1
MA Graduate of English Literature, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Vali-asr-University of Rafsanjan, Iran
10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
Abstract
Background: This study examines survival, collective action, and political life in Life of Pi through the lens of Hannah Arendt’s theory of the public and private spheres. While the existing scholarship explores the religious and philosophical themes of the novel, its political dimensions remain underexamined. This paper argues that Life of Pi reframes survival as a structured political and ethical process rather than a solitary struggle. Arendt’s framework provides a foundation for understanding how the protagonist’s experience moves beyond mere endurance to engage with collective and political realities. Building on this, the discussion will incorporate Jacques Derrida’s concept of limitrophy, alongside other thinkers, to further analyze the nuanced portrayal of political life in the novel at the boundaries of human experience. Methodology: Using a qualitative, interpretive approach, the study conducts a close reading of Life of Pi, tracing Pi’s survival from instinct-driven struggle to structured coexistence with Richard Parker. It examines how interspecies interactions complicate conventional political subjectivity, challenging the human-animal divide. Findings: Pi’s survival is not an individualistic endeavor but a negotiated process of structured engagement. His relationship with Richard Parker challenges hierarchical survival narratives, demonstrating that necessity and coexistence can generate political and ethical meaning. Derrida and Haraway reveal how interspecies relations sustain collective agency, while Levinas frames Pi’s survival as an ethical negotiation with the Other. Conclusion: Life of Pi redefines survival as a politically and ethically charged process, where human-animal relationality structures collective existence. The novel challenges the assumption that survival precludes political action, demonstrating that necessity and cooperation, even across species, can sustain political engagement.
Shafigh, A. and Faghfori, S. (2025). Reframing Survival: Collective Action and Ethical Engagement in Life of Pi. Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching, 2(1), 36-45. doi: 10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
MLA
Shafigh, A. , and Faghfori, S. . "Reframing Survival: Collective Action and Ethical Engagement in Life of Pi", Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching, 2, 1, 2025, 36-45. doi: 10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
HARVARD
Shafigh, A., Faghfori, S. (2025). 'Reframing Survival: Collective Action and Ethical Engagement in Life of Pi', Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching, 2(1), pp. 36-45. doi: 10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
CHICAGO
A. Shafigh and S. Faghfori, "Reframing Survival: Collective Action and Ethical Engagement in Life of Pi," Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching, 2 1 (2025): 36-45, doi: 10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
VANCOUVER
Shafigh, A., Faghfori, S. Reframing Survival: Collective Action and Ethical Engagement in Life of Pi. Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching, 2025; 2(1): 36-45. doi: 10.22034/jsllt.2025.22980.1073
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