Joe and Pi would have not lived without their will to survive, whether it was being lost in the Pacific ocean on a boat or a disastrous and nearly fatal climb of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Surviving takes logical thinking to where at some time you’ll realize it’s very hard to make it out. They were able to know their survival strategies, because without their survival knowledge Pi and Joe wouldn’t of made it out alive.
In laurence Gonzales’ chapter in Deep survival “who lives, who dies, and why,” Pi and Joe used a survival strategy that helped them throughout their quest, “he looked at himself, took responsibility, made a plan”(Page 173). In life of Pi, pi and his family were on a ship, and when Pi Was sleeping, the whole ship started to go down and his family died. He was the only one who made it out alive, and when he woke up he woke up in a boat where at first thought he was alone, but then saw there was a zebra, hyena, orange juice and under the cover the tiger, Richard Parker.
Pi the. Started to make a plan in the need to survive and make it out of the pacific. He read the guidebook that had all the materials on the boat and he used all materials to make and have survival needs to make it through. In the documentary,touching the void, Joe compares to Pi in using this survival strategy. Joe is climbing and once he falls into the crevasse, he wakes up scared and panicked. He begins to scream and yell because he feels like he is a dead man and won’t make out to Simon.
Joe begins to gather his thoughts and with a messed up knee he used all his equipment to help him make it out and to Simon where he days later he was at the base camp already thinking Joe was dead. Having, “positive mental attitude,” (pg 177) was another key survival strategy Joe and Pi used to make it out alive. Pi at first is terrified when he saw Richard Parker on the boat. He thought he would die, and most of the time Pi spent time outside the boat on his other little raft he made himself.
Pi began to gain confidence, and would use his religious thoughts. He never gave up, like everyday on that boat he always had something to do. Whether it was for himself or for Richard Parker. Pi didn’t let anything or anyone bring him down. God was his guidance through his survival voyage. Joe gains positive mental attitude when he made it out of the crevasse and saw Simon was no where near and told himself he has to make it to the base camp before they leave in a couple of days. Joe was making it through everything with a messed up knee.
It didn’t stop him from making it, he kept going knowing he’ll make it to them with the condition he was in. In any survival situation, “survivors must live”(pg 175). Pi throughout his voyage, just didn’t let anything kill him. Like when the storm in the ocean occurred, pi kept telling god if that’s all he gots for him. Pi wasn’t scared of anything, he stood up for himself and day by day he survived, and eventually it guided him to land where he was found. After everything that happened, joe kept going through the Siula Grande.
He didn’t give up and knew that he would make his destination. There was very cold nights and joe didn’t have anything, but all his gear to keep him warm. Day after day joe kept surviving. There were days where he couldn’t eat anything but snow to keep him hydrated. When there was no water and he found not so clean water he still would drink it. He was exhausted, and with a messed up knee he wrapped with his mat to have support, he made it to the base camp where simon was located. Pi made it out alive because he had his own strategies to keep him alive.
Pi was a very religious human being, as Gonzales said, “faith is very important thing in your will to survive”(pg 180). Pi prayed a minimum four times a day to god. This ritual keeps his connection to his religion, as well as keeps his hopes of being saved alive. This is what provides him with the motivation and the will power to press on each day. Pi says, “They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love-but sometimes it was so hard to love. Pi admits that it was hard to put his trust in God when it seemed like He wasn’t listening, but he continues praying and practising religious rituals.
Pi also believed,” helping someone else is the best way to ensure your own survival,”(pg 180) according to one of Gonzales survival strategies. Pi was on the boat with Richard Parker the whole time, and Pi knew who he was from the zoo, but when he confronted him Pi was scared and frightened because he thought he would get killed. As time went by, Pi began to realize that he couldn’t leave Richard Parker behind.
Pi began to do all these things for Richard, he kept him healthy with his daily meals fishing for his meals daily. Pi also kept Richard hydrated, and made sure he was happy because if Richard Parker wasn’t happy, Pi believed Richard would eat him, which means sustaining the supply of food and water. In touching the void, Joe had to survive on his own after simon left him. one of Gonzales strategies said, “but expecting someone else to take responsibility for your well being can fatal “(pg 173). Joe at first had Simon to guide themselves to get through Siula Grande.
Once Joe fell into the crevasse, he knew the moment he got up he was a bit screwed. He thought Simon was going to come find, but Simon lost hope and thought there was nothing else to do but leave and get to base camp. Joe was on his own, and he was thinking to himself he wouldn’t make it with that broken leg. Joe had to be prepared to survive on his own because what if Simon died during the climb? he can’t just give up. Joe has to be able to keep his head up high and continue what they started. Relying on someone else is not so smart of a choice.
Joe went on having confidence on himself, using his own resources to survive, just like Gonzales said, ” The trick to become extremely stingy with your scarce resources, balancing risk and reward, investing only in efforts that offer the biggest return” (pg 179). Joe used all his resources he had to make it to base camp. When joe had his plan to make it to Simon, he wrapped his broken right leg with the yellow matt he had on his backpack. Joe had to hop five miles to base camp and with no food or water for three days it was hard to keep the body hydrated and have energy.
When Joe was hungry all he had to eat was snow, and the snow also was a way to keep his body a bit hydrated. At some point Joe heard water and he started to move rocks and saw the water. The water wasn’t so clean, but it helped Joe and gave him energy to move on and hours later Joe made it to base camp, just in time before Simon decided to leave. Joe resources helped him and in the end he got what he deserved and stayed alive. Pi and Jo Simpson, were able to know their survival strategies, because without their survival knowledge Pi and Joe wouldn’t of made it out alive.
Pi and Joe survived The Pacific Ocean and the Siula Grande, in the Peruvian Andes. They had their own ways to reach what they wanted to reach, and also had similar ways to survive even though they both had a different environment to go through. Being able to make it out alive whether it’s with someone or alone takes courage. There’ll be obstacles that may be hard to face, but that’s why Pi and Joe always had to fight through them and never gave up. Always have to have a positive state of mind because in the end like Pi and Joe, they’ll make it out alive and have a story to tell for everyone to know their experience.