the significance is of the trash they float by. I think that Pi put the note in the bottle because he just wanted some hope. Even a little hope might help him and that note in the bottle was what gave him it. I’m not really sure what drives him to stay alive. It might be that he’s already suffered through so much, so he mind as well stick to the end and see what happens. It could also be his religion that keeps him from giving up.

Unknown said...

If i would have been that close to being saved then missed it, i dont know if i would be able to continue on... considering that is the closest thing to being saved and it failed is extremely unsettling. If that failed how could you possibly have another chance as good as that...

Renee Goforth said...

What happened with the oil tanker would have been beyond upsetting. Knowing I was so close to being rescued, and then watching my first encounter with human life in so long float away, would have been absolutely devastating.
Pi expresses his love for Richard Parker because Richard Parker has been on the journey with him. They have gone through everything together.
The dream rag serves as an escape for Pi.
He puts a note in a bottle, just to do it, I think. I think he felt the need to try to do something, even something as little as putting a note in a bottle.

Brittany Fisher said...

I would have been devastated if I was in Pi's position. watching the possibility of being rescued coming so close and the slipping away would have been absolutely terrible. The letter in a bottle was not an awful idea. While the possibility of it being read by someone who could come save him is slim, I t was better than nothing at all.

Anonymous said...

If I were in Pi's position during the oil tanker encounter, I would not have waited so long to set off a flare. Pi should have assumed that a boat that big would not see him and worked to get it's attention, instead of waiting for it to spot him. With that being said, I would feel abandoned and despaired after being not seen or saved when I was so close to survival. This incident surely crushed Pi's hope of ever being saved and made it difficult for him to go on.

The point of the message in the bottle was not for someone to find it and send out a search team for him, although he would have liked that. When Pi sent out the message he did it knowing very well that it would probably never be found. This message was Pi's way of interacting with people and attempting to cling to hope. After being alone at sea for so long and no one have a conversation with, Pi let his message in a bottle take the place of writing a letter to a long-lost friend.

Unknown said...

At this point, I believe Pi is basically awaiting his death. His hope for rescue has dwindled with each day. However, when Pi spots the oil tanker he is ecstatic and overjoyed. He assures himself that he will be rescued. He will return to civilization, where he can start living his life once again. I, too, would be thrilled beyond belief to see the ship approaching. Unfortunately, the ship does not see them and nearly runs them over. If I were in Pi’s position, there would be no words to justly describe how devastated I would be. Personally, I would feel completely hopeless and I would find it would be very difficult to continue living.

Pi expresses his undying love for Richard Parker by telling him that he loves him and promising to get him to land. Pi’s love is based on Richard Parker’s companionship. Pi has grown attached to Richard Parker simply because he is the only one on the lifeboat with Pi. Pi describes it best when he says, “If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I would make it. No, I wouldn’t. I would die of hopelessness” (236).

I think the dream rag symbolizes Pi’s desperation for an escape from his dreadful life. When the trash heap floats by, Pi plucks out a bottle from the wreckage and puts a note in it. I think even Pi knows that the bottle will never be found. I believe it is just another attempt to cling to some sort of hope.

I believe Pi manages to continue on in this face of utter hopelessness because he is not the type of person who gives up. Even if he says he wants to die, he knows secretly that he wants to persevere and keep on living.

Megan Grohnke said...

During the oil tanker encounter and I was Pi, I would have been rejoicing and ecstatic. Afterwords, when the tanker was out of sight and not the saving grace Pi hoped for, it would have been tragic. I would have felt that I was truly not supposed to survive because thinking in the religious mindset, why would God or a higher power send a ship that would not rescue me? Why would I be taunted with the chance at rescue then have it pulled out from under me? I would have had many doubts and had trouble continuing on after such a momentous letdown.

Pi expresses his undying love for Richard Parker because he hasn't talked to anyone in quite some time. It also is to show that he appreciates Richard Parker. The love between Pi and Richard Parker is a strange one. They won't get near each other, yet they depend on one another for survival. As someone previously put, the love is based on compainonship.

