The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein vs. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
When comparing the two novels, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and Life of Pi by Yann Martel, one could say there are many similarities, such as there are animals in the story. However, these books have deeper underlying concepts that relate them to each other. Through the motif of death, concept of spirituality, and the art of storytelling, the novels The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and Life of Pi by Yann Martel, are closely related. Throughout the novel The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein reveals to the reader the motifs of death and illness. The forces of death and illness have a strong manipulation over the plot, the decisions
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When her diagnosis of brain cancer arrived it was a huge manipulation to the actions of multiple characters in the story. This includes Trish and Maxwell, Eve’s parents, who took Eve’s illness as an opportunity to pick a major custody fight with Denny, Enzo’s owner, over the custody of his child. This affects Denny immensely, and allows him to become distant because he doesn’t accept the reality that his wife is sick. Because Denny doesn’t accept the fact, he suffers huge consequences that affect the plot.
Death is an also an important motif throughout the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Death takes two forms in this novel. The first is an antagonist. The main character Pi
“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn 't biological necessity; it 's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can.”
The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene; it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. [...]. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don 't, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you. (2.56.4)
“Life is so
shouldn’t afraid of death, we can’t be treated death as pain. “but, sustained and soothed. By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave” (Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant )
Robert Frost and William Shakespeare have been celebrated by many people because of their ability to express themselves through the written word. Here we are years after their deaths analyzing these fascinating poems about life and death. It’s clear they had similar thoughts about this subject at the time of these writings, even though their characters could not have been more opposite. For both poets, life is too
“It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the unexpectedness of both” (14).
The theme death has always played a crucial role in literature. Death surrounds us and our everyday life, something that we must adapt and accept. Whether its on television or newpaper, you'll probobly hear about the death of an individual or even a group. Most people have their own ideas and attitude towards it, but many consider this to be a tragic event due to many reasons. For those who suffered greatly from despair, living their life miserably and hopelessly, it could actually be a relief to them. Death effects not only you, but also those around you, while some people may stay unaffected depending on how they perceive it.
Simile- “There were times when the fact of impending death seemed as palpable as the bed they lay on, and they would cling together with a sort of despairing sensuality , like a damned soul grasping at his last morsel of pleasure.” (pg 125)
“The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live.” This quote was once said by Norman Cousin, a famous American political journalist who was also known as a world peace advocate. This quote relates greatly to the tragedy Antigone By Sophocles. In this play we watch the tragic hero Creon, a powerful king, become very arrogant due to his nobility ranking, thus relating back to part of the quote where it’s stated “...what we let die inside of us”.
As I searched for an editorial to write on, the Op-Ed, “What Our Cells Teach Us About a ‘Natural’ Death,” immediately caught my eye. It may have been due to recent events that left death on my mind, or the alien combination of ‘natural’ and ‘death’. Nonetheless, Warraich’s piece snagged my attention. His article provides an interesting interpretation of death and human relations towards the sore subject, and gives a sound argument to support it.
Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is a novel about a young boy, Pi, trapped with a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker who survive together in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. The central theme of the novel is Pi’s faith in God, which proves to be a crucial part of his survival during the extreme situation. In the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, the author talks about the importance of literary elements such as symbols, geography, and stories to a literary piece. These elements are used in Life of Pi to develop its compelling story about growing up.
In these three literary pieces a prevalent theme is death. Death may be defined as the end-ing period of physical life. However, throughout the development of these stories, it was possible to distinguish plenty of physical but even non-physical death as well. This absolutely
Despite any futile resistance, every living creature eventually succumbs to death. Ultimately, death is part of living. Death is inevitable. Likewise, although a diminutive moth may appear to be insignificant and pathetic, it can symbolize the true, many connections between the duality of life and death and human beings. For instance, Annie Dillard and Virginia Woolf illustrate similar, universal messages of the value of life through the metaphor of a moth. However, the manner in which they portray their themes and purpose varies, for their personal experiences and writing styles influence their provisions of life and death.
I read The Art of Racing in The Rain by Garth Stein. It was written in a dog's point of view and because of that, I am more appreciative of being human. Enzo made me realize the struggles of not being able to communicate and being physically restricted. I can’t imagine what it would be like not being able to say what you need or knowing important information but you can’t say anything about it. Enzo faced these troubles when he knew something was wrong with Eve, but he couldn’t do anything about it.
Despite any futile resistance, each living creature eventually succumbs to the forces of death. Ultimately, death is a part of living. Death is inevitable. Likewise, although a diminutive moth may appear to be insignificant and pathetic, it can symbolize the true connections between the duality of life and death and human beings. For instance, Annie Dillard and Virginia Woolf illustrate similar, universal messages about the value of life through the metaphor of a moth. However, the manner in which they portray their themes and purpose varies, for their personal experiences and writing styles influence their perspectives of life and death.
On its surface, Martel’s Life of Pi proceeds as a far-fetched yet not completely unbelievable tale about a young Indian boy named Pi who survives after two hundred twenty-seven days on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. It is an uplifting and entertaining story, with a few themes about companionship and survival sprinkled throughout. The ending, however, reveals a second story – a more realistic and dark account replacing the animals from the beginning with crude human counterparts. Suddenly, Life of Pi becomes more than an inspiring tale and transforms into a point to be made about rationality, faith, and how storytelling correlates the two. The point of the book is not for the reader to decide which
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy
Both The Count of Monte Cristo and Life of Pi show many different themes throughout the book, such as … However, there is as theme that both of these novels share. That theme is loss of innocence. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès was wrongfully accused