Life Of Pi Religion Essay

Firstly, Pi’s devotion for God was clear and he often seeks clarity from god. Throughout the novel, Pi’s love for God caused him to practice three major religion at the same time; breaking any barriers between Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Pi believes all three religions are equally true and interconnective as “[Islam and Christianity] both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses, and Jesus as prophets” (80, Martel). Pi was morally ambiguous, he did not know if one religion would bring him closer to God than another causing him to follow all three. When Pi was stuck on the life boat, he often called out for help from god as he feared death. As he was giving up, a voice inside of him spoke from his heart and said “I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen” (164). Pi was uncertain whether or not he was going to survive however, he hoped through praying, he would as his faith in God brought him comfort.

People often choose to believe in a higher power to find meaning in life and because of life experiences that lead them to God. Pi’s experiences as a child meeting Father Martin on vacation and the Muslim baker attract Pi to the love and devotion demonstrated by these people of different faiths. Pi’s faith and belief in God only strengthened when he was lost at sea, he knew that he must have meaning in life if God kept him alive through

Prior to the sinking of the Tsimtsum Pi Patel, the protagonist, deals with criticism from the “holy men” because they have different perceptions of the others religions which is influenced by their knowledge. To explain Pi is a devoted follower of 3 different religions: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. In India it is common to be hinduist, so naturally he was brought up that way. Then one day during a visit to a tea plantation he falls upon the story of Jesus christ and is perplexed by god’s sacrifice. Unable to rationalise God’s actions he spends 3 days learning more about god and his world. Consequently he too becomes a christian with the help of his new friend in church. Hardly a year later while walking near the zoo he meets Mr. kumar who prays in front of Pi. The way a muslim prays touches Pi deeply to see that level of devotion. ‘Quick, necessary, physical, muttered, striking’

Yann Martel establishes in the beginning of Life of Pi in the author’s note that the claim to the heart of the novel in this story will “make you believe in God.” Since God is an identity that exists in a fiction or non-fiction realm, the audience is led to believe that the story to be told is true, opening the reader to the idea that belief in anything can be belief in God. Pi makes sense of his life through the expressions of Hinduism, Christianity and Muslim, “That which sustains the universe beyond thought and language, and that which is at the core of us and struggles for expression.” (Pg.68) This emphasizes Pi’s dedication and devotion to his religions and God. Martel is opening up to Pi’s story to convince the reader to find faith in Pi’s words.

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.

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

Throughout Martel’s book, he explores different themes, such as religion and faith, suffering, and survival. Pi discovers hope in religion by keeping faith to God throughout the whole book and worshipping him in three different religions. “‘Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God’” (Martel 69). Pi has

Due to Pi’s devotion to all of his faiths, particularly Hinduism, not only changed how he thought about his current situation, but also changed how he would think about every single situation after in Martel’s Life of Pi.

In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, there is a strong theme of religion throughout the novel. Pi loves God and will do anything to grow closer to Him. He joins three other religions because he does not want to be limited to one faith and one way to praise God. After learning about the other faiths from their religious leaders, he decides to join them. He goes against his family’s wishes by joining these other faiths. During the novel, Pi’s faith in God is tested when he is lost at sea, but he uses his faith as comfort during those dark days. Pi uses his knowledge of prayer to help him. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi uses his knowledge of the Hindu faith, the Catholic faith, and Muslim faith to cope with the harsh reality of being lost at sea.

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.

Throughout the 1st part of the novel we see Pi grow up and adopt many contrasting religious beliefs. Pi was born Hindu, which is shown on page 66 when the 3rd religious men are arguing about Pi’s belief, “Nonsense!” cried the pandit. “Piscine was born a Hindu, lives a Hindu and will die a Hindu!” This quote presents that Pi follows the Hindu religion, he however also follows both Islamic and Christian faiths as well. These are both shown on two different page, for Christianity this is displayed on page 57 when the text states, “ I booted up that hill. Though Father Martin was no IN- alas, his block was slid over- thank God he was in. Short of breath I said,

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

To begin with, the religion of Hinduism had a powerful precept on Pi’s development as an individual through faith. Hinduism was the first religion that Pi was told of. The religion of faith is what ignited Pi’s true love for God and all religion. Pi describes Hinduism as “a germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed…sown in me and left to germinate” (52). From a young age while he was growing up in Pondicherry, Pi was affected by his Hindu faith and still is into his adult life giving him meaning.

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