Key Passage In Life Of PI, By Yann Martel

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.

The Quest of Pi The Life of Pi a quest with an strong influence of religion that is apparent throughout the story. “We are all born like Catholics, aren't we--in limbo without religion, until some figure introduces us to god” (Martel 58). Piscine Molitor Patel a young Indian teen has a unique infatuation with religion. Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, Gave Pi or Piscine an interesting life that is different from others.

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.

One is so that he can quickly get to part two of the book, which is the interesting part, and to dismiss confusion among the readers. Religion has been talked about since the early pages, and it seems very important to Pi, the plot, and theme. “In time, my religious doings went from the notice of those to whom it didn 't matter and only amused, to that of those to whom it did matter - and they were not amused.” (THE LIFE OF PI, 2001, p.37). However as soon as the story reaches around page 50, the importance and talk of religion has basically flourished.

In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack clash constantly over maintaining a mimicry of a proper English societal structure or discarding it in favor of a more wild and chaotic way of life. Golding uses Ralph to represent the civilization the boys left behind; for all intents and purposes, Ralph represents nurture. Throughout the book he is swayed by the call of the wild, but remains tethered to the idea of rescue and upholding the societal standards previously taught to him. ‘Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh.

I think the meaning behind Pi’s reply, “so it is with God.” is that a life is better with some kind of believe than one without because Pi’s original story with the animals in less tragic and horrific in comparison to Pi’s second story. For an example, on page 309, Pi has to witness his mother be stabbed to death and then later beheaded by the brute-like cook, “He killed her. The cook killed my mother….He caught her by the wrist and twisted it. SHe shrieked and fell.

“Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.” Jean Jacques Rousseau once said. How you behave through the environment and experiences is what shapes us in society. Do you think someone could be born evil? The book “The Lord of the Flies” and other sources defend the position Rousseau has stated, that being born evil isn’t true.

In the story, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the main character, Pi, is changed as a person after he must kill a flying fish in order to survive. Through this, Pi’s religious morals changed as well as his personality overall. When Pi first tries to kill the fish he continues to hesitate, and has a hard time committing the action to take the life away. As stated in an excerpt, “Several times I started bringing the hatchet down, but I couldn’t complete the action… A lifetime of peaceful vegetarianism stood between me and the willful beheading of a fish” (Martel 87).

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.

With the combination of magical realistic events and Pi’s religious beliefs, Pi along with the reader a contemplates life’s concepts. From the very beginning, Pi makes his love and yearning for religion clear. As Life of Pi progresses, the protagonist picks up multiple religions as he travels through the novel. With the addition of first Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, Pi gains attention from leaders and priests of these faiths. Conflict commences with the religious leaders of these individual faiths.

The movie begins with Pi describing how he was introduced to religion through Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Pi states “None of us know God unless he is introduced to us.” Pi says that throughout his life he came to know a few of the Hindu gods through stories about the world and through experiences. He says, “the Gods were my super heroes growing up.”

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.”

Yann Martel 's, Life of Pi, shows the many miracles of god by giving Pi many relations to him during the 227 days that he is lost at sea and still giving him the happy ending that he receives. The book makes many references to a couple different religions. Christianity being one the religions mentioned. When mentioned it is noticeable that Pi had relations to Jesus and Christianity before, during, and even after his time at sea. Some of these relations helped him survive and keep going all that time.

2. Religion 2.1. Definition of Religion Religion is a set of beliefs, morals, and values that people practice to guide their lives in a spiritual manner. Religion entails traditions, customs and cultures that influences people to live a life of morality and can be shared among communities and societies. It is a linkage to our inner beings and through the belief of God to dedicate our lives in helping others and in the pursuit of self happiness.