There are many obvious similarities between the novels Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, and Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Both are stories about young castaways who struggle to survive on their own. Both have to adapt to the harsh natural world, and both find inner strength and determination they never knew they had.

However, there are important differences between these two texts. For instance, the main character from Hatchet is trapped on a mountain, and relies on his hatchet as his most important survival tool. The protagonist of Life of Pi, however, is stuck on a lifeboat with a full-grown tiger, who he also must depend on for survival.

Let’s say you need to support the following claim: While both characters endure terrible hardships, Pi’s struggle is more dangerous than Brian’s. How could the following passages describing the moment the main character crashes into the water back up this statement?

From Hatchet:
Brian opened his eyes and screamed. For seconds he did not know where he was, only that the crash was still happening and he was going to die, and he screamed until his breath was gone. … His legs felt wet and he raised up his hands and looked back down at them. They were in the lake. Strange. They went down into the water. He tried to move, but pain hammered into him and made his breath shorten into gasps and he stopped…

From Life of Pi:
It was terrifying to be in the water. It was black and cold and in a rage. I felt as if I were at the bottom of a crumbling well. Water kept crashing down on me. It stung my eyes. It pulled me down. I could hardly breathe. If there hadn’t been the lifebuoy I wouldn’t have lasted a minute. I saw a triangle slicing the water fifteen feet away. It was a shark’s fin. An awful tingle, cold and liquid, went up and down my spine.