Religion is an important part of human life. For some it is a collection of myths that can lead to madness, but for many it is a source of comfort, protection, and hope. In Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, the main character is so enamored with religion that he decides to follow three vastly different religions, claiming that they all focus on his deep love for God. However, many people disagree with the idea that religion is meant to share love. Many people also believe that religion is dangerous, and that it causes discrimination, violence, and oppression. So with these vastly different arguments against and in favor of religion, there is one question that must be asked. In which ways can religious faith positively affect someone’s life? …show more content…
Pi was raised Hindu, even though the rest of his family had little to no interest in religion, so it is clear that Hinduism is what first gave him hope for God. The idea of Hinduism giving Pi hope carries through the novel through the use of the color orange, and Richard Parker. During the first part of the novel, the author frequently cuts between the narration of Pi’s story, and his own experience visiting Pi’s house during their interviews. During one of these visits, the author says, “Leaning against the sofa in the living room, looking up at me bashfully, is a little brown girl, pretty in pink, very much at home. She’s holding an orange cat in her arms.” (Martel 102). By showing this insight into Pi’s life after he is rescued, the author gives the reader hope that Pi will survive his journey, while the orange cat in his daughter’s arms symbolizes that Richard Parker survives the story as well. While lost at sea with Richard Parker, Pi decides to train Richard Parker instead of letting him die, because having him alive gives Pi hope for survival. As he says, “If I had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker.” (Martel 182). Keeping Richard Parker alive not only supplied Pi with a companion, it also gave him hope that he would be
He’s a god-loving boy, and also has a very soft spot for animals. He later on lives to survive on the Pacific for 227 days. While his time at sea, he’s faces with many challenges which question his values taught to him by his families. Staying true to yourself can be a very difficult thing, most people can’t do it, especially under pressure. After the journey is over, Pi’s barely the same person he once was.
A week after the Tsimtsum sinks, Pi devises a standard routine that includes eating, praying, and feeding Richard Parker (Martel 190). The routine focuses primarily around attending to Richard Parker’s needs and is responsible for exhausting the copious hours on the lifeboat. While boldly interacting with Richard Parker through feeding and observing him, Pi manages to escape boredom. Without the presence of a companion, Pi would have no purpose for living, and would not have had the will to survive. Additionally, it is evident that Richard Parker is the principal reason that Pi survives the time at sea.
The part of him that helped him survive throughout the ordeal, Richard Parker, will always be there. A representative of this is when Pi talks about the ideal conditions for a zoo animal. “Yet there will always be animals that seek to escape from zoos,” (Martel 50.) This quote emphasizes that the animal inside, will never belong in his everyday life. His actions later in life show that the person that he became is there and will always be there.
Green is often used as decoration of Mosques in the Islamic religion, and represents nature and life. Once Pi arrives on the island, he feels comfort when exposed to the colour of green. For instance, “since the trees continued to stand, I continued to look. To take in green, after so much blue, was like music to my eyes” (Martel 285). This quote demonstrates how the sight of the trees amaze Pi which increase his faith in surviving and ultimately leads him deciding to stay longer on the island.
Pi’s journey of different religions all started because of Pi’s Biology teacher, Mr. Kumar who was an atheist. He challenges Pi’s faith in the Hindu God, thus the journey of the multiple religions was born. Pi had much faith in his Hindu God. He never doubted it once in his life. Pi is very religious and loves his God Vishnu.
Unlike Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. In addition, Pi believes in the “Truth, Unity, Absolute, and Climate Reality” of Hinduism (CITE). Pi believes in unity as shown by his practice of three different religions simultaneously. The fact that the religions are different does not affect Pi, so he unifies them into one system that satisfies his needs for faith and hope. Furthermore, Pi compares himself to Jesus, the savior.
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
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.
Imagine yourself in the middle of the ocean; starvation, madness, and survival is against you. Will you stick with your faith or will you leave the humanity inside you? In the novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, creates a magical and life changing adventure for readers. The novel introduces a different concept about faith and religion and explores the opposite sides of nature and humanity. Martel portrays each topic through his character Pi Patel. Pi is the only human in the novel that survived a harsh storm killing his family and almost all of his father’s animals; besides a hyena, orangutan, zebra, and a bengal tiger. Pi kept himself busy with continuing his daily routine of prayer, providing care for Richard Parker; the bengal tiger, and writing
Firstly, in Life of Pi and Death of a Salesman, Pi and Willy respectively search for hope of survival and success that reality does not provide them through the creation of their own imagination. Ironically though Pi is fearful of Richard Parker, he grows to realize that it put him at ease and gives him hope to fight through the various hardships at sea, “It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose. I dare say even wholeness” (Martel 179). If the story with the animal is just a creation of Pi’s imagination, then the creation of Richard Parker gives Pi purpose to do anything to survive just like a tiger in the woods would do. He gives Pi reason and hope that
Yann Martel’s novel “Life of Pi” is a fantasy adventure novel where the protagonist, Piscine Molitor, a sixteen year old boy from Pondicherry, survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a 450 pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Yann Martel explores the ideas of science and religion in great depth. Science and religion, two opposites and conflicting forces, are brought together in Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi”. One may or may not believe that religion and science can coexist depending on one’s imagination and acceptance of different ideas and stories. Pi shows the ability to believe in three religions, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, as well as science.
On the cover of the book we think that Life of Pi is going to be about a boy’s story of survival on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. This book in much, much more. We learn that Pi practices three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and, Islam these religions give Pi an inner strength and his faith will be tested. This is an extraordinary story that gives us a boy’s view of a truly traumatic experience.
In 2001, Yann Martel published the novel “Life of Pi” an amazing story about religion, faith, spirituality and a boy named Pi who is a practitioner of three major religions Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. Yann Martel makes a bold statement, while at the same time giving an answer to a question that has been asked since the creation of religion saying: “I have a
In The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi's compelling struggle to survive in the vast Pacific Ocean tests his faith and devotion. Religion is one of the main themes in the book. Pi Patel was involved in three religions: Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam. Catholicism seems to be the religion that Pi really connects with. Pi’s love for God is shown throughout the book.
The feeling flooded my chest. ‘Truly I do. I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn't have you now, I don't know what I would do. I don't think I would make it. No, I wouldn't. I would die of hopelessness. Don't give up, Richard Parker, don't give up. I'll get you to land, I promise, I promise!’’’ (Martel 236). Finally, at the end of the pairs’ merciless endeavour, Richard Parker moves on into the jungle of unknown as he is no longer needed to aid Pi, “Then Richard Parker, companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life.” (Martel 285). Richard Parker has a strong influence on Pi, as in his opposing story that was told to the reporters, Richard Parker is Pi, “‘So the Taiwanese sailor is the zebra, his mother is the orangutan, the cook is… the hyena---which means he's the tiger!’” (Martel 311). In conclusion Richard Parker is powerful, magnificent, terrifying, and hopeful, all of which help Pi to survive his