Life Of Pi And Religion Essay

Life of Pi is a thrilling novel by Yann Martel, telling the story of a two hundred and twenty-seven day journey on a lifeboat between a religious boy and an adult bengal tiger. After losing his family in a shipwreck, Pi Patel is stuck on a lifeboat with a 450 pound Richard Parker. Together, they sail aimlessly, using the boat’s limited resources to survive. Throughout the novel Pi uses God as a way to cope with the multiple tragedies and obstacles he faces. In times of great difficulty, humans can lose their morals and values in exchange for survival.

Throughout the entire novel the author gives us characteristics about Pi, he is the protagonist and, for most of the novel the narrator. In the chapters that frame the story and tell us everything that has happened they portray Pi as a shy, graying, middle-aged boy, whom tells the author about his early childhood and the shipwreck that changed his life, and gave him a new friendship with someone whom you would never believe a human could become friends with. This novel makes everyone question the truth which makes us wonder if Pi’s story is accurate and makes us wonder what pieces we should believe. Pi emphasizes the importance of choosing the better story which makes

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself” This statement frequently goes through Pi’s journey on the boat in Life of Pi. The quote, written by Swami Vivekananda, refers to Pi since he questions if God is with him through his journey. Pi ends up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a tiger as company, and his three religions that he believes in. Each religion has it’ own way to help Pi on his journey to salvation and his discovery of himself. In Life of Pi, Martel utilizes the connection between Pi’s religions and their colors to illustrate how they help him on his journey and ultimately provide salvation, and also by giving the reader a link to today’s society with religion.

Yann Martel`s Life of Pi follows A journey of a young man and a Bengal tiger as they travel across the ocean in a lifeboat.Director Ang lee made many consider the book to be beautiful,but virually unflimable.Being needed to told on screen Ang lee discerned very adeptly,about Life of Pi ‘’if there is will there is a way’’.

The belief in a higher power is one of the key components in the Life of Pi and in the lives of people all over the world. This belief in a higher power or God contributes to strife including conflict between different religions, religious extremists, and the relationship between government and religion.

When Yann Martel tells of Pi Patel’s life story after the shipwreck, he presents it in two distinctive ways: one being with animals, and one without. As a young boy, Pi began to develop a love of animals as a result of growing up on the lands of Pondicherry Zoo, his family zoo in India. He also finds that he has a deep passion for religion. Supposedly, Life of Pi will make one believe in God, as it did to Pi in these two stories.

Mackenzie Skidmore Ms. Sproul 9/2/14 Adv. English 10 Life of Pi: Essay In the book , Life of Pi: A Novel, Pi grows as a result of many factors. The three main elements of Pi’s transformation are religion, fear, and coming of age.

The Japanese interviewers reinforce the reoccurring theme of faith and religion at the end of the novel when Pi is saved. Soon after Pi turns to God for comfort he washes up on a beach in Mexico. The people who found him took him to their village. He was later brought to the hospital by a police car, and that’s where his story ends. Two Japanese interviewers then introduced themselves to Pi, in hope to discover the mystery as to the sinking of the ship Tsimtsum, of which he was a passenger. The interrogation begins and Pi describes his journey. As soon as he reaches the end of his story, Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba discuss and comment in disbelief. After minutes of deliberation Mr. Okamoto replies with “Mr. Patel, we don’t believe your story” (324). They doubt

Life of Pi by Yann Martel explores the idea of a shipwreck and two opposite species left alone, to either thrive together or kill one another. Piscine “Pi” Patel suffers greatly after the shipwreck of the cargo ship to Canada filled with various species of zoo animals from his father’s zoo in Pondicherry, India. He is left with only a lifeboat (and the supplied items), a hyena, an orangutan, a hurt zebra, and Richard Packer (a Bengal tiger). However, the need for food stood as a reacquiring problem for all the survivors. In the end, all that were left Richard Parker and Pi. These two soon learn to live amongst themselves, using each other to survive the suffering among them. Even though to many this seems impossible to have accomplished, the truth can sometimes be more unbelievable than fiction.

In this empathic response task, I assume the role of Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, the narrator and protagonist of Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, directly after his unexpected coincidental encounter with three religious leaders on a seaside esplanade in Chapter 23, which led to the astounding revelation that Pi was not only a Christian, Muslim, or Hindu, but all three at once. This revelation prompted a heated discussion between Pi’s priest, imam, and pandit, the religious leaders whom Pi had been practicing Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism with. The heated discussion was about which religion was the ‘true religion’. I attempt to share with readers Pi’s opinion of religion and faith after the encounter by writing a diary entry from Pi’s perspective that reflects the musings of Pi Patel after the three religious leaders confronted him and demanded that he choose between being a christian, a muslim and a hindu, his opinion of religion and faith, his experiences with different religions, and how he rationalizes his decision to believe in all three religions simultaneously. In this novel, imagination helps to present an alternative perspective of religion and faith.

In Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, two narratives are presented to describe how Pi survived his journey on a life boat to Mexico. The difference between the truths of both stories is the difference between faith and reason. Both the author and Pi recognize the importance of trust and nature of truth in this novel has to do with a form of blind faith instead of doubt. “To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transport” (Yann Martel, 28). The early religious influences from Pi’s childhood contribute to the formation of his story involving Richard Parker.

Pi practices three religions: Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. “But he can’t be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It’s impossible. He must choose” (Martel 90). Pi follows

“Faith is a house with many rooms. Doubt is useful. It keeps faith a living thing. You will truly not know the strength of your faith until it has been tested.” In the movie, “The Life of Pi” a young man is faced with an ordeal to survive in the middle of the ocean sharing a lifeboat with a tiger.

Religion has always been a blurry topic for me. I never knew how to define it. I was surrounded by numerous religions within my close circle - Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, and more - and I always felt like something in one religion contradicted the other one. I didn’t know how to settle it. How do you define religion besides a deep reverence? The closest I spiritually got was with Life of Pi that showed me it was a leap of faith. I started this course because I wanted to find an outlet to help define and make sense of faith. I also wanted to learn more about the religions I did not know about [Zoroastrianism]. I think right now - with this political climate - it is important to have an awareness and appreciation

1. Marvelous body of Richard Parker as both an image of God and a sign