The Algae Island In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

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What symbols are encountered throughout the book, Life of Pi? Many different symbols are encountered on Pi’s journey at sea and his life on the Island. One of the most constant symbols that appear is the color orange, which represents salvation. Another symbol is the ocean, the infinite, ungovernable sea. The Algae Island that is encountered near the end of the story symbolizes the Garden of Eden passage found in the Bible. And lastly, the animals first seen at sea are turned into a human being each symbolizing a person Pi knew. The symbols examined in The Life of Pi include the alternative animals and people, the Algae Island and Garden of Eden, the unfathomable ocean, and the color orange. The color orange is constantly discovered in The Life of Pi and symbolizes the redemption of Pi’s life. The first encounter of orange is the …show more content…

The island is discovered by Pi in the late afternoon on one of his enduring days at sea. This island is a symbolism towards the Garden of Eden found in the book “Genesis.” The Algae Island is a place of salvation for Pi just as the Garden of Eden is a sanctuary for Adam and Eve. While on the island, Pi came across a black fruit that he wanted to try. While opening the fruit, Pi came across “A human tooth. A molar, to be exact” (Martel 280). This black fruit symbolizes the vileness of the island and allows Pi to see the island for what it is, just as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in “Genesis” opens Adam and Eve’s eyes’ to the knowledge of the world. Lastly, Pi must leave the island if he is to survive. Pi concluded, “When he was aboard, I pushed us off… In the morning the island was gone…” (Martel 283). Adam and Eve were forced to leave the Garden of Eden just as Pi left with Richard Parker to remain alive. The Algae Island symbolizes the Garden of Eden in the representation of the punishment of knowledge of the island/garden and the portrayal of

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