It takes many specific qualities to overcome obstacles and manage to survive in extreme conditions. In “Life of Pi ” by Yann Martel, Pi, the protagonist is stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean, with a tiger as his only companion. While “The Story of Keesh” by Jack London is about a young boy who faces the challenge of gathering food to feed his struggling village, Fortunately, the protagonists are equipped with the necessary traits. In both stories, the authors give the characters courage and intelligence to help them survive in these harsh settings.
The main characters are very similar in the way they both utilize the courage to get them through the hardships they face, Keesh uses courage to aid him in surviving the harsh Arctic conditions. The story states, “Bok, my father, was a great hunter, too, his son, shall go and hunt the meat that I eat.”
London tells the reader that Bok was killed while hunting, this doesn’t seem to phase Keesh as he suggests to the council that even at the age of thirteen, he can be just as great as his well-respected Father.
To go hunting alone, the same way his Father was killed took significant courage. On the other hand, Pi was able to survive being stranded in the middle of the pacific ocean due to his courage. Through the thoughts of Pi, Martel writes, “ I pushed aside all thoughts of Richard Parker and fearlessly went exploring for fresh water.” This demonstrates an act of bravery because Pi was able to ignore his fears of the tiger and search for water to help him stay alive.
Both protagonists displayed remarkable acts of courage which enabled them to remain alive while facing harsh conditions, Both Keesh and Pi demonstrated substantial intelligence aiding them in surviving their difficult situations.
Keesh awed the whole village with his amazing hunting skill, so much so that many thought he was using witchcraft. Martel explains Keesh’s clever ways when he says, “The bear swallows the little round ball, the blubber melts, the whalebone with its sharp ends stands out straight, the bear gets sick, and when the bear gets very sick, why, you kill him with a spear. It is quite simple”. Without this skillful technique, Keesh along with his entire village would be struggling gravely. Similarly, Pi also showed cleverness after he finally obtains water with no way to open the can “The tarpaulin hookst Short, blunt, solid, I kneeled 0n the bench and leaned over, Holding the can with both my hands, I sharply brought it up against a hook. A good dint. 1 did it again. Another dint next to the first By dint of dinting, I managed the trick. A pearl of water appeared“ Despite being extremely dehydrated and weak, Pi is still able to find a way to solve the problem at hand.
They both used very strategic techniques, which led them to succeed in surviving in the brutal situations they are faced with, In conclusion, Pi and Keesh are courageous and intelligent. These traits contribute to their successfulness at surviving in harsh environments. The events that occurred reveal to the reader the strength and cleverness of the characters, Keesh demonstrates his courage by going to hunt despite the extreme dangers, while Pi is undoubtedly brave when he faces the tiger aboard his lifeboat in search for water. The two also showed intelligence by coming up with clever ways to defend themselves against the environments they are confronted with. If Martel and London had given the characters different traits, the way their situations ended may have been extremely different. The characteristics a person has developed can determine the outcome of every situation they are put in, a person must have just the right traits in order to survive under certain circumstances.
Similarities and Differences Between Pi from Yann Martel's. (2023, Apr 10). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/comparing-the-similarities-and-differences-between-pi-from-yann-martel-s-life-of-pi-and-keesh-from-jack-london-s-the-story-of-keesh/