Author Nancy Wynne Newhall once wrote "The wilderness contains answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask." For humans, nature can be easily manipulated and overwhelmed, but it cannot be easily destroyed permanently. In Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Pi becomes convinced that he has altered the bestial nature of his tiger companion, Richard Parker, however, he fails to realize that this is a misunderstanding until some events with Richard Parker which ultimately reveal that the wild nature within wild animals cannot be tamed. To overcome his constant fear of Richard Parker, Pi devises a system in an attempt to tame the savage beast. Pi realizes that it is important to keep the tiger around, but is frightened by its presence and its killer instinct. His solution to the problem at hand is to “tame [Richard Parker]…not [want] him to die” (Martel 164). After much work, Pi finally believes he has connected enough with Richard Parker to understand his role in their relationship. A key method that Pi uses to train the tiger is to "blow into [his] whistle at full blast... shattering the animal's ears with piercing blows" (Martel 204-5). Pi tortures the animal to behave in a more civilized manner. He believes he has the ability to tame Richard Parker. Gregory Stephens points out that when humans “cannot completely dominate them, then they confine animals to controlled spaces to give us the illusion of control: zoos or nature reserves,” which is true because humans feel threatened without control over animal. Out of fear and pain, Richard Parker temporarily acts out and becomes less of a threat for the time being. What Pi fails to recognize is that the effect he has on Richard Parker is only situational. He believes that after practicing this routine some ti...... middle of paper...... wild animal that feels indifference to Pi and instinctively returns to the wild. The author concludes their relationship in such a way as to convey the theme that wild animals are not meant to be tamed and, therefore, can never successfully rid themselves of their wild instincts. Animals and humans possess the ability to form bonds with each other. Although wild animals and humans are capable of establishing mutual tolerance, the idea of ​​riding an animal based on its instincts is impossible. Pi creates his own superiority in his mind by thinking that he has tamed Richard Parker, but his illusion is shattered after his emotional experiences with him. Therefore, Pi is actually unable to tame a wild animal because wild animals are not meant to be tamed by natural instinct. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.