There comes a time in life when you are stuck in a hiccup and you have to do whatever it takes to overcome the obstacles. In The Life of Pi, Pi goes through many obstacles and must test all five levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs in order to survive. Maslow's hierarchy of needs consists of five levels such as: physiological, safety, love, self-esteem and self-actualization. Does Pi have what it takes to overcome these obstacles using the five levels of hierarchy? The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, tells the story of a survivor on a lifeboat with a dead zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger he names Richard Parker. for 226 days on a boat stranded in the middle of nowhere. Pi grew up as a Hindu, but as he gets older, he begins to learn about Christianity and Islam. When all the religion teachers meet his parents, they want to know what religion he chooses. Pi couldn't choose one but choose all religions. His love for his beliefs partly helps him survive even if he has to break some rules to survive. While Richard Parker and Pi were sailing along the ocean, they encountered a blind man floating in the ocean. When he tries to help him board the boat, Richard Parker eats him and saves Pi because the blind man had different intentions when boarding the boat. While still floating, they come across an island with seaweed that helps Pi and Richard Parkers regain their strength by eating the island's meerkats. When Pi notices the tooth in the seaweed, Pi decides to leave the island and continue the journey to safety. Eventually they arrive in Mexico where he finds two men and Pi begins to tell them the story of the journey to survival but none of the men believe what Pi says and changes the...... middle of paper ... ...d to Pi. Pi is still Hindu, Muslim and Christian. Being on that lifeboat gave him purpose and meaning in life. Overall, in Life of Pi, there must be sacrifices to reach the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. To grow as a person, you have experienced things you thought you would never do. Everyone has a certain duty and would do anything to remain faithful to that duty. During Pi's journey, he discovers fish for the first time, kills for the first time, and finds a friend no one could match named Richard Parker, but in the end he still considers himself a Hindu, a Muslim, and Christian. . Pi has adapted to his environment to stay alive, but he will remain faithful to his religion no matter how many times he has to break his oath to that religion. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.