Life of Pi

While Pi was restricted in the lifeboat, he was liberated to be who he wanted to be. He was told that he couldn't be more than his religion, but while he was trapped on the boat, he was able to follow and religion he wanted, even multiple religions. It also liberated him to do whatever he wanted. As long as he didn't enter Richard Parker's territory, and didn't get Richard Parker angry, he could do anything he wanted without having any parents to tell him off.

The fact that Pi was able to survive for close to 2 years is absolutely amazing. But he wouldn't have been able to live that long, if it wasn't for Richard Parker,the fact that Pi lived on this lifeboat with a 400-pound bengal tiger is simply incredible. Pi was able to survive simply by his ability to think about how to create a survival tent and to create tools out the items that he could find in the lifeboat and sea.

Pi created a life raft so that way he could have more freedom,because while he was on the lifeboat he had about 12-15 feet of space because the rest of it was Richard Parker's area. And to increase the size of his space he made the raft. But eventually he started thinking "well if I'm going to share the same area with this tiger, then i may as well show him that I'm the alpha male. Then maybe I'll get some more space." So Pi took the whistle he found in the locker that he found, in an attempt to increase his restriction on the raft and boat. So eventually by doing this enough he train Richard Parker to allow him to stay and move a bit more around the boat without growling as much at Pi for intruding on his already small space.
The only way that Pi had made it so that he could have more space with the whistle trick is that he had remembered while he was at the zoo he had helped his father train these animals and he had lived with them. And while in the zoo the animals felt secure and not as frightened of what was going to happen to them or frightened of the outside world. But once outside demonstrated by all of the animals, they started doing things that they had been born to be.
So it shows us that the more restriction that we have, the better we feel, the less we have, the more insecure we start feeling about actual life, or a life that involves us living otuside of our parents care.

The fact that Pi grew up in a zoo is very beneficial to what happens to him. With the freedom aspect, the whole concept of a zoo is the opposite of freedom-restriction. Watching captivity and restriction in action makes freedom easier to understand. When you know the reaction of restriction, and what it does to something, you understand better what it means to be free and the difference freedom and restriction. And even us as humans are animals, and are so similar in so many ways to the creatures that live in captivity. This makes it easier for us to understand them. Because the more someone knows the less scared we are to learn more. So the more Pi knew about these animals and what captivity did to their heads, the more he knew how to deal with being in the same situation. So knowing the feeling of being free, taught him how to deal with being captive.
I think that the fact that Pi is exposed to so many ways of life in the zoo, through each kind of animal, he grew to realize that he should have a way of life. He also realized that everyone was different. So why should he just choose one way of life to follow? Why not explore many ways of life, and create one of his own? I think he realized that even if someone is captive physically, they can still shape how they react, live and think. So he thought that even though he isn’t captive physically, why be captive mentally? Then when he finds himself physically captive, he knows how to protect himself from becoming mentally captive, and chooses to not allow his mind to be seized by really pondering what he has learned throughout his life in the zoo and religious studies.

Pi lifeboat

Restrictions meant to keep the animals in in the Pondicherry zoo have the side effect of keeping predators out. For the herbivores this liberates them from having to look over their shoulder afraid of predators. For the predators since they can't hunt they have their food given to them and thus this liberates them from wasting energy hunting. Pi does somthing simmilar with the life jacket raft he imprisons himself to protect himself from Ricard Parker liberating him enough to fish and desalinate water.

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Life of Pi

Restriction is sometimes something that each of us creates for ourselves as a measure of comfort. No matter where are, we naturally try to adjust our situation to make it suit our needs and likes. Using Pi's example, what would you do if a stranger burst into your home, pushed you out, and said "you are free?" Most people wouldn't be happy about that since each of us instinctively searches for and claims a territory in which we may be at peace. Liberation can only come if you have some measure of tranquility. Pi found his when he had achieved a system to gain his basic necessities and a whistle-blowing procedure to alert Richard Parker of his alpha status. At that point he was able to take up his religious practices again, and reflect about his life. The restriction gave Pi something to push against to create freedom.

