Mr. Parker

Life of Pi, logically, would be considered magical realism. It just seems too impossible for a boy to survive alone in the middle of the ocean with a tiger. There are people who work with animals all their lives and are professionals who still get hurt by their animals. Pi actually training Parker is very surprising. If the story were true, Parker would probably have killed Pi for being a pain in the butt with the whistle. In the end of the book, Pi says Parker disappeared into the jungle. There was no proof that Parker was on the boat with Pi. He could have been delusional and imagined the whole thing. Parker just symbolized the fighting spirit of Pi and the animal instincts that kept him alive in the ocean. Martel's purpose is to get people to become open minded towards others and create meaning for their lives. I think Parker was a way to give meaning to Pi who's life had lost all meaning.