A quick glance at Life of Pi and a reader might take away the idea that it is an easy read and an imaginative novel, but take a Freudian view of the work and turns into a representation of the human psyche. Martel's novel takes the reader on a journey with Pi as he fights for his survival. Pi experiences a breakdown of every component that constitutes one's personality according to Freud throughout the novel. One after another, the id, ego, and superego both express a huge factor in Pi's choices and emotions throughout his story. Readers are also presented with an alternate ending to choose from. This alternate ending plays a key role in understanding how to view the novel through Freudian lenses. Freud's theory of psychoanalysis clarifies many disturbing questions raised in the novel Life of Pi. Martel's novel is about the journey of a young man forced to test his limits to survive the unthinkable situation of being lost at sea alongside an adult Bengal tiger. Life of Pi begins by introducing an anonymous author looking for his next great story and turns to a man named Piscine Molitor Patel who supposedly has a story worth hearing. Patel begins his story by talking about his childhood and the major events that shaped him, such as his family's zoo, the constant curiosity about religion he sought as a boy, and even how he got the nickname Pi. Mr Patel goes on to explain how his father chartered a Japanese ship to transport his family, along with some zoo animals, from India to Canada to avoid political upheaval. During the voyage the ship began to sink and Pi was the only one who managed to get into the lifeboat and survive the shipwreck. The disaster left Pi along with some paper... as it has a connection to Freud's idea of ​​psychoanalysis. When Pi reveals an alternate history to the events that brought him to the Mexican beach, his story comes to a halt. The reader must decide for himself which story to believe. Looking at both stories it is easy to match connections on the characters that are switched. It also makes it very clear that Richard Parker could have been a disguised idea of ​​Pi's real identity, the reason for his survival. Meanwhile Pi defended his ego and somehow managed to respond to both his id and super ego. At the end of the novel the readers come to the conclusion that Mr. Patel comes full circle and takes with him all three aspects, the id, the ego and the super ego, and is once again a functioning member of society. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.