Have you ever read a fascinating book only to have the ending ruin everything? The ending is very important in the effectiveness of a work of literature. An effective and appropriate ending is conclusive and answers some questions the reader might have had. It leaves the reader satisfied that they were able to fully understand the meaning of the story. An ineffective and inappropriate ending is not very conclusive and raises further questions that the reader might have not had before. It could contradict what had been happening throughout the whole novel. The ending of Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is once such ending. It was ineffective in concluding the novel and made the reader wonder whether the events that the protagonists experienced …show more content…
He admits to the interviewers that it is up to them to choose which story they prefer. Pi stated: “You can’t prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it … In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer … So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer?” (317). While these statements from Pi leave the reader with the intriguing question of which story to believe, it is not proper or appropriate. The ending does not properly conclude the story with the reader knowing what actually happened. It only makes them wonder if most the book they read was nothing more than a fantasy made up by …show more content…
While a satisfactory ending does not require it to be conclusive in every sense and might need the reader to accept ambiguity and uncertainty, the novel still does not have a proper ending. There is simply confusion as to which of the two stories to by Pi is true. The first story in magnificent and unrealistic while the second story is brutal and realistic. It might seem obvious that the second story is what actually happened, but Pi’s actions and dialogue leaves a sense of confusion. Life of Pi’s ending might be appropriate to those who like being kept wondering what actually happened in reality, but to those as myself who do not, it ruins the sentiment and magnificence of the whole
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
Pi’s life before the boat crashing was full of hope and wonder. His presence was ethereal, making a purpose out of everything around him. His family ran a zoo, which gave him a tight-knit relationship with animals. Pi loved to try new things. He met new people which led to his exploration
In Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi, he wants the reader to decipher whether his first story or his second story is real. The first story consists of the protagonist, Piscine Patel, being trapped on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, and many other animals from his father’s zoo after they were lost together at sea. In the second story, Piscine re-tells a different story with a chef, his mother, and a sailor, this was to give the Japanese investigators “a story that wont surprise them (you)” (Martel 302). Martel clearly wishes the reader to understand why “Pi” might
Before the ship sank, even before they went on the ship, Pi says that religion will save him. I think this statement is very true because it has saved him throughout his journey. He survived because of his religion. He says it himself that religion will save him, and it did save him.
While this is almost certainly the way that it is meant to be received, the second interpretation makes the book fall just short of what it could be. My initial interpretation is that the two stories given seems like lazy writing. The author could have spent more time fleshing out the humans. Then, later, during Pi’s adventure he could have dropped more hints that the animals represent said people. This would allow the reader to come to the conclusion alone. Even if he did reveal the alternate story in the end, it is more satisfactory for the reader to be curious about it beforehand. There was little evidence pointing to these minor human characters being told as animals and the result was what seems almost like a cheap twist. While the author clearly thought out what he wanted the story to make the reader think about, he did not do it in a way that made the ending satisfying. With either story, there are moments that seem out of place and unexplained. Although this discomfort may have been the author's goal, it did seem a little out of place and poorly executed. Despite what the reader believes about the stories this novel is full of metaphors and symbolism that can keep a conversation going for a long time, with
The ending may not be a perfect one, however, it does have a good one. This book supports the realistic fiction criteria. The author does a good job in portraying this book as having realistic characters, scenery, and plot. I partially liked the way the author crafted the characters when making the book, was they resemble real people. The author makes the characters come to
Again, within this story illusion leads to God. Chapter 94 brings to attention the fact that that this story is being told through an intermediary. “We must give things a meaningful shape.” Brings to attention again that through story telling, life is given shape and can be believed in with the most extraordinary details by believing in God. (pg.341-343) By not ending the book after Pi’s story ends, Martel is again questioning the audience to believe or not believe the story. The remaining five chapters of the book, the dialog Pi has with the two men from Japan ends. Truth is juxtaposed to reality in order to encompass God. “So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?' Mr. Okamoto: 'That's an interesting question?' Mr. Chiba: 'The story with animals.' Mr. Okamoto: 'Yes. The story with animals is the better
1. Reason One of the most enjoyable aspects of the novel was the way Pi presents his point of view in his telling of the story. In the earlier stages of the book Pi tells us of his discovery of religion which he turns to for hope later on when the cargo ship him and his family travel on sinks, leaving him orphaned and lost. Throughout the novel he retells the story of his survival with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and the situation of their survival.
