Life of Pi - 1276 Words

â€Å"The relationship between an individual and his or her society is responsible for the sacrifices he or she makes.† Discuss this statement making close reference to Death of a Salesman and American Beauty. Ideas and qualities of acceptable standards that is considered worthwhile in society, pressures the relationship between an individual and his or her society due to the risk of social rejection. By accepting these social norms the individual is forced into the pursuit of the American Dream of that context whilst the rejection of the American Dream also leads to social rejection. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman looks at the notion of the American Dream and the consequences one faces by valuing and devaluing social certain†¦show more content†¦Money and success brought only superficial happiness and this was usually accompanied by corruption and spiritual desolation, leaving people with little personal fulfilment and the realisation that the Dream was false. The post-Depression context in Death of a Salesman was still a patriarchal society with social rules of how males and females should behave. Willy’s and the society’s perception on males is to be the breadwinner, â€Å"a man who makes an appearance...creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead†. The repetition of â€Å"man† highlights Willy’s aspirations and intense pressure to be the breadwinner cumulating the image of his ideal male. Since Willy is unable to become the breadwinner thus preventing success to enter the family and unable to achieve the American Dream, he is unable to be happy. This is contrasted with Lester Burnham in American Beauty who has outwardly achieved the Dream. However, is not happy and the close up shot of Lester sleeping in the back seat of the car highlights his feeling of sedation resulting to his lack of motivation to do anything. By pursuing the dreams of an adolescent, Lester searches for personal happiness and sacrifices his job at the advertisement firm for a job with the least amount of responsibility and more importantly, sacrificed his relationships with his family. Thus the lack of personal happiness t hat the American Dream supposedly guaranteed resulted to the death of Willy Loman andShow MoreRelatedLife of Pi1049 Words   |  4 Pageshis/ her choice. In the novel, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, the protagonist of the story, Pi, also makes a few choices and loses some valuable things in his life. In the novel, Pi is a sixteen year-old Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat with a Royal Bengal Tiger, Richard Parker, in the Pacific Ocean who is trying to find a way to reach the shore. Firstly, Pi loses his entire family when the ship, Tsimtsum, sinks in the ocean. This loss is a result of the choice that Pi has made because he chooses toRead MoreLife of Pi - Why Does Pi Survive?1045 Words   |  5 Pagesof just how Pi managed to survive the hardships, loss, pain and suffering, all in the Pacific Ocean’s harsh, unforgiving environment. The first explanation involves Pi’s inborn desire to survive at all cost and to resist giving up. Also, Pi’s versatility to change fr om a life-long vegetarian to a meat eater and his creativeness in making the best out of a horrible situation are some of the key factors that contribute to his survival. Furthermore, the role of Richard Parker in keeping Pi motivated toRead MoreLife Of Pi Reflection1133 Words   |  5 Pages Life Of PI While reading this book, I realize that because of my religion and life experiences, I might have a different perspective then another reader when it comes to interpreting Pi’s journey and what pi is feeling. Life of Pi explores human experience, society, religion, and nature through the eyes and mind of Piscine (Pi) Molitor Patel. Pi starts off as a boy growing up in an emerging indian society. While thrown into a tragic accident, Pi finds spirituality and the meaning of life throughRead MoreLife of Pi Essay1061 Words   |  5 PagesDiscuss the importance of believability in this novel. In Yann Martel’s surreal novel, ‘Life of Pi’, views the measure of how an individual uses their intrinsic knowledge to face up to life’s riveting challenges. Martel portrays the protagonist, Pi Patel, as an individual who explores his own intrinsic identity through imagination, religion amp; faith as well as the fundamental difference between fact and fiction. Throughout the text, Martel, attempts to question the readers understanding of believabilityRead MoreLife of Pi Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe Aura of Orange Human, animal, plants, and all the Earth’s content is survivor. They are fighting for their rights in order to live in this beautiful world. The novel Life of Pi written by Yann Martel, has employed a lot of symbols that is related to the life. One of the most significant symbols is the color orange. The author uses orange as a symbol of maintenance of the spirit to survive in survival. This can be proved as most of the objects that are in the color orange in the novel generateRead MoreLife of Pi Essay759 Words   |  4 PagesLife of Pi Analytical Essay In the novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses the protagonist Pi to demonstrate how faith, ritual and one’s will to live save one from the barbaric and carnivorous reality. Pi Patel, lover of faith and various gods and their beliefs loses his family after a shipwreck and drifts on the Pacific Ocean with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger, Richard Parker each struggling in their own way to survive. Yann Martel uses the protagonist Pi to claim that one retains his or herRead MoreLife of Pi Survival1524 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss. Canadian author Yann Martel portrays Pi as such a strong-minded human being in his novel ‘Life of Pi’, the story shows that Pi’s hunger to survive gets him through the whole ordeal of being stranded at sea. But one can argue that his trust in God; that is, his beliefs and spirituality for three religions (Hinduism, Islam amp; Christianity) isn’t the only thing that helps him whilst he trapped at sea. His youth in Pondicherry is what prepares Pi for survival at sea in many ways; he tends toRead MoreLife of Pi Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesTrevor Smith Ms. Favro ENG4U-01 April 13th, 2013 Life of Pi: Quest or Enlightenment Over the course of this unit, I have read the so called â€Å"life changing† novel â€Å"The Life of Pi† by Yann Martel. This work of art happens to be a national best seller and has collected many literature awards. Piscine Molitor Patel, the young Indian protagonist is faced with a traumatic set of events which developed into a marvelous story of a castaway’s voyage, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. This essay will discussRead MoreLife Of Pi : Faith1412 Words   |  6 PagesJonathan Feng Mrs. Emma Richardson University English II 19 November 2007 Life of Pi: Faith in God Elaborated Thesis: The Life of Pi presents a gripping and credible case for religious faith because of Pi’s embracing of major religions, Pi’s encounters with animals as religious symbols, and Pi’s religious faith and will to live at sea. I. Pi’s embracing of major religions A. Hinduism 1. Experienced a Hindu rite of passage at birth 2. BelievesRead MoreLife of Pi Essay643 Words   |  3 PagesIn the book Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, the main character gets stranded in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with only his imagination to cope with. Piscine Molitor Patel, also known as Pi, uses a figure of his imagination to make a horrific situation better, by changing his perspective on the entire ordeal. When Pi gets isolated with his mother, a cruel cook, and an injured sailor, Pi transforms all of them into animals out of fear, disbelief and justification. Throughout Pi’s experience, he is