The genius of Pi's life lies in the fact that it can be translated in completely opposite ways. While some people might read it and find it genuinely religious, almost like watching Pi have a religious epiphany, others might read Pi's story and think of it as a more realistic type of story. However, there is one universal idea that the story repeats to all readers and that is to think and use logistics. Through Pi, the author wants to show how rewarding having a little brain power can be in any situation. The novel Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, describes how reason helps the main character, Pi, survive the worst of struggles. Pi is the only survivor of a shipwreck and stays with a Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, on a lifeboat for 227 days. Reason is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form practical and logical ideas, and Pi's reasoning plays an important role, compared to his faith, in his ability to survive. Pi's limits are discovered by reason when he begins to eat meat. With his religious tendencies and faith he only goes so far, until reason comes to the rescue. Pi also seems to use reasonable thinking when he is in a difficult situation, to better both him and Richard Parker. Reasonable thinking comes into play when he decides to think like an animal, with the struggle for superiority and the right to be called the alpha male. This is how he truly tamed the beast that was Richard Parker. These three main points directly explain why reason plays a life-and-death role in this book. When Pi finds himself in this difficult situation, the first two days on the boat with Richard Parker are terrible according to his description. “Could Richard Parker break through the tarpaulin? Fear and reason competed for the an...... middle of paper ......finding a fatal flaw in the so-called paradise. Reasoning led him to the conclusion that he would "rather depart and die in search of my fellow man than live a half-lonely life of physical comfort and spiritual death" (Martel 313) Simply put, reason is very important in helping Pi to survive. The reality of reason helps people think rationally whenever they are in trouble. Besides that, the limit of Pi is discovered and revealed with the help of reason. Pi is willing to do anything that will help him survive, including those things he was unable to do in the past. Beyond that, reason also helps Pi make correct judgments and decisions that enable him to survive. In the process of survival, reason plays a more important role than faith. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.