The dream rag serves a few purposes: to cool Pi from the constantly beating sun, help him to relax and forget about the horrible situation, and to give his life to the higher powers. Pi uses the phrase "gentle asphyxiation" and I take that to be Pi is giving death an opportunity that if a higher power does not want him to survive, Pi can die peacefully.

The reason fro the note in a bottle is that Pi can consider it some form of communication with the outside world. He can delude himself with the idea that someone read it and at least knows he exists. It is not used for the possibility of rescuing, it is for Pi's sanity.

With his complete loss of hope, I applaud Pi with his determination to continue his faith. I personally believe that it was Pi's faith alone that kept him going the whole time. HIs knowledge of there being a higher power in control that cares for him kept Pi from the utter hopelessness.

Liz Joyce said...

When the oil tanker passed Pi he felt as though life had flashed before his eyes. Pi set his hopes too high and ended up getting too excited to set off the flare. He was oblivious to think that the oil tanker would notice a small raft. Pi was overjoyed with the thought of being rescued that he lost all common sense.
Each human needs some type of interaction or else they may end up going insane. In Pi's case when he expresses his undying love it was just a way for him to vent and try to create a sense of normalcy.
The heap of trash represents a nearby civilization. It helped Pi keep his spirit alive and helped him realize that he was close to land. Pi sends the note in the bottle to increase his chances of being rescued. Although he did not see a ship or a lifeboat, the last thing Pi needs to do is give up hope.

Sammy W said...

The scene of the book where the tanker almost ran him over would have destroyed any hope I had of being rescued and I might have gave up. But it might have also gave me hope that i might be near land since a boat was there. I think that the note in the bottle made him feel better to have a way to let someone/anyone know that he was still alive and needed help.

Unknown said...

When Pi misses the chance at being saved, he is devastated. He probably couldn't imagine another chance at rescue. As a Cleveland Indians fan, this took me back to the 2007 ALCS, when the Indians lost the series after leading three games to one. Since the Indians are not a great baseball team, I figured that they wouldn't receive an opportunity like that in a long time. They couldn't wait until next year, that was their year. This is probably the same way Pi felt after the tanker went past. With the ocean being so incredibly massive, the possibility of encountering another vessel was slim to none.
This is very short, and rather cliche, but the part with the floating trash heap just goes to show that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Josh tillman said...

I give mad props to pi because the oil tanker situation would have been a huge spirit crusher for me. After coming so close like that I would have found it hard to move on and may have given up. I think pi knew that his message in a bottle would never have been found. The single reason he did it was for a slice of hope. A little beacon of light to hold onto that maybe by some miracle someone would see his message and come looking fr him. His love for
Richard parker is so strong because Richard has been there in some of pi's hardest times

Erin Mulleavy said...

A state of nature that I've witnessed that proves to me that there MUST be a higher power was a time when I was in South Carolina in February with my grandparents. The condo we were staying in was just outside of Myrtle Beach right on the water, and one of the nights we were there, there was a terrible storm. We experienced hurricane-like winds so powerful that waves were crashing on the building so hard that I thought I could feel it, even from 20 floors up. It was crazy!
The effect of the oil tanker encounter would be devastating for me. At that point, I would have given up all hope of ever being rescued. The message in the bottle would be my last hope of ever being rescued, even if deep down I know that it's never going to work. It would be something to keep me going.

Nicole W said...

Well I didn't experience a storm, but I experienced islands so beautiful that I can't think of words that do them justice. It was last summer when I went the islands of Bocas del Toro, in Panama. The natural beauty made me think of a God who made a secret getaway. It was so beautiful, and I know that only a higher being could produce such natural beauty with that much detail.

If I were to miss a chance of survival, like Pi's situation, I would be devastated! I would think that that was my only chance to live, and give up hope. At the same time, it would make think think that there are chances to get rescued, and try to make it a positive situation.

