Life Of Pi Identity Essay

In Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Hamlet”, the protagonist, Hamlet, is a highly intelligent and perceptive man. His life turns awry after the death of his father and Hamlet faces his greatest moral dilemma. Likewise, Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” chronicles the life of a young Indian boy stranded on a boat with a Bengal tiger for 227 days with only his faith to keep him going. Both Piscine Patel and Prince Hamlet were deeply religious, however, their outlooks and philosophies on life were vastly different. Hamlet struggled to trust others, having only a true confidant in Horatio. Whilst Pi on the other hand, befriends everyone, even those who have opposing beliefs to him.

Education plays an important role in these novels in which Pip and Pi learn their lesson; however, Pip’s education ties to social hierarchy whereas in Pi’s education relates to not only to survival, but faith.

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

The novel Life of Pi is all about discerning between fact and belief. But which is reality? Yann Martel, the author of the text, declares that “reality is an interpretation, a choice of readings, a choice of stories.” The definition of reality, therefore, is not events which actually occur, but what is real to an individual. Every person has a different reality, shaped by their experiences, beliefs, interpretations, readings and stories. In other words, you choose your reality.

Experience is an essential element that benefits an individual’s ability to improve throughout their life. But this essential feature of human life is dependant upon yet another distinct element; change. Change is the driving force behind experience that provides an individual the ability to adapt to new situations. In the novel Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, the idea of change and adaptation arises when Pi is faced with difficult situations throughout his life. Pi, Piscine Molitor Patel, was full of curiosity when he grew up learning about various animals at the Pondicherry Zoo and also practicing different religions. As political issues arise in the city of Pondicherry, his family decides to sell the Zoo and move to Canada. This decision becomes unfortunate when Pi loses his family in a shipwreck on course to Canada. Pi and four animals are the only ones that survive the shipwreck and end up in a lifeboat. Pi goes through this immense change and now must adapt to the situation. An individual must adapt to adverse circumstances

If something terrible happens to you, would you make up a story to cope with the consequences? Life of Pi by Yann Martel, is about a boy named Pi, who survives two hundred and twenty seven days stranded at sea with a bengal tiger. Throughout this horrifying ordeal, he experience extreme hunger and thirst and the deaths of the people that he holds dear. Yann Martel portrays, through the use of two stories, and the consequences of Pi’s ordeal, that people blur the lines between reality and illusion in order to cope with the truth.

In the play “Death of a Salesman” written by Arthur Miller Biff and his father Willy Loman have a very strange and hateful relationship with each other. Biff and Willy do not get along very well. Whenever they try to talk, one just ends up screaming and it turns out to a fight. Willy had a dream of becoming successful, and when his dream had failed he only had his older son Biff to try to become successful, but Biff is very unsettled and is not very successful just as Willy is. Biff and Willy do not get along very well, and they were both very unsuccessful, every time they talk it turns into a fight.

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 part 1 of the novel “Life of Pi” the reader learns about many different components of Pi Patel’s identity; however there are 3 specific branches of his identity that help him during his shipwreck. The main 3 that aid him are his knowledge of animals, his religious beliefs, and his ability to think logically. Each of these factors contribute to Pi’s survival on the ocean and this is why.

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.

Imagine being Pi and knowing your whole family died in a shipwreck. You have nothing left but faith in God and a few animals. One of the animals of which is a Bengal Royal tiger named Richard Parker whose ready to pounce at any given second, and a snarling hyena with a bone shattering bite. And on top of that, having a feeling of immense aching hunger and thirst while being surrounded by nothing but a vast ocean. Not to mention the blistering heat and violent storms. In the book “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, Pi relies on his strong religious faith to help him survive through hardships while he is stranded on the sea.

Everyone needs to believe in something, a moment without faith, our souls will be eternally lost. In the novel Life of Pi the theme concerns religion and the human faith in God as the notion of belief is argued as being preferable or even essential to faith. The novel investigates the nature of religious faith itself. The author scrutinizes the mind of the protagonist, Pi Patel, who is a devout follower of three very different religions and his choice to practice Christianity, Hinduism, and Muslim which creates a conflict among his family and even peers, who believe Pi would be better off practicing only one.

Survival in Context The tiger had lepped, as his paws drew his aim across the sky, praying for his next victim; how does one survive this? Worded in literature, authors tend to draw a situation from a non threatening or dangerous task. For this tiger had leaped to retrieve a meer slab of meat; a so called victory over his opposer.

A person’s life is an accumulation of experiences; however these experiences solely do not define life without specific meanings behind them. In Yann Martel’s 2001 novel Life of Pi, the author chooses to reveal an alternative story at the end of the novel. This alternative option allows the readers to choose which story to believe. Thus, Martel effectively uses the better story as; a metaphor for religion, to expand the readers’ imagination, and to imply its significant effects. Through these concepts he demonstrates the true meaning behind dry yeastless facts, which requires a leap of faith from the reader.

Pi could survive on the ocean for many months is a miracle, and he even stayed with a tiger during the venture. He probably was eaten by the tiger, but he didn’t. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi survival depended on his past experiences, Pi not only survives, he becomes stronger due to learning how to swim when he was young, believing in three religions, and stay with animals for a long time because he father used to own a zoo.