William S. Burroughs once said “Perhaps all pleasure is only relief” (Burroughs). The fictional novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel and the poem “Tyger” by William Blake analyzes how humans need companionship in times of need and difficulty. Both works of literature examine the relief from uncertainty of one’s state and the feeling of reassurance. Through the examination of Life of Pi, the poem “Tyger” and the comparison and contrast between the two texts, it will become apparent that each text shows a version of relief from uncertainty through companionship.
In the novel Life of Pi, it is exemplified that Pi eeds companionship to survive his time of need at sea. Throughout Pi’s time in the Pacific Ocean, he is able find relief from uncertainty with Richard Parker, a tiger. Pi does not know what his faith will be or what his future holds for him after being in the shipwreck, and therefore must look for a companion to put his uncertainty and fear at relief.
After losing all his family members during the shipwreck and instead of being afraid of being afraid of Richard Parker like one might think, Pi discusses him as being his sole companion and is one of the reasons for his survival during his time for need at sea. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all because if he died I would be all alone with despair” (Martel, 182). This quote is further exemplifying Pi’s need for others because if Richard Parker were to die, Pi would be all alone and not have a companion to socialize and share his long terrifying journey with, as Pi is uncertain about the world.
However, Pi begins to develop a sense of assurance with Richard Parker to put his feelings of unpredictability at ease. “A tiger is a fascinating animal at any time, and even more so when it’s your sole companion” (212). In he same way, Richard Parker helps keep Pi mentally stable when Pi needs it, as Richard Parker further brings along the aspect of hope to Pi throughout his hardships at sea, and brings him his will to live. “He pushed me to go on living. I hated him for it, yet at the same time I was grateful. … ]. Without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story” (182). This is further signifying the aspect of how humans rely on others in their times of need and hardships during life. If Pi did not have Richard Parker as a metaphorical companion, he would not have survived and Pi would have not been able to share his tory with the authorities when he gets rescued. The authorities Pi discourses with represent a larger version of Pi’s story, such as the world.
Richard Parker gave Pi the ability to share his world view by helping him survive, as Pi seems to blend both realism and fiction together to share his story. Therefore, this is showing how humans need companionship, as Pi relied on Richard Parker as his metaphorical companion until he no longer need him, and then Pi relied further on the authorities so he could share his world view to relieve himself of any uncertainty he had towards the world. Identically, in the poem Tyger” it is signified that William Blake is uncertain with the worlds state and looks to a tiger as an essential form of human life.
During the time the “Tyger” was written, William Blake deemed the world to be very unstable, as there was a shift into the industrial revolution, and many writers such as William Blake looked to literature to have a focus on inspiration and the individual. The speaker in the poem looks to the animal as a companion and a dominant figure in the world: “Tyger Tyger burning bright in the forests of the night. ” (Blake 1-2). This verse is showing how the tiger appears to have some sort of force in he natural world, as it seems to be a very powerful and stable animal.
Also, the tiger is a metaphorical companion for the speaker in the poem as it can show energy, and allows the speaker to share their point of view and expose truths about the worlds state. The “burning” metaphorical device used in the poem can imply the power the tiger shows and the inspiration it carries within the world. In nature tigers are dominant, and in the poem, the tiger seems to carry the role of a symbolic character. The speaker looks the animal as a feeling of relief from uncertainty, as the animal is very powerful. “What mmortal hand or eye, Could fear thy fearful symmetry? (Blake -). This is further signifying how whoever created the tiger, made it a very dominant animal, as it is “immortal”. This also shows how the speaker looks to the animal for companionship and assistance in times of need, and therefore giving the speaker a change in understanding for survival of the times. In the same way, the novel Life of Pi and the poem “Tyger” are both works of literature that show how Pi and William Blake look for companionship at uncertain times in their life. Both Pi and William Blake show the need for others because of their uffering and hardships.
For example, Pi Patel endured a terrifying boat crash that took all his family members lives: “They were dead, I could no longer deny it” (141). This is showing Pi’s indication of suffering in the microcosm he is in, leading to uncertainty but then finding Richard Parker as a companion to relive him of fear. This is also the same for the speaker in “Tyger” as he also faces uncertainty because of the nature of the worlds state, but then looks to a tiger as a companion or dominant figure to give him hope, just like Pi: “Tyger Tyger burning bright in the forest of the night” (Blake -).
This is further showing how the tiger has power and represents a force for good in the world. The animal in William Blake’s poem is a very powerful animal just like Richard Parker in Life of Pi. This is significant because both works of literature show a spiritual element and how it is important to maintain faith and hope in times of uncertainty. The tiger in both texts are symbolic to humanity, provide a relief component, and helps both Pi and the speaker share their stories to the world. William S. Burroughs once said “Perhaps all pleasure is only relief” (Burroughs).
