I think a tiger was not the best companion that Pi could have on the lifeboat with him. Tigers are not domestic creatures, they are wild animals. Tigers were not bred to be tamed or trained, they are violent creatures who cannot control their actions. The director of the Bronx Zoo in Nee Stork City says: “No matter how tame a tiger may seem, it is not tame. Dogs and cats have been bred for thousands of years to coexist with humans. Tigers don't. They are wild animals. This explains why Pi had difficulty trying to train Richard Parker while he was on the lifeboat. In chapter 92 of "The Life of Pi", Pi tries to train Richard Parker by using Richard Parker's seasickness and also the sound of an orange whistle that Pi finds in the lifeboat against him. Pi uses both of these things to his advantage. To get the tiger to respect and obey him, Pi blew the whistle he had and also rocked the lifeboat. The tiger then begins to realize that the seasickness he feels is linked to the sound of the whistle. This means that Pi was seen as the dominant one. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay But even this can create tension between the "dominant" and the tiger. “People who perform with tigers constantly assert their dominance over the animals and this can create negative reactions. For this reason, Paquette says, it is surprising that Roy Horn and his partner Siegfried Fischbacher had never been attacked before. A tiger, especially if under stress, is a time bomb ready to explode." This is true because in chapter 92, when Pi and Richard Parker were on the algae-infested island, Richard Parker went full speed trying to attack Pi when he regained his strength. In chapter 92 it states: “It was Richard Parker and he was coming towards me at high speed. He seemed determined. His powerful neck rose above his lowered head. His coat and muscles trembled with every step. I could hear the drumming of his heavy body against the ground. It further states: “I fumbled with the whistle. When he was twenty-five feet from the lifeboat. I whistled with all my might. A piercing scream pierced the air." These animals develop this tension towards the "dominant" and this can cause dangerous attacks because tigers are not made to be tamed. Also, when Pi first tries to tame the tiger, he runs into trouble. He used turtle shells as shields when he tried to train the tiger, but this provoked Richard Parker and Richard Parker repeatedly threw him overboard the lifeboat. In chapter 72 it states: “Richard Parker has made his point to me four times. Four times he struck me with his right paw and sent me into the sea, and four times I lost my shield. I was terrified before, during and after each attack, and spent a lot of time shaking in fear on the raft.” He was provoked and threw Pi off the ship because he is not used to a dominant species because he is meant to be a wild animal which is why he wouldn't make a great mate because anything could happen. If Pi had not been protected by any shield, the animal could have attacked him and seriously injured him, probably even killed him. A better option as a companion for Pi instead of Richard Parker would have been a dog. I say this because dogs have been trained for thousands of years to be domesticated animals. In Lemonick, M. Never Trust A Tiger states: “Dogs and cats have been bred for thousands of years to live with human beings...