1) Hyena- The Cook: The hyena represents the Cook working on the Tsimtsum ship before it sank. The manages to survive the wreck and climbs aboard the life boat with the other. Shortly into the journey the hyena kills both the zebra and orangutan in the animal story. In the second verison, human one, the Cook first cuts the sailor’s leg for fishing bait and eventually ends up attempting to amputate it but really just kills the Zebra (the French Sailor). Furtheremore, the hyena stikes back againsted the orangutan and end up killing it. Thus, the hyena represents the evil in the world. Pi manages to maintain sanity and clings on to his religious faith even when there was little hope in surviving. (6)

 

2) Zebra- The Sailor: The Zebra's leg was cut badly in Pi's first story, and the hyena takes advantage of the wounded animal and eventually eats him alive.  In Pi's second story, the Zebra repersents a sailor whose leg was cut amputated by the sailor. The author is said to highlight the zebra to remind readers and viewers of the inherent savagery that is occuring. In either story the Zebra or the Sailor suffers immensely. (6)

 

3) Orange Juice the Orangutan: Orange Juice is Pi’s mother- Gita. She is mainly referred to as “Mother" by Pi over the story, and she is an incredibly and warm presence for Pi. As Pi's father is rather cold at times, as he tries to teach him tough life lessons about the danger of tigers and animals living in the zoo’s, Gita remains sympathetic and protecting of her little boy.  Furtheremore, she only gives him a little nudges when the imam, priest, and pandit demand Pi choose a religion. She always seems to be filled with tactic and supportive of Pi, especially when Pi asked to purchase a prayer rug and get baptized. His father and older briother laugh, but Pi’s mother suggests adopting other activities  such as literature. In the story with animals, Organ Juice strives to defend the zebra from the hyena, but her efforts are proved futile as she is attacked in return and eventually killed. As suggested in the novel,  in the alternative human story Gita is actually brutatly attacked and eventaully decapitated by the Cook. (6) (Chapters 42-56).

 

 4) Richard Parker- the Tiger: This character all depends on which of Pi’s stories you believe. Richard Parker is either a real tiger or he’s simply a very developed figment of Pi’s imagination, which is potentially mirroring himself. In either story, with animals or with humans it is still important to analyze these four characters side by side to attain more insight and information on the story occuring. Therefore, it is important to at least entertain the possibility that Richard Parker is nothing more than an figure of Pi's imaginative, or simply an extention of himself. (6)