The fictional ovel Life of Pi by Yann Martel and the poem “Tyger” by William Blake analyzes how humans need companionship in times of need and difficulty. Both works of literature examine the relief from uncertainty of one’s state and the feeling of reassurance. Through the examination of Life of Pi, the poem “Tyger” and the comparison and contrast between the two texts, it will become apparent that each text shows a version of relief from uncertainty through companionship. In the novel Life of Pi, it is exemplified that Pi needs companionship to survive his time of need at sea.
Throughout Pi’s time in the Pacific Ocean, he is able ind relief from uncertainty with Richard Parker, a tiger. Pi does not know what his faith will be or what his future holds for him after being in the shipwreck, and therefore must look for a companion to put his uncertainty and fear at relief. After losing all his family members during the shipwreck and instead of being afraid of being afraid of Richard Parker like one might think, Pi discusses him as being his sole companion and is one of the reasons for his survival during his time for need at sea. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all because if he died I would be all alone with despair” (Martel, 182).
This quote is further exemplifying Pi’s need for others because if Richard Parker were to die, Pi would be all alone and not have a companion to socialize and share his long terrifying journey with, as Pi is uncertain about the world. However, Pi begins to develop a sense of assurance with Richard Parker to put his feelings of unpredictability at ease. A tiger is a fascinating animal at any time, and even more so when it’s your sole companion” (212). In the same way, Richard Parker helps keep Pi mentally stable when Pi needs it, as Richard Parker further brings along the aspect of hope to Pi throughout his hardships t sea, and brings him his will to live. “He pushed me to go on living. I hated him for it, yet at the same time I was grateful. [… ]. Without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story” (182).
This is further signifying the aspect of how humans rely on others in their times of need and hardships during life. If Pi did not have Richard Parker as a metaphorical companion, he would not have survived and Pi would have not been able to share his story with the authorities when he gets rescued. The authorities Pi discourses with represent a larger version of Pi’s story, such as the world. Richard Parker gave Pi the ability to share his world view by helping him survive, as Pi seems to blend both realism and fiction together to share his story.
Therefore, this is showing how humans need companionship, as Pi relied on Richard Parker as his metaphorical companion until he no longer need him, and then Pi relied further on the authorities so he could share his world view to relieve himself of any uncertainty he had towards the world. Identically, in the poem “Tyger” it is signified that William Blake is uncertain with the worlds state and looks to a tiger as an essential form of uman life.
During the time the “Tyger” was written, William Blake deemed the world to be very unstable, as there was a shift into the industrial revolution, and many writers such as William Blake looked to literature to have a focus on inspiration and the individual. The speaker in the poem looks to the animal as a companion and a dominant figure in the world: “Tyger Tyger burning bright in the forests of the night. ” (Blake 1-2). This verse is showing how the tiger appears to have some sort of force in the natural world, as it seems to be a very powerful and stable animal.
Also, the tiger is a metaphorical companion for the speaker in the poem as it can show energy, and allows the speaker to share their point of view and expose truths about the worlds state. The “burning” metaphorical device used in the poem can imply the power the tiger shows and the inspiration it carries within the world. In nature tigers are dominant, and in the poem, the tiger seems to carry the role of a symbolic character. The speaker looks the animal as a feeling of relief from uncertainty, as the animal is very powerful.
“What immortal hand or eye, Could fear thy fearful symmetry? Blake -). This is further signifying how whoever created the tiger, made it a very dominant animal, as it is “immortal”. This also shows how the speaker looks to the animal for companionship and assistance in times of need, and therefore giving the speaker a change in understanding for survival of the times. In the same way, the novel Life of Pi and the poem “Tyger” are both works of literature that show how Pi and William Blake look for companionship at uncertain times in their life. Both Pi and William Blake show the need for others because of their suffering and hardships.
For example, Pi Patel endured a terrifying boat crash that took all his family members lives: “They were dead, I could no longer deny it” (141). This is showing Pi’s indication of suffering in the microcosm he is in, leading to uncertainty but then finding Richard Parker as a companion to relive him of fear. This is also the same for the speaker in “Tyger” as he also faces uncertainty because of the nature of the worlds state, but then looks to a tiger as a companion or dominant figure to give him hope, just like Pi: “Tyger Tyger burning bright in the forest of the night” (Blake -).
This is further showing how the tiger has power and represents a force for good in the world. The animal in William Blake’s poem is a very powerful animal just like Richard Parker in Life of Pi. This is significant because both works of literature show a spiritual element and how it is important to maintain faith and hope in times of uncertainty. The tiger in both texts are symbolic to humanity, provide a relief component, and helps both Pi and the speaker share their stories to the world.