When stuck in a dangerous situation, people usually only have two choices; give up, or buck up and do something about the condition. If someone has will power and a positive mind, they can conquer any difficulties and use their wits to get out of the situation. Many a times, one would believe that a person would give up if they are being discouraged nonstop for a long period of time. However, for some people this is not the truth, and nothing can stop them from reaching their goal. This holds true for both characters, Pi and Papillon in the novels, Life of Pi by Yann Martel and Papillon by Henri Charriere. Pi and Papillon both portray strong survival skills no matter how bad their situation is. And even after both of their situations continued to worsen as the novels continued, they both show a strong will to keep on living. Both characters after being put through life threatening situations, found ways to survive and showed a strong will to live through a series of actions.
Throughout both novels, Pi and Papillon reveal strong survival skills that helps them survive as the novel proceeds. In Pi’s situation, he is stuck in a life boat with a tiger, and to ensure his safety he creates a barrier to distance himself from the As he talks to himself he thinks of a plan. He says to himself, “I built a raft. The oars if you remember floated. And I had life jackets and a sturdy lifebuoy. (Martel, 164) Pi uses quick thinking, and creates a raft using the materials he had around him. Although it is a crude representation of a raft, its effectiveness allowed Pi to put a distance between him and danger, in this case, a tiger. As the story unfolds, obstacles for Pi are beginning to thin out, but there is always one problem while one is stranded out at sea in isolation. Boredom is always a very big issue during the seclusion; it could drive a person mad if it was kept up day after day. But Pi found a way to keep himself busy by making a small toy to amuse him. He explained...