VEGETARIAN → OMNIVORE

In the most desperate situations individuals will find themselves changing their values and basic lifestyle. For instance - to fulfill his hunger needs while a castaway, the protagonist of this novel abandons his lifelong vegetarianism and embarks on a new path as an omnivore. Pi Patel has found himself in a situation he has never dreamt of before - unfortunately the absence of nutritious food has led him to feed himself with the animals he captures at sea: “ I took a knife and skinned it instead… I ate the bird’s heart, liver, lungs. I swallowed its eyes and tongue with a gulp of water” (Martel, 257). This is a choice he is forced to make to ensure his survival or else he would starve and eventually reach an undeserving death. He rebelled and began to eat meat on a regular basis… soon enough he became accustomed to this drastic change. Ultimately for survival he deserted his vegetarian lifestyle to feed himself with the flesh of the animals that surrounded him.