Pi (and by extension, the author, Yann Martel) seems to think that what should compel one to believe a story is whether the story is a good one – whether it helps readers “see higher or further or differently”. Story and narrative automatically cause viewpoint, or perspective. Perspective as a literary device is a result of stories with framed narration. Is this narrator trustworthy, asks the reader in that ageless dilemma, can I believe what is written? As a form of narration, it both enriches and challenges perspectives on truth. Truth, it seems to say, can also be multi-faceted, appearing in many viewpoints.
There is a difference between surviving and living, had he chosen to stay Pi would have only been surviving. Pi would rather “perish in search of his own kind” rather than living a “lonely half life”(Pg 357). Showing that he still had faith that he would find true salvation in the arms of society, Pi leaves the island. This is all important to nurturing his his personal integrity; even though Pi had a lack of empathy when living on the boat he regains it. Regaining it when he made it to the mexican shore, with new insights on why animals kill to live, and just how much he needs other
He starts out with a zebra, hyena, an orangutan, and a tiger, but the animals slowly diminish leaving only Pi and Richard Parker. Pi works to tame and care for Richard Parker, and the two survive for two hundred twenty-seven days. Pi encounters a fellow French castaway who is eaten by Richard Parker (Martel 311-320). Pi also comes across a man-eating island (Martel 322-358). The events that take place are fairly far-fetched, and the probability of all of them occurring to the same person in the period of time given is even less believable. The second story, on the other hand, is a perhaps more believable retelling of the original story. Pi relates the second tale upon the request of his interviewers for “‘a story without animals’” (Martel 381). In this story the animals are replaced with human representatives including an injured Chinese sailor, a French cook, Pi’s mother, and Pi himself. The second story, like the first, begins with many passengers on the boat, but in the end it leaves only Pi to survive by himself after brutally murdering and eating the cook who killed both the sailor and Pi’s own mother (Martel 381-391). Unlike Pi’s first story, this account is dark, desperate, and harshly realistic, without any sense of hope to counter it all. After relating both of these stories to his interviewers, Pi asks them which story they think is better (Martel 398). Although the
When a person alters a main philosophy of his life, it affects him on a level that is unclear for the human mind. Near the end of the book Pi decides to tell the Japanese transport officials two stories, one true and one made up. In the first one he tells of him fighting with a hyena that he eventually has to kill. The second story is far more interesting, in that Pi depicts the hyena as the French cook who he was forced to kill, since the cook had killed Pi’s mother. In this made up tale Pi is faced with a decision that he cannot turn his back to, the cook killed his mother, he threw away all his beliefs and murdered the man.
Imagine being stranded in the middle of an ocean for a year , with only food to eat for a short amount of time. No friends , family , phone. Any type of civilization. The name of the movie and text is “ Life Of Pi ”. The author of the book is Yann Martel and the director of the movie is Ang Lee. Life Of Pi book and the movie had many similarities and differences. In the beginning of the movie their are a lot of differences than similarities. In the middle of the movie their are a lot of similarities and in the end there are a lot of similarities than differences.
One of the main reasons that the original ending is better than the published ending is that the original seems to flow better with the overall themes of the novel. One of the major themes that is seen throughout the book is the theme of how growing up is an universal experience where one finds out who they
The ending of the book was very disappointing to me. I really enjoyed reading about how his mother was in pure denial and wanted to keep her son near her forever and how his father knew how hard it would be but he also knew that