It makes sense as to why Pi would tell Richard Parker that he loved him. Richard Parker is all the companionship that Pi has. In a way, Richard Parker keeps Pi sane because Pi keeps himself busy by fetching food for Richard Parker.

Unknown said...

If I was Pi and an oil tanker was coming towards me then passed me, I think I would be very very angry ay first. I would be shouting and yelling and stomping around throwing a fit. Then I would probably get very depressed. He had been at sea for a long time and a change to find more people came and went. I would feel totally hopeless and like no one was ever going to find me.

Unknown said...

If I was in Pi's position during the oil tanker encounter, I would feel extremely frustrated. I would also feel alone, desperate, and hopeless. I would feel like my chance of being rescued was slim, but that I was getting closer to civilization. I think Pi expresses his love for Richard Parker because he has really been his only form of company through this whole experience. Even though Richard Parker can't have a conversation with Pi, Pi has someone to talk to. The dream rags purpose is to help Pi relax for a while and escape his reality. It might symbolize what he wishes was going on. The trash heap is significant because it makes Pi think that there could be other survivors from his ship sinking, or that he is getting closer to another boat or land. I think Pi puts his note in a bottle because he really has nothing else to do, or has nothing better to do.

ellenehays said...

There was a time just yesterday when I was watching the sunset on the beach and it just felt so surreal. The water was like glass and the sand felt amazing in between my toes. It was just me and nature and it was an amazing feeling that I never wanted to end.

If I saw an oil tanker while stranded in the middle of the ocean, I would start freaking out and screaming. The effect I would have on afterward is scared and I would just want to give up. After seeing a boat that didn't see you but almost ran you over would be very depressing and would kill your hopes of dreams.

I think Pi is going crazy from being at sea for so long. As a result, he just says how much he loves Richard Parker and appreciates his companionship. Love is an overused word today. But I do think that Pi does really love Richard Parker. This is because Richard Parker and Pi both respect each other equally which creates a love and need for each other.

The significance of the pile of trash was to show that human life was near. It is a sign of hope for Pi and Richard Parker. The note that Pi put in the bottle was not really meant for someone to find. I believe that Pi did it just to have a chance at being rescued and it gave him some hope to stay alive. Pi struggles with hope throughout the whole novel. Pi is given hope and strength through God. His religion is what keeps him going. Also, he thinks of his family and lives for them. He wants to survive for them and keep the family name going.

Kelso Stark said...

In the summer of 2008 when I was thirteen, my sister and I were coming home from swim practice on a stormy afternoon when all of the sudden, we realized that the sky was green. At first we laughed it off, saying it was too far north to affect us. However, with ten minutes left to drive, we realized that what we were driving through had to be the equivalent of a hurricane, or at least a tropical storm, because the trees were almost mending in half with the force of the wind. With relief, we turned onto our street; only to find out that on our no outlet road, a tree had fallen across the street, completely blocking our path. We had two choices; go to a neighbors house, or dash to our house, easily at least 300 meters away, in the storm. At that time, neither of us had our cell phones on us. We knew that the power was out from the stoplights, and we knew that our paresnts would be worried. Without ever dicussing it, Kirstin and I threw our doors open, sprinted around the fallen oak, and hauled butt down our road, screaming like a couple of maniacs. Lightning streaks came from all around, and I have never heard thunder that loud before or again. All I could think of was, 'I'm going to die. My sister and I are either going to get struck my lightning or a tree is going to fall on us. Getting struck by lightning would be cool. But I mean death by tree? Come on...'
Kirstin fell; I skidded to a stop and yanked her up; we kept running. Not more than ten seconds after I had yanked Kirstin back up, a tree limb fell on the road right where she had fallen. I still thank God to this day.
Kirstin and I made it, obviously, but I have never felt such at the power of nature as I did that night.

