Life of Pi - Resume assignment PDF

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Lucas Doan Canadian Views Teacher : Henry Tambor

The Life of Pi Word Count : 1086 words Question : Question #1 : Develop an essay in which you clearly delineate at least two important themes of Life of Pi. Your essay should reveal how these themes are expressed in the novel. Your analysis must include a relevant and thoughtful discussion of the novel’s narrative framework. You may touch upon the film version of the novel, but only if it helps to support your argument about the novel.

Thursday, May 16th, 2018 Vanier College

The Life Of Pi Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is the story of a young man striving to understand his relationship to God and the world. Pi’s tale begins with his father’s announcement that the family will soon be leaving the life they know, in India, to seek better opportunities in Canada. The narrative opens with significant memories of his youth in India that eventually explain how his life has prepared him for survival at sea. Pi has spent his entire life attempting to understand the intriguing nature and role of God, as well as the essential purpose and rationality of human suffering. Pi is a man of many faiths, all of which had a substantial level of influence on him during his time at sea. From an early age, he is obsessed with his belief in God. Born Hindu, the beginning of his religious life is revealed through a memory of his first experience at a temple. Most notably impactful are the sensory recollections that overwhelm him with passion for his religion, the “sculptured cones of red Kumkum powder and baskets of yellow turmeric nuggets, garlands of flowers and pieces of broken coconut, the clanging of bells to announce one’s arrival to God.” (48) The stories of the Hindu gods end up becoming instrumental to his survival. When all hope seems to be lost, and both Pi and Richard Parker are on the verge of death, the pair’s lifeboat suddenly reaches a mysterious floating island, one that has never before been documented. The island appears to be a miracle, it provides the two with much needed fresh water and food and renews Pi’s sense of hope. The meaning of the island reflects the role of the Hindu god, Vishnu. As legend has it, Vishnu gives his body to the people in order to save them. Without this island, perhaps Pi and Richard Parker would have starved. However, similar to Vishnu, often considered the god of storms, who can support but also destroy life, the island was,

by day, their saving grace, but by night, the island becomes a harsh and dangerous environment. Pi knows that he cannot stay here.

In his youth, Pi is introduced to Christianity on a family vacation in Munnar. While there, he meets a priest who fascinates the young Pi with the story of Jesus Christ. Pi struggles to grasp this concept of God sacrificing his only son to pay for the sins of humankind and returns to the priest day after day, hoping for a clear answer. After this experience, Pi gains the desire to become a Christian. In response to this request, the Priest tells Pi that he already is a Christian, for “whoever meets Christ in good faith is a Christian. Here in Munnar you met Christ.” (63) Pi’s Christian identity plays a large part in his survival. During his journey across the sea, Pi endures immense mental and physical pain. He must not only struggle with the physical demands of surviving on the open ocean but also understand why he has been put in this position. He questions God, wondering why he has been left alive while his entire family is gone. In asking God for an answer, Pi gives himself entirely over to Him, yet, the struggles continue to persist. However, throughout the journey, Pi never once doubt his faith in God. As he comes to understand that his journey of pain and suffering is a test to his courage, Pi is able to show that once mental pain is overcome, physical suffering is conquered. His moral strength allows him to persevere and not give up on the life that God has given him. Pi is able to discover a third religion thanks to his community. The young man stumbles upon Islam during a visit to a bakery in the Muslim quarter of Pondicherry. While talking with the baker, the call to prayer rings through the air. Pi watches as the baker prays on his rug, intrigued by the ritual. The baker then allows Pi to ask questions about his faith. Pi’s practicing of all three religions would seem to be contradictory. However, when questioned, Pi states that he “just wants to love God.” (69)

Although both atheists and agnostics do not believe in a god, Pi qualifies atheism as a true faith, while agnosticism is not. Atheism, like other faiths, holds itself to a firm belief. He believes that agnostics are constantly on a ledge of doubt. To truly have faith, one must be entirely immersed in their beliefs. Pi respects atheists as he sees them as taking a leap of faith after death.

Few aspects of Pi Patel’s journey across the Pacific are clear. In fact, during an interrogation with the Japanese freighting company, Pi shares two conflicting variations of what occurred from the night the ship sank to the day he is found. In his first account, Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with animals from his father’s zoo: a zebra with a broken leg, an orangutan who has lost her son, a frantic hyena, and the Bengal tiger from his youth, Richard Parker. Very quickly, the hyena attacks both the zebra and the orangutan, and not long after, Richard Parker butchers the hyena, leaving Pi with only the tiger for company. When this version is too much for the Japanese employees to write about, he offers up an alternative tale for his adventure. In this narration the distinct characteristics of each animal are assigned to a character. His mother takes on the role of the orangutan, the Buddhist sailor the role of the zebra, both slaughtered by the cook like the hyena had done. The reader has to decide which version is reality and which is a fantasy. The common origin of both stories is reflective of Pi’s perception of agnosticism.

There is direct correlation between the Japanese interrogators and agnostics. The men are simply unable to believe in Pi’s story with Richard Parker, as it contains too many elements that cannot be proven. Similarly, he describes agnostics as people who live in doubt and ponder onto what it is that they should either hope or believe, never truly committing to an ideology.

Pi’s treacherous voyage across the Pacific reflects on many themes, but perhaps the most important is how his faith amplifies his will to survive. In Life of Pi, the readers discover the immense influence of religion and human suffering. How, in dark times faith can deliver someone from suffering....