Surviving The Journey

Author's Note: This is a comparative piece of the settings in The Hunger Games and Life of Pi. I wrote it because I had not yet done a compare/contrast piece and I wanted to.

 

Would you rather be stuck in a wooded arena with 23 other bloodthirsty tributes, or on a small life boat with limited resources and a fierce Bengal tiger? In The Hunger Games and Life of Pi both instances occurred, one to each of the main characters. It is also notable that both main characters, Katniss and Pi, survived their treacherous journey.  Although going through the course of both books seems equally challenging, the factors that make them so are not.

In Life of Pi the events that threw Pi into his misfortunate outcome being on the boat happened quite spontaneously. Therefore, he could not think clearly and lured Richard Parker, the tiger, onto the boat, which he almost instantly regretted. In The Hunger Games Katniss had weeks to train and learn after the initial shock of volunteering for her sister. Because of this she already had a plan of who to team up with and had survival strategies. Although the entering of the main suffering was longer for Katniss, the actual suffering was longer for Pi. He was on his life boat for 227 days while Katniss was in the arena for about a week.

Although there are many differences between the hostile environments in The Hunger Games and Life of Pi some things are the same. Both have a lack of water and food, which has a greater impact on Pi due to his expedition being 227 days long. Also, Katniss and Pi, for most of the book, were always in danger. Katniss never knew if there was another tribute miles away, or just yards away. Pi was always in danger from Richard Parker, who could strike at any second. Although towards the end, Pi's relationship with Richard Parker grows and he is no longer afraid, just like how Katniss could be allies with the other tributes, like she did with Peeta.

The  feats that Katniss and Pi were equally grueling. There were different things that each character had to do to save their lives. We should just be thankful that we don’t have to do what they did.