If I had come that close to rescue after so many days at sea, I wouldn't have just fallen into a deep depression, I probably would have either jumped overboard or gone into Richard Parker's territory.

Pi expresses his love for Richard Parker because he is so upset about the oil tanker just passing by. This is out of pure companionship; through everything on the lifeboat, Richard Parker has been the only constant.

I'm not sure what the dream rag symbolizes, but the dream rag passes time. Boredom would be constant on the lifeboat.

The trash heap should mean that some sort of civilization is nearby.

I think Pi put the note into a bottle because doing something is better than doing nothing.

Annie Valade said...

If I was in Pi's position and the oil tanker went by me, I'd have no hope left. I'd be devastated and exhuasted beyond belief.
Pi's love for Richard Parker is based on survival. Ironically, he owes his life to the tiger.
The trash heap could mean that there is a ship somewhere close. It's almost another form of hope.
I think the message in the bottle (I thought of the song, anyone else? Haha) was an act of desperation. If I was Pi, I'd try anything and everything that may help my rescue.

Alyssa Sander said...

I think the oil tanker encounter would be the worst experience. It would levae you so hopeless and depressed and dissapointed. Thinking that your miserablness is finally ending and then realizing it isn't.

The trash heap that floats by shows that someone or something is close and they might be saved or have some company in their voyage.

I think putting a note in a bottle is good it can only help your chances by hoping that someone will find it and send out a search party for you. Maybe another boat or maybe it would wash up onto shore.

I think having some company even if it is a tiger makes it a little easier to want to stay alive.

Jamie M. said...

I think that the idea that rescue is possibly is almost as valuable than rescue itself. Though the missed opportunity with the oil tankard must have been devastating, at least Pi knows that there are people out there, and in a reasonably close relation to where he was.

I think, also, that I would take a kind of grim sense of relief that life was still going on despite what I had been through. Even though I had turned into a virtual animal, fighting for my survival at every moment, there was still some sort of life for me to try and return to.

The message in a bottle is also a case of hope being almost as important as rescue. Even if someone would have found the bottle, there is almost no chance of that helping in Pi's rescue at all. Pi, though, is still fighting for life, still has at least some faith in being rescued. If he were to completely give up hope, he'd be a goner, but I think that even a tiny sliver was enough to help him go on.

Unknown said...

I remember a long time ago the news said we were going to get a tornado but it looked completely calm outside. My mom and I went outside because it was so pretty in the sky. I remember the skies were purple and pink like I've never seen before and then suddenly it started pouring down rain. It didn’t even sprinkle first and the lightning went horizontal instead of vertical. It was super pretty but we had to go to the basement right away. The thunder shook the whole house. Some frames fell off the wall and I think that was the year that a tree fell on our roof. Pretty scary but it was beautiful. If I was in Pi's position after the oil tanker encounter I would feel completely hopeless. It was his first glance at going home. He was so excited and he even had thoughts that maybe his family was on that boat. After being so excited and then being completely let down I would’ve been completely depressed and gave up on life. Pi expresses his love for Richard Parker because even though they don’t have anyone else they have each other and Pi doesn’t want Richard Parker to feel hopeless or give up. The purpose of the dream rag was to let Pi enter an alternate world and it symbolizes an escape from Pi's current problems. The trash heap that floats by was significant because it had time "to grow bitter and angry". I think Pi put a note in a bottle because he didn't have anything else to do; he just wanted to be saved and that was all he could think of. Pi manages his hopelessness by writing in his diary and he drives to survive because of Richard Parker.

Katelyn said...

If I were in Pi’s position during the oil tanker encounter, I would probably lose all hop of being rescued. Being just feet away from being rescued only to have the ship just go past me would have me completely hopeless.
Pi expresses his undying love for Richard Parker because at the time, he was all he had. Richard Parker was the only being that he had contact with and after being stuck with anyone or anything, even a tiger, for months, you can grow to love it.
I think it made sense for Pi to put the note in the bottle because, even though it was unlikely for it to be found, there is still the slight possibility that a boat will see it or it will wash up on land and someone will send help. Because there was a trash heap floating by, there was proof that there was some kind of civilization around so that may have given Pi hope that the bottle or he would be found by someone soon.

