Jungian Archetypes in “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel

Introduction

The Life of Pi is an adventurous and philosophical novel by Yann Martel, which represents how a person’s beliefs are developed. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor, commonly referred to as ‘Pi,’ grows through different life stages, bringing forth other character traits never seen before. Although Pi is a brave boy, the quality is hidden and only comes out when faced with the difficult situation in the lifeboat with the tiger. The protagonist’s family owned a zoo and took a particular interest in animals. Pi’s father kept all kinds of animals, and Pi loved feeding the domesticated world animals, such as the Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi’s actions in the novel prove that he is spiritual, determined, open-minded, and highly intelligent, making him survive his family’s ordeal. Pi’s fear at a young age is wholly eradicated as he grows through different challenges in life. The author successfully proved that humans have hidden traits that only manifest when they are in dire need, as Pi displayed bravery when needed for survival.

Archetypes Manifested at a Young Age

An archetype is a specific pattern or situation considered universal and used to shape a person’s behavior. Pi’s parents always taught him that the tiger was dangerous. Pi ignored his parents and always tried to feed the tiger; little did he know that it was a perilous carnivorous animal. The best way used by Pi’s parents to make him understand the dangers of the tiger was taken to witness Richard Parker kill a goat (Gunanda et al. 43). The scenario of the tiger devouring a goat was used to explain that it was a dangerous animal and that he was to stay away from it at all times (Sihite 56). Pi’s parents knew that practical exposure was the only way to teach their son and they succeeded in making him fear the tiger. Thus, children develop innate fears as a result of their parent’s teachings.

When Pi was sixteen, his parents decided to close the zoo business and head to Canada. Closing up the zoo to charter new sources of livelihood was the beginning of numerous challenges in Pi’s life. After boarding the Japanese cargo ship with the animals, a shipwreck occurred in the ocean, and he lost all that was dear to him in the process (Sihite 23). He was left with no option but to survive on a lifeboat with the beast that was once considered the enemy (Hietalahti 19). All his family members and the entire crew died and he had no one to look up to. He had to take in a brave act, and the reality of life dawned on him. Pi states, “Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces” (Martel 41). Life at the lifeboat represents the realities of life as the hyena kills the zebra, and it is killed and eaten by the tiger underscoring the principle of “survival for the fittest.”

Jung’s Theory of the Shadow

Jung’s shadow theory was developed to explain the person’s character traits that are oppressed and only revealed when the person is in need. According to Jung, the shadow exists in the subconscious mind and is formed by most repressed ideas. For example, Pi fears that he cannot survive without his parents. Although Pi knew that coexisting with animals was possible, it was stifled and only manifested when needed (Gunanda et al. 15). Since the characters are suppressed in the subconscious mind, they are never realized in the long run. The shadows are suppressed to conform to societal norms (Sihite 23). For example, Pi wanted to feed and be friendly with the tiger, but his parents could not allow him. However, towards the novel’s end, he is forced to live with the tiger in the same boat and is sad because he lost the tiger. Pi confirmed that “without Richard Parker, he wouldn’t be alive to tell you the story (Martel 44).” The once-sworn enemy turned out to be the best friend he would not survive without.

Collective unconsciousness refers to a notion of human beings that is innate and hardly changed. For example, the universal fear of carnivorous animals. Although the fears are valid, as the hyena ate the innocent zebra in the lifeboat, they are proven wrong because Pi develops a positive relationship with the tiger. They end up being good friends (Sihite 87). When they finally get to the dry land in Mexico, Pi feels terrible because the tiger leaves him for the forest (Hietalahti 97). He thought that the friendship they had developed could be extended after they came out of danger. The author proves that although collective unconsciousness hinders people from critical and creative thinking, being open-minded can make people chart new and beneficial paths in life (Sihite 16). If the innate fear of the tiger had been so intense to jeopardize their relationship, Pi would have been impossible to survive in the ocean. Jung’s shadow theory and collective consciousness manifest throughout the protagonist’s life. The theories are exhibited in the form of archetypes that inform the decisions and actions taken by Pi.

