Life of Pi Part 2, Chapter 61 Quotes
Life of Pi Part 2, Chapter 61 Quotes
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Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
Richard Parker was tougher than I was in the face of these fish, and far more efficient. He raised himself and went about blocking, swiping and biting all the fish he could. Many were eaten live and whole, struggling wings beating in his mouth. Actually, it was not so much the speed that was impressive as the pure animal confidence, the total absorption in the moment. Such a mix of ease and concentration, such a being-in-the-present, would be the envy of the highest yogis. (2.61.19)
A plague of flying fish descends on the lifeboat. Pi envies Richard Parkers absorption in the moment, his animal destruction of time and secondary concerns (See Themes: Spirituality). But notice how savage Richard Parker the Yogi seems. Should Pi imitate Richard Parker? Or are there parts of Richard Parker that Pi should – as a moral being – avoid?
Quote 2
You may be astonished that in such a short period of time I could go from weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death a dorado. I could explain it by arguing that profiting from a pitiful flying fish's navigational mistake made me shy and sorrowful, while the excitement of actively capturing a great dorado made me sanguinary and self-assured. But in point of fact the explanation lies elsewhere. It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even killing. (2.61.32)
We think it's cute and heartbreaking how much trouble Pi has killing his first flying fish. He cries. He compares himself to Cain. He wraps the fish in a blanket so he doesn't have to see it. But Pi changes drastically. In later chapters he drinks hawksbill blood, eats human flesh, and throws a shark to Richard Parker. The kid gets tough. However, Pi returns to a strict vegetarian diet once his ordeal ends. Do you think Pi still carries guilt over the fish and animals he had to slaughter? Or does he see his actions as simply necessary for his and Richard Parker's survival?