Throughout the centuries authors have dedicated themselves to trying to find a literary formula that will transport readers to another dimension and make them completely absorbed in the world that they created. Within this world, through trials and triumphs, pain and success, adversity and achievement, a story unfolds. Symbols and images are carefully woven into the text to enrich themes that the author believes will enlighten his audience. Yann Martel makes a memorable contribution to this group of authors in his novel Life of Pi. Martel uses highly descriptive imagery such as scenes on the lifeboat, cannibal island, and Pi's house paired with great symbolism through the animals portrayed in the novel, the color orange, and even Pi's name itself to support themes of fear, anthropomorphism, suffering, survival, hope and vulnerability. Yann Martel uses a hyena as a symbol of evil and violence to support themes of fear and survival. The hyena is described by Pi as "ugly beyond redemption" (145) and has a personality that parallels its appearance. A hyena is as likely to eat its own kind as another animal when hunger strikes: "Hyenas attack in packs any animal that can be killed" (145). With this knowledge of the hyenas, Pi's fear for his own survival grows (147). Martel describes hyenas as brutal, reckless and purely animalistic, giving them none of the human qualities which he displays on behalf of other animals in the text, effectively demonstrating that this is an animal to be feared. While both Pi and the zebra fear for their lives, the hyena does whatever it takes to survive, bringing these two essential themes to light in Life of Pi. In contrast, Yann Martel uses a zebra to illustrate the beauty, vulnerable..... .middle of paper ......full in using a plethora of symbols and images to support the main themes of his novel Life of Pi . By using animals, locations, colors, and choice of names to not only serve as symbols in the novel, but also to create colorful imagery of the themes, Martel is able to effectively convey the themes of fear, anthropomorphism, suffering, survival, of hope and vulnerability. . Martel is able to weave symbols together to create powerful images such as the scene on the lifeboat with the hyena eating the zebra, the symbols evoked by the color orange, the scene on the cannibal island, and Pi's name itself. Yann Martel proves himself to be an extraordinary author and storyteller. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Canada: Random House of Canada, 2001 Dickinson, Emily. "After great pain comes a formal feeling." Unknown. 1890 Hopkins, Gerard. “The greatness of God”. Unknown. 1877