Pi Patel, the main character from Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, was forced to suffer the challenge of survival which was caused by the sinking of the boat "Tsimtsum". He however, overcame all obstacles that he encountered throughout the story. Where did a sixteen year-old boy develop the strength to survive the ordeal on the lifeboat? Science, especially in the form of zoology, helped him overcome the struggles within himself and his surroundings. Pi's childhood experiences taught him to observe animals' behaviors and to understand them. His knowledge about major religions also helped him to fight danger, loneliness and doubt. Pi relied on his own devotion to God to preserve his hope. Through his faith and understanding of animal behavior, Pi was able to survive in the Pacific for 227 days.
At an early age, Pi's father, who owned a zoo in India, taught Pi many lessons about the nature of animals and human's interactions with them which became central to his survival. Pi was given the skills and knowledge of how to care for animals, how to translate their motivations, and how to approach them with caution and respect. Ironically, his father would begin by showing the danger of a tiger, allowing his two young vegetarian sons watch a tiger massacre a goat, and warned them to remember this for the rest of their lives. This experience showed Pi how much he had to be careful and plan strategies wisely around Richard Parker, a wild Bengal Tiger on the boat. Another lesson that Pi picked up from the zoo was the concept of the "alpha male" and how to become supreme in any given territory. He understood that wild animals would attack him for threatening their territory. Pi used this technique and knowledge in training animals from the zoo to create his dominance on the lifeboat. He cleverly engaged the use of the whistle and scare tactics to establish boundaries, and to stress the fact that he was the provider of nourishment for the both of them.
