Believe In A Higher Power In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

Thunder and rumble, I feel the wrath of God on the ocean we are sailing. Suddenly I hear a crash, and I fly across my cage violently, the yelling of the voices on the vessel in shock and suddenly I hear the words “We’re going down!” A zoo keeper comes down the the hull of the ship and begins opening the cages of animals- the zebra, the monkeys, the hounds, all released waiting patiently for my turn the zookeeper falls over. He does not move and water comes crashing into the hull-I’m going to die. I lie down on the ground as water pours in accepting my fate.

Most societies, both past and present, worship one or multiple deities. The powers and characteristics of these gods vary among cultures, and the personalities of one society’s deities directly influence the culture and beliefs of its people. The discrepancies between the religions of different civilizations can be observed through the literary works of their religion and mythology. The Judeo-Christian God, who is shown in the Bible to be absolute both in power and in judgment, is antithetical to the Greek gods, who are depicted as having human traits and flaws. In Homer’s Odyssey, many gods are shown to act on their own self-interest, keeping favorites among the mortals and conspiring against other gods.

Religions often include: spiritual explanations of our place in the world in an attempt to answer questions about "why we are here"; worship of deities and/or supernatural entities (including ancestors); conceptions of "holy" and "sacred" activities ideas and objects; set rituals, calendar events based on the changing seasons, distinctive dress codes (especially for religious professionals), codes of morality and action that are given a mandate from a supernaturally great being, from a supernatural force or from the will of the Universe itself; and, a caste of privileged and exalted professionals who have particular claims to be in touch with transcendental

Life of Pi is a movie about Pi, a shipwreck survivor, and his epic journey of discovery and faith. It is based on Yann Martel’s novel with the same name, and the movie, directed by Ang Lee, makes use of magical realism to convey many themes related to life and spirituality. Many significant symbols are also used to showcase the characteristics of magical realism. In particular, water and the carnivorous island were two important symbols that represented the theme of spirituality in Life of Pi.

This quote from Life of Pi in chapter 24 I believe is an example of a literary device called foreshadowing. In this quote spoken by Pi, it is able to describe the events to come in the novel. It deals with the truth and his imagination. However it is up to the reader to decide what is truly certain and what is made up from his imagination. It is important to the novel because it relates to religion where the whole theme of the novel is focused on.

Pi alludes to Cain after killing a living creature for the first time. In the Bible, Cain kills his brother, Abel, because of jealousy. In this passage, Pi is comparing his killing of the fish to Cain killing Abel. This allusion and comparison shows that Pi has very high morals. He believes that killing a fish is like killing a human being.

When faced with hardships it is typically hard to continue thinking positively but Pi's determination and perseverance prove to be a great example of how even when going through hell you should keep going. In Life of Pi, as conditions on the boat worsen, and a lack of water and food exist, Pi is decided to survive, he reflects on his experience by expressing “Some of us give up on life with only a resigned sigh. Others fight a little, then lose hope. Still others - and I'm one of those - never give up. We fight and fight and fight.

The theme in Life of Pi is without a doubt the hardships in order to survive. The whole novel is about enduring pain, hardships, starvation, dehydration and more. I believe the author wrote this novel to reveal the hardships one has to proceed through in order to keep living. Pi certainly shows how quick life can change from ordinary to a long lasting nightmare. Surely this can happen to anyone, but not everyone can survive the long lasting nightmare.

Through the use of explicit imagery and metaphors, Martel is able to help the reader better understand the lonely and drastic situation that Pi finds himself in while drifting at sea. For example, the imagery from the metaphor “To be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centre of a circle” exemplifies how Pi is surrounded by nothing. Just like a centre of a circle, Pi is away from everything and everyone. Everywhere that Pi looks he has to face the reality that he is out in the middle of nowhere and the only thing around him is the brutal understanding that he is alone and is surrounded by an ocean that is miles wide. Furthermore the metaphor, “your gaze is always a radius.

Belief in a Supreme High God, who created the world and then withdrew from active participation in it, is common in polytheistic religions around the world. Beyond all minor gods, goddesses, spirits and ancestors, there exists one High God, who created and in some sense still governs the universe. Most believe that this God is too distant and has limited contact with daily operation of human life. Native Americans and Africans have similar concepts of the high god. African and Native American religions recognize the presence of one supreme deity as well as the existence of God in multiple aspects.

For instance, the Europeans believed God was supporting their actions when they came to America. They then started taking the natives land and because the natives didn't believe in their God they believed the natives were

The concept of dharma encompasses people’s ethical duties, moral principles, and social responsibilities. This acts as a religious and moral law that controls an individual’s actions. One of the ways one can hold true to their dharma is with the worship of deities. In Christianity, worshipping deities can be seen as worshiping others and false idolatry and is not practiced. Yet in Hinduism, they acknowledge Brahman as the supreme divinity but have a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses that each represent different aspects of the divine, embodying different qualities and powers.

Yann Martel is an award-winning Canadian author with many notable works, including Life of Pi. In this novel, Trent University alumnus depicts a story of a young Indian boy, Piscine Patel, who is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel presents two stories to leave the reader conflicted as to what story is true, which emphasizes the reader’s subjective ideology and the realization that there is no absolute truth. Most readers presume that the relativity of truth isn’t introduced until the end of the novel, but the beginning of the novel also postulates that there is no absolute truth. The author’s note blurs the border amid fact and fiction.

They argue and condone Pi 's actions of worshiping the multiple faiths. As Yann Martel stated in his novel, “the imam and priest nodded. ‘But he can 't be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It 's impossible. He must choose.’ ”

In Martel’s novel, the idea that through faith, one can find salvation, is present during Pi’s times of doubt. Pi believes in three different religions at the same time, he is amazed and in awe of the different beliefs and wants to get closer to, and love God by practicing them. His actions are questioned by many and the idea that he should only believe in one thing is pushed on to him by his family and believers in the church. His belief in multiple religions helps Pi find peace within himself, feel connected to the world around him, and realize his suffering has meaning. Even so, Pi still struggles with his beliefs: “But God 's hat was always unravelling, God’s pants were falling apart, God’s cat was a constant danger, God’s ark was a jail, God’s wide acres were slowly killing me, God 's ear didn 't seem to be listening.”