The Story of Keesh and the Life of Pi

In a short story named “The Story of Keesh” and a novel excerpt named “The Life of Pi” both authors,
Jack London and Yann Martel, develop certain qualities in characters who find the strength in
themselves to want to survive when in extreme situations. Both Keesh and Pi obtain three traits that
help them survive in these extreme environments such as bravery, intelligence and strategic plans.
First, an example in which Keesh uses bravery in “The Story of Keesh” shown when Keesh stated
“Bok, my father, was a great hunter. I, too, his son, shall go and hunt the meat that I eat.” This
showed a sign of bravery because it was known that Bok died from hunting a polar bear knowing Bok
was one of the strongest and most superior hunters. Therefore, although knowing that one of the
greatest hunters died from hunting, Keesh was brave enough to hunt at only thirteen years of age.
However, the character Pi in “The Life of Pi” was brave as explained through the quote “And so I
pushed aside all thoughts of Richard Parker and fearlessly went exploring for fresh water.” This
explains how Pi no longer feared the tiger, Richard Parker.

At that moment he was only determined to find water even if he had to risk being seen or eaten by the
tiger to move around the boat. This was important in order for Pi to survive because Pi needed water
to live considering he was slowly reaching his death. Second, it was proven that the character Pi from
“The Life of Pi” was very intelligent surviving on a boat with a tiger. This was shown through the quote
“the whole package disappeared in a few minutes, wrapping paper flying away in the wind. I
considered opening another carton, but I thought better.” This quote explains how Pi finally found food
on the boat but he was smart enough to save the rest of the food for later when he was further
hungrier to receive more energy for survival. Instead, Pi could’ve devoured it all in one moment but he
chose not to. “The Story of Keesh” is similar because the quote, “Bok, my father, was a great hunter. I
too, his son shall go hunt the meat that I eat” also shows how Keesh was intelligent enough to realize
that he wasn’t going to let his mother and him live off of the poor meat that to council gives them.

Therefore, he will go out and hunt his own. This was intelligent to his survival because Keesh and
Ikeega wouldn’t be able to survive off of the small portions of meat they were receiving. The last
comparison which Pi from “The Story of Keesh” shows is that they are both strategic. In “The Life of
Pi’ is stated, “don’t I have here a perfect circus ring, inescapably round, without a single corner for him
to hide in? I looked down at the sea. Wasn’t this an ideal source of threats with which I condition him
to obey? I noticed a whistle hanging from one of the life jackets. Wouldn’t this make a good whip to
keep him in line?” This explains how Pi has a strategy in which he will use several utilities to tame
Richard Parker, the tiger, in order to survive with him on the boat. He would use the whistle to control
his actions, the boat was round therefore the tiger couldn’t hide, and the sharks in the ocean would be
a great threat enough to scare Richard Parker.

On the other hand, Keesh was strategic by using blubber balls to hunt. He explains what it does and
how to make it by stating, “One takes a small chunk of blubber, thus, and thus makes it hollow. Then
into the hollow goes the whalebone. After that it is put outside where it freezes into a little round ball.
The bear swallows the round ball, the blubber melts, the whalebone with its sharp ends stands out
straight, the bear gets sick, and when the bear is very sick, why, you kill him with a spear.” This
shows how Keesh develops a strategy in which a whalebone is placed in blubber and frozen. Then
the predator eats it, the blubber ball unfreezes, the predator gets sick, and you kill it. This blubber ball
invention was crucial to the survival of Keesh because the blubber balls helped Keesh hunt therefore
without this, Keesh might’ve been killed in the process of hunting.

In conclusion, Keesh in “The Story of Keesh” and Pi in “The Life of Pi” are brave, intelligent and
strategic which helps them survive in extreme environments. Keesh is brave by going hunting despise
the dangers while Pi risked his life with a tiger named, Richard Parker by trying to search for water.
Keesh was intelligent because he decided to hunt his own meat rather than depending on others
while Pi decided to save food for himself for when he was hungrier later on instead of eating it all at
once. Last, Keesh was strategic by inventing blubber balls which killed predators while Pi developed
ways to tame the tiger, Richard Parker, in order to survive.

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