With four wild zoo animals, a teenage boy, and a lifeboat drifting on the Pacific Ocean, what could possibly go wrong? Yann Martel’s fictitious book, “Life of Pi,” tells the story of a boy named Pi escaping a sinking cargo ship by climbing into a lifeboat. Unfortunately, Pi was not the only passenger aboard. For the several months he has to learn how to live among animals and survive while floating aimlessly across the ocean. Pi’s struggles throughout the book highlight the importance of belief and perseverance. The main character in this book is Piscine Singh, otherwise known as Pi. An important trait Pi has is that he never gives up. Aside from that, he never believes that they will die and he never gives up. Even though he is stranded in the middle of the ocean he does not accept his almost certain death. Part of the reason Pi acts this way is because of his strong connection with religion. He studied Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam all at the same time because he did not believe there should just be one religion, and instead just wanted to learn to love God. Since he had such a strong connection with faith he was able to calm himself and focus on survival. Another character is Richard Parker, the tiger. Richard Parker was tossed overboard by the waves and into the ocean …show more content…
after falling from the cargo ship as it sank. He could not swim for long though and slowly began to drown. Had it not been for Pi, who urged him to climb aboard the lifeboat, he would have died. Because of this, a strong trait Richard Parker has is his respect. He respects that Pi saved his life and understands that they are more useful to each other alive than they are dead. An important decision Pi made was that he decided to not kill Richard Parker. If he had killed Richard Parker, or at least tried to kill Richard Parker, he would not have survived. However by keeping Richard Parker alive, he actually began a mutual relationship with him. They each began to have a respect for the other, which explains why Richard Parker never ate Pi. They realized that they were helping each other survive. After drifting through the ocean for months and after all of the animals dying except for Richard Parker, he ended up giving Pi company and becoming a friend to him. A big theme in the book is religion. In the beginning of the book, Pi and his family went on a family vacation and along the way he began to learn about different religions. He talked with all the religious leaders and actually got involved in three different religions. Unfortunately when he was out with his family another day, all three religious leaders came up to him at the same time. When they saw the other leaders they realized he was not just participating in one religion. They then all confronted him about it at the same time to which he then replied, “I just want to love God,” (69). This book then raises the question, is there a true religion? Doesn’t everyone just want to love God? It made me realize that everything is uncertain but all anyone can ever do is show love. Another theme in this book is never giving up.
Even though Pi was floating through the ocean without knowledge of when he would find land or if he would survive, he never gave up. This shows that if Pi never gave up even in the most dire of situations and circumstances, no one should ever give up. Whether it’s giving up in school or sports, there is no reason I should not try my best or ever give up. It actually is very inspiring and makes me realize that it is important to persevere and fight through all tribulations life presents because it is possible to make it through. Overall, after reading about Pi’s struggles and his own perseverance I want to apply that strength to my own
life. The author wrote this book to inspire people. It raises many questions and also made me analyze life. This book was aimed toward an older audience because often books for a younger audience do not explore themes such as religion however this book can be read by any audience. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought provoking story and intense story. It is quite suspenseful at points and although the ending is given away at the beginning of the story, it is interesting to watch the events unfold. This book was extremely enjoyable and the lessons learned will stay with me forever.
Stranded for 227 days at sea in a lifeboat, with no one else except an adult Bengal tiger. This is exactly what the main character Pi, in "The Life of Pi" went through. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel is a story about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel, an Indian boy who survives more than seven months floating on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean, with no one else but a 450-pound tiger (Cooper). Yann Martel was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain. His parents, Emile Martel and Nicole Perron, were both born in Canada. He spent his childhood in several different countries, including France, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica. As an adult, he lived in many other places but one of them was India, which may be where he got inspiration for writing “Life of Pi”. Yann Martel uses the literary elements similes and foreshadowing, to express the theme that believing in religion can give you the faith to want to survive.
Hello everyone! I am Muhes Ariyaratnam and this is speech on coping with adversity. Everyone faces adversities big or small. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and Steve Jobs was kicked out of his own company. They went on to have very successful careers in their respective fields. Two of the greatest humans faced adversity. Similarly the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel and the play King Lear by William Shakespeare contain the same theme of coping with adversity. In both texts characters cope with loss of loved ones, poor mentality, and nature.
