Life Of Pi: Religion, Fear, And Coming Of Age

Yann Martel uses language to advance Pi's character by showing Pi becoming hopeful and somewhat sad that he has been found. At first when Pi had been saved, he was showing signs of frightening curiosity. "I let myself down the side. I was afraid to let go, afraid that so close to deliverance, in two feet of water, I would drown." Pi is showing that he was afraid of what was to come. He had also been on the life boat for a very long time surviving with Richard Parker, and since he ran away, Pi is left feeling sad that he wont see him again. "I looked about. I was truly alone, orphaned not only of my family, but now of Richard Parker..." Pi was initially afraid of Richard Parker from the beginning of the story, but in chapter 94, it showed that

Late afternoons to early evenings: Prayers. Sunset: prayers. Night: Prayers.” (211). While on the raft Pi praying as often as he did helped him keep faith in his survival and his life. If he was not constantly thinking of God and keeping God close to him, Richard Parker would have replaced God and Pi most likely would have ended up committing suicide. In him having faith in God and his survival, it gave him an extra push and more determination to survive for 227 days alone in the pacific on a life boat.

Throughout the novel, Pi’s thoughts reveal and internal struggle between his desire to live and his own beliefs to what is morally right. Pi grows up on varying religious viewpoints because he studies different religions. His religious diversity forms a moral standard of “dignity not …depravity” (Martel 71). He values dignity and character over corruption of morals initially because he sees

In this quotation Pi is showing us how he is slowly regaining hope and rediscovering himself. He is now realizing that he is not alone but he has his faith to help him survive and get through this very hard

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

Another important part highlighting the motivation of Pi’s fear is when he is truly aware of his fear and what is going on. Martel shows that Pi has come to terms with this fear by saying “I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always” (2.56.178) This passage shows Pi’s awareness of his fear and suffering, as well as, that he knows he must go through much more in order to survive.

The will to live is a strong urge of survival that occurs when one’s life is threatened. The novel and film Life of Pi is about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel who is lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean due to a shipwreck with a 450 pound Bengal Tiger. The theme that fits the novel and film the best is the will to live. The novel and film effectively prove the theme by using symbols to portray how badly Pi wants to live. Characterization also plays an important role in proving the theme as the novel and book show how Pi and his tiger have to change themselves to live. Cinematic techniques such as different types of camera angles are used as well to prove that the will to live is the essential theme in the film. In the novel, Yann Martel shows how the camera angles prove what they prove. The film and novel Life of Pi effectively capture the theme of the will to live by the effective use of symbolism, characterization, and cinematic techniques.

Yann Martel’s theme of truth being relative is again established when Pi experiences a shipwrecked. On the lifeboat, Pi continues to survive living with a bengal tiger, he survives after seeing the other animals on the boat kill each other, and he survives by eating fish even though he is a vegetarian. Inspite of all the suffering Pi is going through he still turns towards God. This is proved when Pi says, “I practised religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances – solitary Masses without priests or consecrated Communion Hosts, darshans without murtis, and pujas with turtle meat for prasad, acts of devotion to Allah not knowing where Mecca was and getting my Arabic wrong. They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love – but sometimes it was so hard to love. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation and weariness, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up...The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining light in my heart. I would go on loving” (208-209). Through this quote, Yann Martel is showing how Pi continues to worship God even though he was suffering and struggling with his faith. Pi still believes that God is the most important to him inspite of what his is going through emotionally

Religion can grant you a great amount of things, like belief, trust, and faith, but it can also give you the gift of hope. In the book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, an Indonesian boy, named Pi, is shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean. Pi survived 227 days at sea because his faith in multiple religions instilled him with a sense a hope to survive. As a boy, Pi was raised to be a Buddhist and lived in a Buddhist family.

Despite the fact Pi had hardships, he kept on with his journey, he handled situations amazingly. Getting the chance to read about the situations plus how well they were handled was an honor. Bountiful times Pi did not believe God was there with him, but at no time did he completely lose his faith. Pi used animals, also anything around him to help him see God’s beauty in addition to his wonderful works. Christianity was a wonderful religion for him to be involved with on his journey along with Hinduism as well as

At the beginning of his journal entries, Pi noted and wrote how he was feeling about his voyage in the sea with Richard Parker. Towards the end of his entries, Pi begins to lose himself in his writings. According to Pi, “To be castaway is to be a point perpetually at the center of a circle. When you look up...there isn’t another one like you also looking up, also trapped by geometry, also struggling with fear, rage, madness, apathy.” Pi is portraying his view of being the center. At this moment, Pi is in need of human contact or communication. Pi is extremely isolated which is moving him closer to insanity and madness. He writes in his journal and talks to Richard Parker to be able to help keep his sanity. Martel displays, in Pi, how humans need contact and communication from other humans. In a reader’s point of view, humans need to communication and contact to feel surrounded by others. This affects the work as a whole because humans will lose faith in finding others of their own kind and it displays how humans could go mad and insane over the lack of communication.

While Pi was stranded on the lifeboat, Pi occupied his time with various rituals and routines each day. These actions ultimately saved his life in many ways. Something Pi did to keep his hope from wavering and his mind in check was that he believed in God. In addition, his faith towards God gave him the courage to look forward to another day, while his routines kept him busy during the day. At first Pi wondered what he did to deserve this, but as time went on he realized God was putting him through a trial. He thought of god as “… an opening up, a letting goes, a deep trust, a free act of love…” (Martel, 213) In many situations, if Pi

During his suffering, Pi often comes close to losing hope. While on the lifeboat he ponders, “At such moments I tried to elevate myself. I would touch the turban I had made with the remnants of my shirt and I would say aloud, ‘THIS IS GOD'S HAT!’ I would pat my pants and say aloud, ‘THIS IS GOD'S ATTIRE!’ I would point to Richard Parker and say aloud, ‘THIS IS GOD'S CAT!’ I would point to the lifeboat and say aloud, ‘THIS IS GOD'S ARK!’ I would spread my hands wide and say aloud, ‘THESE ARE GOD'S WIDE ACRES!’ I would point at the sky and say aloud, "THIS IS GOD'S EAR!"... But God's hat was always unraveling. God's pants were falling apart. God's cat was a constant danger. God's ark was a jail. God's wide acres were slowly killing me. God's ear didn't seem to be listening.” (231-232)

It is difficult to talk about the Life of Pi text without making a reference to faith, and the same goes with explaining Pi’s survival. Pi’s belief in pluralism and acceptance of the three religions, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam aid his future and is a crucial part of his survival at sea. His faith in knowing “so long as god is with me, I will not die” gives him the mental strength and will power to survive his ordeal. Even in the middle of the ocean, Pi practices all his religious rituals such as ‘‘solitary masses without consecrated Communion Hosts’’

In the novel Life of Pi, Pi Patel is a young boy who lives to tell a story “to make you believe in god” (Martel 19). Pi believes in three faiths throughout his life and the novel, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. He finds a common spirit behind each of these religions and they come together to guide Pi through his journey and his life. Pi is faced with the challenge of staying alive on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for months on end. He uses his faith and religion to guide him and keep him alive as well as carrying this belief to his adulthood.