Despite the fact that Pi depends on Richard Parker, the tiger’s indifference to Pi as he leapt off the boat
without a glance towards Pi shows Pi’s inherent desire for companionship. To be a companion, two creatures
must connect to one another, need the other, and reciprocate the friendship. Alone on the ravaging sea and
under the debilitating sun, these two characters connected by necessity, not desire. They needed one another.
Pi fed Richard Parker and Richard Parker chose to respect this little master, chomping on flying fish instead of
a scrawny Indian boy. Richard Parker provided comfort for Pi as Pi knew he would still be on the boat when he
awoke and became his sole reason for fishing with fervency; if the tiger wasn’t fed, Pi knew he’d be the tiger’s
next dinner. But the one part that failed this seeming friendship is reciprocity. Richard Parker only appeared to
be a companion because he needed food, water, and a safe place to sleep. It is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
basic understanding: one must have his physiological needs met. Pi provided these and thus, the tiger
remained fairly fulfilled. Once they arrived on the Mexican shores, however, the large cat trotted into the
forest without giving a glance back at Pi; this lack of goodbye gave Pi a sorrow that he says still haunts him
today. Readers view Pi’s reaction seeing that Pi had sincere intentions for feeding the tiger: saving his life,
certainly, but also providing for the tiger as a companion, a pet of sorts. Richard Parker’s lack of acknowledge
paired against Pi’s sadness over the lack of a goodbye, shows Pi as a character that longs for friendship.
Shakespeare’s tragic heroes are exceptional beings. They are persons of high rank or public importance, so much so that
what they do, feel, and suffer impacts on all those around them causing the “whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow
of woe;” Using this idea as a starting point, examine a minor character of the play: Laertes, Ophelia, Polonius, Claudius,
Gertrude, and Horatio. Here are several ways Hamlet affected the minor characters:



Gertrude and Ophelia love him, though in different ways; each suffers a tragic fate.
Claudius adopts Hamlet as a son, but later feels threatened and plots to kill him; dies at Hamlet’s hand.
Laertes begins by mistrusting Hamlet and later wants vengeance against him, blaming Hamlet for his father’s
and sister’s deaths; dies at Hamlet’s hand.
 Polonius, the officious bureaucrat, tries to serve his monarch by offering and validating his judgment
regarding the cause of Hamlet’s madness. Polonius, too, dies for his trouble.
 Horatio is a sincere confidant for Hamlet and receives “payment” for his loyalty to be the messenger of truth
for Denmark’s demise. This burden was honorable, but must have certainly taken its toll.
So using the above information, write an accordion paragraph that states how your minor character became Hamlet’s foil.
(Start with a thesis, discuss in detail PROVING what you are discussing, and end with a concluding sentence.)