Many people today are astounded at the atrocities that the prisoners of the Nazi Death Camps survived; I can presume what my fate would be if I were ever forced into such a situation. Similarly, it is hard to imagine surviving a shipwreck in the middle of the largest ocean, but that is what Pi Patel did. On his way to Canada with his father and a shipment of a variety of large zoo animals, Pi’s journey on a large freight is ended due to an accident, and a new one begins on a life raft. Pi and a Bengal Tiger, named Richard Parker, are the last survivors on the lifeboat, and Pi manages to survive despite the elements and shark infested water. “It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose form that I’ve made none the champion,” Pi describes of his 227 days at sea. The experience at sea was not only horrific because Pi struggled to save his own life, but also because he witnessed the death of his mother and father, as well as his beloved zoo animals. The sinking of the freight carries great symbolism because Pi’s entire life as he knew it was sank along with the ship: “I looked about for my family, for survivors, for another lifeboat, for anything that might bring me hope.
...book that was the home to one of the most impressive personalities so far. Throughout Pi’s horrific journey, he not only managed to face it with faith but was also successful in coming out with a faith stronger than his initial. Basically Pi used his faith as a coping mechanism to battle his fears and fortunately came out triumphant.
This alternate ending plays a key role in understanding how to view the novel through Freudian lenses. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis clarifies many troubling issues raised in the novel Life of Pi. Martel’s novel is about the journey of a young man being forced to test his limits in order to survive the unthinkable predicament of being lost at sea alongside an adult Bengal tiger. Life of Pi starts out by introducing an anonymous author on a quest to find his next big story and goes to a man by the name of Piscine Molitor Patel who supposedly has a story worth hearing. Patel begins his story talking about his childhood and the main events that shaped him such as his family’s zoo, the constant curiosity in religion he sought as a young boy and also how he got his nickname Pi.
Life of Pi, a book written by Yann Martel, is an inspiring tale of survival in a time of hardship and peril. The story follows a young boy ,named Piscine "Pi" Patel, through his early life and as he and his family make their journey to Canada aboard a cargo ship with many cages of zoo animals. However, halfway through their journey, their ship sinks and Pi's family perishes while he escapes on a lifeboat. However, he encourages a companion to climb onboard the lifeboat with him; a large tiger named Richard Parker. Thinking the tiger was gone after Pi found him missing, the large feline reappears some time later, much to Pi's dismay. Now, Pi has to survive not only the harsh conditions of nature, but also the malicious and feral instincts of
A young boy named Pi was stranded in the middle of the pacific ocean, alone except for the company of a 450 pound Bengal Tiger. Death was imminent and any chance of survival was slim; the only thing the boy had left was faith that he would make it. In the book The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, faith has always been a part of Pi’s life. When he was just a boy, he was torn over which religion he should believe: Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam. Faith came back into his life later when he was stranded out at sea and was stuck only with his belief that he could survive. Later on in his life when Pi somehow survived his adventure, everyone that heard his story didn't believe him. Pi’s belief in himself overall is how he survived his adventure. Pi’s
Life of Pi by Yann Martel offers many connections to the Christian religion, such as Pi’s journey of hardships and miracles being similar to Jesus’s journey through Israel, Pi being reborn when he landed in Mexico just as Jesus was reborn on Easter, and Pi taming Richard Parker is like God taming humanity as Jesus. The book offers much to learn about religion, faith, and beliefs. Pi’s life is one of triumph and glory. The trials of his life are similar to the savior of one of his religions, as Jesus went through many trials as well. Pi Patel is a boy of many faiths, but Christianity offers the most to connect with, as the similarities between Jesus’s journey to the cross and Pi’s journey on the Pacific are plentiful and interesting.
The evident motif of religion plays a major factor in Pi’s life; however the author chooses not to focus on one religion specifically but instead enforces a glorification of more religions. Martel creates a main character who is a curious young boy who decides to learn about Christianity, Hinduism and Islam all at once. Even though Pi is primarily Hindu, he has insight on the conception of religion being “more than [just] rite and ritual” (Martel 48). Pi’s insight on religion opens his mind to more options than just sticking to one. Unlike the traditional standards of Pi’s society, he chooses to explore different religions in his community. His exploration helps him realizes “we are all born…in limbo- without religion, until some figure introduces us to God…” (Martel 47). Pi is recognizing the idea that religion is a life-style choice people make by deciding the morals of which they will live their life. Along with Pi’s understanding of structured life through religion, he discovers the freedom of being able to celebrate different religions at the same time. While reflecting on his religious background, being raised Hindu, he finds importance in “not [clinging]!” or focusing “upon fundamentalism and literalism!” (Martel 49). Pi thinks religion is meaningful because of the followers who believe in it. Without belief, religion is nothing, so fai...
