In Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, Pi Patel also uses his faith in God as a vital mechanism to survive in the vast Pacific Ocean. His faith in God proves to be a crucial part in Pi's survival as it guides him through his ordeal. Pi, a religious individual, uses his knowledge of religion to cope with being stranded alone on a lifeboat with no other signs of human life. Therefore, Pi uses his faith in God to gain the strength and willpower to survive, for companionship, and to seek important answers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Pi Patel uses his special faith in God to gain the strength and willpower needed to survive independently in the vast Pacific Ocean. For example, when Pi finds himself stranded alone in the boundless ocean with no significant help at hand, he turns to a being far more powerful and resourceful than himself to deal with the situation. When Pi creates an ordered list of things available to him for survival purposes, such as the 12 solar stills, 1 survival manual, and 1 signal mirror, he includes "1 God" (Martel 145-146) in this list. The addition of the term “1 God” to a list of survival essentials present with Pi throughout his journey clearly shows that Pi finds it necessary to have God with him at all times to survive. Like the other items on the list that keeps Pi alive throughout his ordeal, God also keeps Pi alive by giving him the continuous supply of strength and willpower to carry on. Furthermore, Pi says, “Even when it seemed that God had abandoned me, He was watching. Even when he seemed indifferent to my suffering, he continued to watch. And when I had already lost all hope of saving myself, he gave me rest. Then he gave me a sign to continue my journey” (Martel 184). This proves the fact that God was always present in Pi's heart and mind throughout his journey. Pi uses God's presence to gain physical and mental strength, as well as the willpower to continue on his horrific journey. In Pi's mind, not only was God present with him, but God also saved his life by giving Pi inner peace and direction to continue his journey. When Pi was at his breaking point, God gave him the strength and willpower to continue surviving. Furthermore, Pi says, “The conscious practice of religion slowly brought me back to life” (Martel 3). Pi explains how his constant but careful religious practice slowly revived him during his time at sea. While at sea, Pi still performed religious rituals essential to Pi's survival as he gained the confidence and strength to continue. Pi also states that “Religion will save us” (Martel 27). Pi emphasizes the fact that religion will ultimately be the deciding factor between life and death. Without his firm faith in God, Pi would not have acquired the willpower necessary to prevent him from meeting his demise at sea. Research suggests that 43% of US citizens use prayer for health issues (Wachholtz and Sambamoorthi 69). These people used the power of prayer to gain the strength and willpower needed to regain health. Therefore, Pi's strong faith in God has given him a strong will to survive as he prays during his ordeal to gain strength because he believes that God is with him. Secondly, Pi uses his faith in God as a form of companionship during his 227 days in God's Pacific Ocean. When Pi is left surrounded only by endless water, he seeks company to survive as the, 2011.