How Pi's Character is Baked

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, focuses on the physical journey of Piscine (Pi) Patel, the protagonist of the story, and the challenges he faces throughout his adventure. While the novel chronicles Pi’s voyage and survival, it also depicts his process of maturation. Pi’s journey begins with the sinking of a cargo ship, the Tsimtsum and continues for two hundred twenty seven days until his rescue in Mexico. Throughout the course of the novel, the reader is able to witness Pi’s spiritual growth, which leads him to possess a more mature and developed spiritual outlook on life. This process of Pi’s spiritual maturation includes a tremendous increase in his faith in God, through observing multiple religions, and developing his own unique system of beliefs. Pi’s maturation is also seen when he becomes less dependent on his parents and more self-sufficient over the course of his journey. Furthermore, he further develops his intellect on his journey, which allows himself to outlast the sea with a Bengal tiger and few supplies. Over the course of a life-threatening voyage, Pi is able to mature in various ways to become more spiritual, independent and worldly.

As described by his mother, Pi Patel’s religious zeal is “a mystery”. Pi’s beliefs begin to shift from his customary views, when he encounters multiple leaders from different religions. His religious journey begins at birth, by being born into a Hindu family. He considers Hinduism as “ the original landscape of my religious imagination”. He is able to develop a love for Hinduism that eventually leads to full devotion and observance to the Hindu Gods. When Pi is fourteen, he stumbles upon a Church in Munnar, which is the beginning of his belief in Christ. Father Martin, the priest a...

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...le also helps Pi adapt to his new life and is a key component in preventing him from losing hope. Without the realization and intellectual maturity of Pi, he would not have survived and would likely be a victim of the sea or Richard Parker’s rage.
Pi’s character develops in several ways throughout the novel. Often, people mature with age, but life-threatening episodes can accelerate the maturation process. In Pi’s situation, the crashing of the Tsimtsum accelerates his maturation, which is a key component to his survival. More specifically, Pi becomes more spiritually mature, independent and intelligent afterwards. These changes allow Pi to cope with his surroundings and help him remain hopeful. Overall, Pi is a unique character whose personality is shaped by his life-threatening voyage, which makes him more spiritual, independent, intelligent and thankful.