Life of Pi

During the period that Pi is stuck on the boat, he is physically restricted to an area of maybe 10 square feet, because he is in the middle of the ocean, and Richard Parker's "territory" is on the other side of the boat. He doesn't have the ability to exercise or do things he would normally do when not stranded, and hes is limited to the occasional turtle wrestling as a workout. Because of this limitation, he has much time to think about everything, so he is liberated in the mind, similar to how a monk or guru will find a sacred and hard to reach place where they can meditate, except Pi does not really have a choice in the matter. He starts to lose belief in a greater power such as god or allah, because he wonders what god would put him through such suffering.

Life of PI

By Pi being restricted from his living space, his familly and his religion through out this novel he changed. First he was resticted from his religion. He was told multiple times by multiple people he could not be a Christian, Hindu, muslim boy. But he was. That is what he realized, and this was a liberating experience for him. He found freedom in being able to choose his own beliefs and being supported by his parents.

Pi was resticted from his family by being stranded on a life boat with a 400 pound bangle tiger. Because his family wasnt on the boat to tell him what to do he learned more about him self. For example, his mother was a strict vegiterian and i think if she was on the baot with him he would never be able to kill a fish or turtle, even to save his life. when he killed that first flying fish it was liberating to him . he was forsed to kill another animal to save him self he felt like a "savage" but had to, to servive and he knew sevival had to come fisrt.

He was also resticted from not only his house but also was was restricted from the actual life boat. He stayed of a raft he made himself because of the fear he had from Richard Parker. He servived on the raft, but also knew he could not servive on it forever. He knew that the life boat was a much safer place. When Pi decided to train Richard Parker he felt liberated to make a choise for servival and he did not give up on that decision even when Richared Parked tried to attack him. By the end of the book he was the "alfamale" and was no longer scared of Richard Parker.

Life of Pi

Restriction in Life of Pi can be liberating because for Pi, being restricted is not such a bad thing. It allows him to imagine things beyond his upbringing, and broadens his mind and way of thinking beyond his age. For example, when Pi becomes a part of three different religions, it's not because someone had told him to do that or that that was a good thing to do, yet he still finds each one facinating and wants to become a part of them because that's his way of thinking. For Pi restriction is not only liberating, its intriguing for his mind.

In Life of Pi the restrictions can be liberating because although Pi has immaginary walls around him and is mentally restricted by these barriers, it is instinct and human nature that when people are born someplace and grow up there, that is their home, it has everything they need, and it is safe. The whole time Pi is in the boat he is thinking about his life and ways of surviving. He learns from his father that these animals are dangerous, but he also learns from the strories about the animals who didn't escape when their cage was open, and if they did thay came right back. They came back because it was home, after all the time they spent in the zoo, they weren't ready for the outside and the cages weren't restricted places anymore because they wanted to be there. Pi sees there is a trust bond between the owner or workers and the animals. The animal knows that if they escape they won't have a source of food or a home anymore and it would be disloyal to the owners or workers. It is a kind of give and take situation between them. After all Pi learns a lot from this experience and learns to survive in a boat with a 450 Bengal Tiger. The fact that Pi could go no where allowed him to see past doing and creating but opening his mind to thoughts, ideas and so much more.
So in the end i think that restriction is just a word for being free but in your own space.

In life of Pi, restriction can be liberating (especially in the boat) because even though the boat is a prison of sorts, it is also shelter from the elements.
In the zoo, Pi's father's rules and lessons, such as the tiger/goat incident, seemed harsh. However, they helped Pi be much more cautious of Richard Parker later in the book, probably saving his life in the long run.

Restriction can be liberating in Life of Pi because of the sudden change that Pi experiences. Pi had a fairly free and stable life before his whole world was turned upside down. The boat sank and he was stuck on a life boat with a tiger and could do nothing about it, he was restricted. During this time he had more time to reflect about his life and to accept new ideas. Restriction can liberating because it gives one time to pause, be still, and think of things differently. This could lead to redefining what one believes.

Question #1:

How can restriction be liberating in Life of Pi? Think of Pi's upbringing in Pondicherry, the lessons of the zoo, or Pi's time in the lifeboat when you are responding.