Pi was interested in a trinity of religions and his fate in these religions helped him survive his journey across the Pacific Ocean with Richard Parker. These challenges helped secure Pi’s fate in these religions. He says because of his belief in God he survived. Yann Martel tells Piscine’s story wonderfully because of him betraying the story through adolescent Pi’s eyes.
The novel, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, is about a young boy, Pi, and his survival on a lifeboat drifting in the Pacific Ocean. It is written in three sections, the second part, spanning from chapters 37 to 94, concerns the events on the lifeboat and what Pi experiences. This part contrasts part 1 as Pi is not alone, the only human, left to dwell in his own thoughts and be self-sufficient. Whereas in part 1, Pi is living in India, surrounded by his family and friends, not alone in the slightest.
The primacy of survival and self preservation are natural instincts, often triggered by the ordeals of suffering. In the novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel exemplifies the notion of survival, as the shipwrecked inhabitants experience the trials and tribulations of suffering. A conception of willpower is projected through the actions of distinctive characters, who demonstrate their ambition towards life. Their paradoxical attempt of valiant or barbaric acts, emphasizes the key idea of survival. Determination and perseverance is evident in the actions executed by Pi, the zebra and the hyena, assisted by their sheer will to live.
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel was a fascinating and exciting narrative that described the journey of a young boys life starting with the formation of his beliefs moving all the way through an adventure that changed his life forever. I found it extremely engaging on both a philosophical level and a psychological level as I saw Pi, a young boy, curious about life, discover both religion and go through an extremely traumatic experience. I found Pi's devotion to God to be an uplifting example that many people throughout the world should see. Although I do believe that Pi was confused about how to best love God, I admire his efforts and believe that his dedication is sincere. I also found the psychological aspect of Pi to be almost as fascinating as religion. I could see from the beginning that Pi was quite thoughtful and always tried to think before he acted. However, what I found even more fascinating than his pre-planning cognitive abilities was how he thought when he was under great stress. Perhaps the best example of how he coped with stress was towards the end of the book when he tells what may be the true story, and we can see that he may have represented everyone as an animal in order to deal with the situation. This provides valuable insight into Pi's mind and opens a whole new area of possibilities when considering how Pi thinks. This ending leaves how Pi thinks open to interpreting which adds a intriguing aspect to the book. Beyond the religious and theoretical aspects of the book, the adventure seen kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Every time it seemed Pi was about to die or give up hope, an astounding miracle would suddenly save him. I found the effect of these suspenseful moments to cause me to want to...
Adversity has the effect of evoking abilities which, in booming circumstances, would have lain dormant. Through adversity we come to see ourselves grow and advance as individuals, and realize our true potential. In retrospect, we see Pi overcoming fear and loss and realizing what he is capable of and his potential as one of God's disciples. Adversity brings out the finest in people, the most magnifcant qualities and abilities that a person can possess. Yann Martel expresses through this writing that people fall victim to adversity all the time, but our understanding for different situations makes us able to determine our capabilities as individuals. Pi has many potential talents and abilities that he just hasn't uncovered yet and could use to survive. Throughout the novel Pi goes through many life changing experiences, overcomes many obstacles and pushes his limits. Like when Pi catches the fish and kills it for the first time. He's hesitant and begins to fret over it, but he soon comes to realize that in order for him to survive he has...
Imagine being stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in a lifeboat, not alone but with some carnivorous animals, as company. The chances of survival do not seem so high, but when one has the will to survive, they can do anything to attain it. Pi Patel and his family are on their way to Canada from Pondicherry, India, when their cargo ship the Tsimtsum sinks. Pi is not the only survivor of the ship, along with him is a hyena, an injured zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound orange Bengal tiger. Pi travels across the Pacific Ocean in only a lifeboat, with food dwindling quickly, he needs to find land and most of all survive the voyage. In Life of Pi; Yann Martel develops the idea that having the will to survive is a crucial key to survival; this is demonstrated through symbolism of the colour orange, having religion on the protagonist’s side and the thirst and hunger experienced by the protagonist.