Human Animal Nexus in Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pie

Abstract

This research makes an attempt to explore human animal nexus, the perspective of man in the observation of natural phenomena, marine life and the world of animals, in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi by. This study analyzes how the narrator Pi knowingly and unknowingly makes use of his subjective, affectionate and humane feelings while understanding and analyzing the world of animals, animal instinct, innate violence and violence as such. Pi is of the opinion that tiger does not attack him till he provides eating stuff to it. Generally, it is believed that animals act on brutal and beastly instinct. It is also believed that humans must stay away from the fierce and beastly animals in that it is difficult to guess what they do in a moment of hunger. But the perception and observation of Pi flatly denies this sort of assumption. Though objective fact and truth about nature and animal can be known objectively, the narrator Pi categorically rejects this sort of confining forms of knowledge. To him, each form of knowledge is subjectively determined by the rational, imaginative and impulsive passions of man. Rather than objective and scientifically verifiable truth, it is subjectively determined truth which is ennobling and uplifting for mankind. This research reaches the conclusion that knowledge derived from the use of anthropomorphic vantage point is a real saving grace and the knowledge as such is life-affirming and liberating.