A quick glance at The Life of Pi and a reader can forget the idea that it is an easy to read novel and full of imagination, but take a Freudian view of the work. and it transforms into a representation of the human psyche. Martel's novel takes the reader on a journey with Pi as he fights for his own survival. Pi experiences a breakdown of each element that constitutes his personality according to Freud throughout the novel. One by one, id, ego, and superego both express a huge factor in Pi's choices and emotions throughout his story. Readers are also introduced to an alternate ending to choose from. This alternate ending plays a key role in understanding how to view the novel through Freudian lenses. Freud's theory of psychoanalysis clarifies many troubling questions raised in the novel The Life of Pi. Martel's novel recounts the journey of a young man forced to test his limits in order to survive the unthinkable situation of being lost at sea alongside an adult Bengal tiger. Life of Pi begins by introducing an anonymous author in search of his next big story and moves towards a man named Piscine Molitor Patel who supposedly has a story worth hearing. Patel begins his story by talking about his childhood and the major events that shaped him, such as his family's zoo, the constant curiosity about religion that he sought as a young boy and also how he got his nickname of Pi. Mr. Patel continues to explain how his father hires a Japanese ship to transport his family, along with a number of their zoo animals, from India to Canada in order to avoid political upheaval. During the voyage, the ship began to sink and Pi was the only one who managed to get onto the lifeboat and survive the wreckage. The disaster left Pi with a fe...... middle of paper ...... how does this relate to Freud's idea of ​​psychoanalysis. When Pi reveals an alternate history of the events that took place that led him to the Mexican beach, his story ends. The reader must decide for themselves which story they want to believe. When looking at both stories, it's easy to match up the connections between the swapped characters. This also makes it very clear that Richard Parker could have been a disguised idea of ​​Pi's real identity, the reason for his survival. Meanwhile, Pi represented his own ego and was to some extent successful in catering to both his identity and his superego. By the end of the novel, readers come to conclude that Mr. Patel has come full circle and carries all three aspects, the id, ego, and superego, and is once again a functioning member of society. Works Cited Martel, Yann. The Life of Pi. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.