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Throughout Life of Pi, Martel uses math to develop the theme that one must understand the relationship and balance between polar opposites to truly live their life.

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The author first realizes Pi's need for balance between science and religion.

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The author first realizes Pi's need for balance between science and religion.

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“I pause. What of God’s silence? I think it over. I add: An intellect confounded yet a trusting sense of presence and of ultimate purpose” (63).

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Pi brings together two opposites of science and religion who develop a relationship of respect for each other.

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Pi brings together two opposites of science and religion who develop a relationship of respect for each other.

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“Mr. Kumar said, ‘Equus burchelli boehmi.’ Mr. Kumar said, ‘Allahu akbar.’ I said, ‘It’s very pretty.’ We looked on”(84).

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This is the first instance where Pi starts losing his grip on reason.

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This is the first instance where Pi starts losing his grip on reason.

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“‘In a few seconds you’ll be aboard and we’ll be together. Wait a second. Together? We’ll be together. Have I gone mad?’ I woke up to what I was doing. I yanked on the rope”(99).

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Pi is forced to allow his animals instincts to take complete control of his body.

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Pi is forced to allow his animals instincts to take complete control of his body.

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“Tears flowing down my cheeks, I egged myself on until I heard a cracking sound and I no longer felt any life fighting in my hands … I wept heartily over this poor little deceased soul” (183).

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Pi realizes that he must hold on to the little happiness he can find in a sea of desperation.

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Pi realizes that he must hold on to the little happiness he can find in a sea of desperation.

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"You reach a point where you’re at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and you feel you’re the luckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish” (217).

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Pi is forced to resort to cannibalism to survive, losing sight of his manners and human beliefs.

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Pi is forced to resort to cannibalism to survive, losing sight of his manners and human beliefs.

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"I will further confess that, driven by the extremity of my need and the madness to which it pushed me, I ate some of his flesh" (256).

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Richard Parker is the only thing in the lifeboat that helps Pi keep his balance between compassion and survival.

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Richard Parker is the only thing in the lifeboat that helps Pi keep his balance between compassion and survival.

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"It’s the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story" (164).

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The discovery of the tooth causes Pi to reconsider his balance of reality and fantasy, leading him to eventually find main land and truly live his life.

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The discovery of the tooth causes Pi to reconsider his balance of reality and fantasy, leading him to eventually find main land and truly live his life.

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"It had been many weeks now–I couldn’t say how many exactly–and they would stretch on. I was certain about that.
How wrong I was. If that fruit had a seed, it was the seed of my departure" (280).

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Pi uses parts of both stories and finds a perfect balance between the two to move forward and enjoy life.

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Pi uses parts of both stories and finds a perfect balance between the two to move forward and enjoy life.

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“'So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?'” (317).

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When Pi's journey is finished, he uses his experiences to maintain perfect balance and live his life the way he wants.

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When Pi's journey is finished, he uses his experiences to maintain perfect balance and live his life the way he wants.

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“At each number he softly presses the tip of her nose with his index finger. She finds this terribly funny. She giggles and buries her face in the crook of his neck. This story has a happy ending” (93).

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Near the end of Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi reveals to the Japanese investigators that there are two versions of his story: one contains the compassion and bond with a (thought to be) dangerous animal while the other displays ideas of human evil and cannibalism. Both stories include his fight for survival but are demonstrated in different ways. In the animal story, Pi keeps Richard Parker alive because Richard Parker is the one that keeps him motivated and alert. Being alone with the Bengal tiger teaches him how to show love and care for someone else. In the human version, Pi experiences incredible anger towards the inhumane cook. Inevitably, he becomes unable to coexist with the cook and kills him. In this instance, Pi realizes that extreme circumstances cause him to hurt others for his own survival. Directed towards the reader, the investigators, and himself, Pi asks, "'Since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer?'" (317). Even without an answer, Pi realizes that both are true to him. He takes ideas from both stories–his care he learned with Richard Parker and his selfish capacity to harm others–to continue forward and have a meaningful life. This balance of right vs wrong and kindness vs selfishness represents the two pi radians in a circle or the opposite sides of a yin yang circle: polar opposites are closely related and must be kept in perfect balance for the system to have meaning as a whole.