Claire13 said...

If I had seen the oil tanker go right past me as I was stranded at to sea for so long I would lose my sense of hope. The one chance that I had to be rescued has just blown right past me. The feeling would be awful and I'm sure little could compare to that. I think that Pi put the message in a bottle because his hope is not yet gone. A giant oil tanker didn't even see him, but who knows, maybe someone will see this bottle and pick it up. His love for Richard Parker is that he is the only thing he had in his company through his ordeal. The only being he had to talk to, share his thoughts with, and I guess in a way to keep him sane during his journey. Richard Parker is in the same boat. Literally.. They share the same issues and they are all each other has

Julia Mendez said...

I honestly think that if I had been passed by that oil tanker, I would have given up and just floated on with out trying anymore. Even when I was reading, I couldn't imagine Pi recovering.

I believe that the reason Pi expressed his love for Richard Parker was because he was all that Pi had anymore. The love is based on Pi's desire to have something in his life.

Kailey Doherty said...

I'm with Julia. I probably would have just given up. Seeing the oil tanker was his first glance at going home. He was so excited and had thoughts that his family was on the boat. After getting his hopes up they were crushed. I personally wouldn't be able to handle that.

Morgan Rinckey said...

I think that if I saw an oil taker drive by my lie boat, at first I would be very sad and angry. Honestly, I would probably give up. But if I did not give up, as time passed I think I would become more hopeful because a boat drove by and possibly another one would take the same path.


Pi's dream rag was a piece of cloth, wet with water, that Pi put o his face. It prevented him from breathing adequately and produced strange dreams that helped him pass the day. It might symbolise the choking feeling of the realization of his chances of survival.

Anonymous said...

Ok if an oil tanker just floated by me and didn't help, then forget it I'm jumping ship... boat... I would have just given up. In my head my chances of survival would be slim and i think I would just go crazy.
Richard Parker is Pi's only companion so Pi is attached to him. Richard Parker is helping Pi from going completely mental!

Meghan said...

The significance of the trash heap is that all the trash that was man made that floated by was useless. All the trash did was pollute the water and leave a horrid smell and stains on the boat for a long time. The trash symbolizes the things society waste and yet needs.
Putting a note in the bottle even knowing that the likely hood of it being found by somebody is a last ditch effort of hope. With tossing the bottle in the water Pi is hoping that he would be found.

Josh Ortiz said...

If an oil tanker past me the midst of me being lost in the middle of the ocean i would give up and cry and never recover from it and i would think that life was over that my chance of ever living again or going home was blown and i would be a total wreck, he loves richard parker to death because richard parker is all he has! pi puts the note in the bottle because who knows, one in a billion is still better odds the 0 in a billion. Pi drives on because he is a trooper and has divine faith that keeps him going on.

Leah Shear said...

Thunderstorms are absolutely amazing; it calms me to sit outside and watch the lightning strike and feel a harsh wind. Absolutely no better feeling.

After the oil tanker encounter I would have wanted to give up. I’m amazed that Pi kept going. I would have sat for days crying that no one was ever going to find me, that I was never going to find land.

Pi expresses his undying love for Richard Parker because he is all he has left, and in a way they have become friends. Love is many things. Love is fear, hate, lust, pain. Love is everything but love.

The dream rag lets Pi get away from is boat life. It gives him time to relax and actually get a restful sleep. The dream rag might symbolize salvation.

The trash heap is significant because in a way it’s just like Pi, floating and slowly dying away.

Pi put a note of a bottle out of spite. Maybe to boost his spirits.

I think Pi is driven to stay alive because he has come so far, and for what? To just give up? No way!