Discussion Topic
The symbolism of the hyena in "Life of Pi."
Summary:
In "Life of Pi," the hyena symbolizes savagery and the primal instinct for survival. It represents the darker side of human nature that emerges in desperate situations, reflecting the brutality and moral decay that can occur when life is at stake.
What does the hyena symbolize about human nature in Life of Pi?
The hyena represents the selfish survival instinct that many human beings no doubt feel when they are stranded and the odds of survival seem dubious. Many times, the Hyena is portrayed as the most vicious and dangerous animal aboard the boat, even in the presence of the hulking Richard Parker. The hyena makes quick work of the zebra and the orangutan, eating them as soon as it is hungry enough to do so. Eventually, the hyena is killed by the emerging Richard Parker, who has a true strength that bests the hyena's vicious savagery.
As we learn in the second, much briefer story, the hyena was a representation of a cook that was stranded on the boat with Pi. Completely against working together, the cook was from the start insistent that the party eat the wounded sailor, who was represented by the zebra. The hyena, in this sense, represents a common survival-genre character trope. He is a brutal savage masquerading in the guise of a realist, insisting that the "zebra" is as good as dead anyway and the rest should eat him to survive. This savage rolls over everything in his way until Pi finally finds the courage to do what he must and kill him—or, put metaphorically, Richard Parker emerges.
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