The Theme of Water in Life of Pi

It is interesting to consider what role the theme of water plays in Life of Pi.  The effect that water has on Pi is mentioned early in the novel on page 7: “The first time I turned a tap on, its noisy, wasteful, superabundant gush was such a shock that my legs collapsed beneath me and I fainted in the arms of a nurse”.  In addition, Pi is actually named after his “aquatic guru”s favourite swimming pool in Paris, la piscine Molitor.  Martel is careful to show that only Pi is drawn to the water so strongly when he writes that his “parents never took to water” (8).

Instead of analyzing the water theme from only a physical perspective, I would like to explore this theme from a mental or emotional one, mainly in respect to Pi’s subconscious state on his voyage.  There is a common analogy of representing human consciousness with an iceberg.  While the tip of the iceberg can be seen (the conscious mind), there exists a huge amount of ice under water that we cannot see (the subconscious mind).  In her article “Mind over Matter”, Karen Rains, a therapist, explains the iceberg comparison this way: “The conscious mind is the part above the water and the subconscious mind is the vast ocean of “stuff” hiding below.  It contains everything we have ever done, thought, said, imagined, learned, forgotten [or] felt”. (http://ezinearticles.com/Mind-Over-Matter). I believe that Pi’s lifeboat and raft symbolize his conscious mind because that is where he eats, sleeps and shares his time with Richard Parker.

By contrast, the Pacific Ocean may represent Pi’s subconscious mind, as it is an environment over which he has no bodily control.  Furthermore, the water is at times filled with sharks or swirled into threatening storms. While the ocean does provide food and a place for Pi to float his solar stills, it is still his constant enemy.

Finally, is it Pi’s subconscious that metamorphoses the cook, the sailor and Pi’s mother into the animals?  When the “real” world on the boat become just too much for the boy to bear, his subconscious mind protects the conscious one by letting his imagination take over. As soon as Pi reaches Mexico, he no longer need Richard Parker’s company, but he still wishes he had had the chance to say good bye to his friend properly: “ “Richard Parker, it’s over. We have survived. Can you believe it?  I owe you more gratitude than I can express.  I couldn’t have done it without you. . . .Thank you for saving my life” (317).

By being immersed in the “ocean” of his subconscious, Pi draws upon the strengths of his character that he did not know existed back in his simple life in Pondicherry. His ingenuity and resolve to survive, no matter what the conditions, transforms him from a quiet boy into a courageous young man. “You must make adjustments if you want to survive.  Much becomes expendable.  You get your happiness where you can.   You reach a point where you’re at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile of your face, and you feel you’re the luckiest person on earth.  Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish”.

1 thought on “The Theme of Water in Life of Pi

  1. rupi

    I think Life of Pi would be a great novel to teach in high school. What I particularly like about this novel is the fact that illuminates the idea of storytelling. I as teacher will encourage story writing and telling and I love how Life of Pi is a story within a story. The novel opens up with Yann Martel describing the tale of Pi Patel and then the audience is introduced to Pi, who then tells another tale. I think there are a variety of activities that you would be able to do with your students. Because we see Pi almost create an alter ego of himself as “Richard Parker,” depicting a more violent and fierce side of his personality. I think it would an interesting activity to have the students write a story about themselves as an animal they think most represents them. This activity would perhaps help students understand the underlying essence of the story- that imagination is the ultimate substitution of stale, hard facts.

Leave a Reply