Pi organizes the boat: he builds a raft to stay off the tiger's territory, uses the whistle and seasickness to establish dominance, and learns to catch fish and collect rainwater. Routine, faith, and the need to care for Richard Parker keep him from giving up.
Pi reads the survival manual and uses the whistle. When Richard Parker is seasick, Pi asserts himself so the tiger associates the human with dominance. He feeds the tiger to keep him alive but not so well that he gets strong enough to attack. It is a fragile balanceābut it holds.
"I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me. It was a question of us. We would liveāor we would dieātogether." ā Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Pi keeps a schedule: prayers, fishing, tending the solar stills, feeding Richard Parker. He talks to the tiger; he writes in his mind. Faith does not remove sufferingābut it gives him a structure. "God is with me," he says, even in the worst moments. The story he tells himself is part of his survival.
Survival depends on practical skillābut also on meaning. Routine and belief give Pi a reason to get through each day. Without a story, the ordeal would be unbearable.