Yann Martel, in his novel The Life of Pi (2001), maintains that fear is the only enemy of life because it paralyzes the body and inhibits its ability to act. defend yourself. The action of Martel's novel takes place in 1977 in the middle of the ocean, where Pi Patel is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for 227 days before being rescued. The purpose of writing Life of Pi was to put one man's incredible journey on paper to imply that hope, trust, and faith will give someone the will to live. The fear against life throughout the novel is analyzed through archetypal, psychological, Marxist, and deconstruction lenses. Pi Patel's parents are afraid of water, which is ironic because he is named after a swimming pool. His full name, Piscine Molitor Patel, was given to him by his uncle who is a fantastic swimmer. Pi was the first in his family to learn to swim at the age of seven. Pi grows up and becomes very religiously curious and adopts several faiths, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. “'It seems to attract religions like a dog attracts fleas,' he continued. "I don't understand. We are a modern Indian family” (p. 74) This quote is said by his father about Pi's many religious beliefs, as if they are a bad thing or as if religion in general is outdated. Her many beliefs represent passion and openness and a way of letting one's purity shine through. The swimming pool is a body of water that symbolically represents life, rebirth and baptism in the religious sense. A reader may imply that Pi's family is not religious, but it is unclear whether they are atheists. Pi thinks that being agnostic, not knowing whether God exists or not, is worse than being religious or atheist, because when you are agnostic... middle of paper... you risk death by drowning. This also manifests itself through the psychological prism and in the confrontation between the id and the ego. If we are afraid to follow our instincts and always follow society's expectations, we will find ourselves in danger. You must always follow your survival instinct. Fear leading to death is also shown through the Marxist prism and the taming of Richard Parker. If one is in complete control of the situation and is not afraid, one will survive. Finally, this concept is shown through the lens of deconstruction and its transformation through a reverse hero's journey. If someone who is impeccable finds themselves stuck in a situation like Pi's, they can't be afraid to revert to old, primitive practices like hunting and gathering. If one is afraid to do it in such a situation, one will not live. It is fear against life in the Life of Pi. Works cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.