Manifestation of Archetypes and Jung’s Theories in Pi’s Life

Jung’s Theories

When Pi found himself alone with the tiger in the ocean, the fear archetype made him devise means of staying away from the tiger. In his mind, he knew he was to feed on the tiger to protect himself. Pi realized that “When your life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival (Martel 137).” The thought of killing the tiger for safety is a manifestation of the collective unconsciousness developed by his parents as he grew up. Although he initially wanted to befriend the tiger by feeding it, Pi’s parents made him witness it devouring a goat to prove the animal’s danger. When they were both with starvation after Pi’s supply was invaded by a whale, the two had no option but to become friends for survival (Gunanda et al. 77). After the huger ordeal, he realized that taming the tiger and making friends was what was needed for survival. Eventually, getting food for a grown-up tiger gave Pi the hope to remain alive (Sihite 75). The collective unconsciousness was proven wrong, and the fear was eliminated as Pi developed a relationship with the tiger.

A shadow archetype manifests a person’s worst or most negative attitude about a situation or another person. After the hyena kills the zebra for survival, Pi becomes the next target, and his life is endangered (Hietalahti 23). However, the tiger saves Pi by killing the hyena. Consequently, the two became friends in a quest to survive the challenges in the sea. The ability to tame the tiger was innate in Pi but was suppressed to come out. Pi said that “I could not abandon Richard Parker. To leave him would mean to kill him, he would not survive the first night (Martel 132).” All the fears he had in him vanished, and he started taking care of his childhood-perceived enemy. Pi’s love for animals is also manifested at the beginning of his life when he was a small boy (Gunanda et al. 41). His father warned him against being close to the animals since they could be dangerous to him. The fear in his subconscious mind is proven right when the hyena mercilessly eats the zebra. The fearlessness in him, which had been suppressed for a long is finally awoken.

Archetypes

The life of Pi represents two main archetypes manifested throughout the story. The mentor and the hero are the two archetypal characters that exist throughout the story. A mentor is a person that teaches and makes another feel comfortable about life. Pi’s father plays the mentor role and trains Pi to live with the animals and treat them (Hietalahti 12). On the other hand, Pi plays the archetypal character of a hero, proving that nothing is impossible and that everything may be achieved when a person works with determination and belief. Pi finds himself in a difficult situation, and the suppressed shadow traits are made to emerge (Sihite 76). The fear of the tiger and its inability to exist together were built in the protagonist’s mind and hindered him from extending a hand of friendship from the beginning. Pi stated, “You might think I lost all hope at that point, but I did ” (Martel 17). However, when he lost all hope, his desire to live made him overcome all his fears and the archetypal hero character took over.

The story manifests archetypal situations and symbols that help the protagonist grow from one stage of life to another. The situations are tasks and the initiation, which required him to take extraordinary steps to survive (Gunanda et al. 65). Pi had no option but to tame the tiger for survival in the ocean. The act seemed superhuman since he had never tried it before. Initiation is a state where a person has to live from one situation to another. Although Pi was a vegetarian, he became a meat eater in the ocean for survival (Sihite 66). A person, therefore, has the right to make any decision as long as it allows them to survive in the long run. The archetypal symbols present in the story are the garden and desert, where the garden represents life and desert death. Pi stated that “the display of ferocity, of savage courage, made me realize that I was wrong” in values taught about the tiger and needed to go against the consciousness for survival (Martel 77). Pi had to use all the possible means to survive the ordeal in the desert.

Conclusion

The survival story narrated by Pi shows how human beings are multifaceted, and people show different parts when they are confronted with the need. Pi grew up as a naïve and intelligent boy whose love for animals made him try feeding a tiger. His parents disapproved and made him stay away by explaining that it was a dangerous animal. His experience in the sea, however, proved that his long-life beliefs and fears in the subconscious mind could be proven wrong, and his bravery triumphs.

Works Cited

Gunanda, Sellawati Djaya, and Ika Destina Puspita. “Persona and Shadow of Kevin in Lionel Shriver’s Novel We Need to Talk About Kevin.” Lintang Songo: Jurnal Pendidikan 5.1 (2022): 10-18.

Hietalahti, Jarno. “Carl Jung and the Role of Shadow and Trickster in Political Humor: Social Philosophical Analysis.” Comedy for Dinner and Other Dishes (2019).

Martel, Yann. “Life of Pi. 2001.” Vintage Canada (2002). [PDF File] Web.

Sihite, Arihot Pauly. Psycho-social analysis of the main character in the life of Pi. Diss. Universitas Negeri Medan, 2020.