Author Nancy Wynne Newhall once wrote: “Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to pose. » For humans, nature can be easily manipulated and invaded, but it is not easily destroyed permanently. In The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi convinces himself that he has changed the bestial nature of his tiger companion, Richard Parker. However, he does not realize this as a misconception until certain events with Richard Parker finally reveal that the wildness within wild animals cannot be tamed. To overcome his constant fear of Richard Parker, Pi designs a system to try to tame the wild beast. Pi realizes that it is important to keep the tiger, but he is frightened by its presence and its killer instinct. His solution to the current problem is “to tame [Richard Parker]…without [wanting] him to die” (Martel 164). After a lot of work, Pi finally believes he has enough connection with Richard Parker to understand his role in their relationship. A key method Pi uses to train the tiger is to "whistle loudly...breaking the animal's ears with piercing blows" (Martel 204-5). Pi tortures the animal to make it behave more civilized. He believes he has the ability to tame Richard Parker. Gregory Stephens points out that when humans "cannot fully control them, then we confine animals to controlled spaces to give ourselves the illusion of control: zoos or wildlife reserves", which is true because humans feel threatened without control over the animal. Out of fear and pain, Richard Parker temporarily behaves and becomes less threatening for the moment. What Pi doesn't realize is that the influence he has over Richard Parker is only situational. He thinks that after practicing this routine for a few moments ... middle of paper ... wild animal that feels indifferent to Pi and instinctively returns to nature. The author ends their relationship in a way that conveys the theme that wild animals are not meant to be tamed and, therefore, can never shed their wild instincts. Animals and humans possess the ability to bond with each other. Although wild animals and humans are capable of establishing tolerance towards each other, the idea of ​​riding an animal completely relying on its instincts is impossible. Pi creates his own superiority in his mind by thinking he has tamed Richard Parker, but his illusion is shattered after emotional experiences with him. Therefore, Pi is unable to tame a wild animal in reality because wild animals are not meant to be tamed by natural instinct. Works cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.