Life Of Pi Light Vs Dark Research Paper

Anh Truong

Mr. Schutte

English 2 HN

21 September 2015

Light vs. Dark

"Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me?'" (Martel 27). In the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the contrast between light and dark is being interpreted in different ways, depending on the individuals opinion. It is up to them whether or not to find the light or darkness within their aspects. With a comparison between two opposite views, Martel brought to the reader a continuous contrast between the motif of light vs. dark. This motif conveys the theme of good and immoral within life.

To bring a clearer picture of the motif, Martel constantly gives the reader clues and comparison throughout the

book. The first thing being mentioned on this motif is light. Light in this novel can clearly be seen through Pi's belief in Gods, his morals and hope. Religion has always been an important part of his life ever since he was young. He uses religion as a way of being close to God and does not see anything wrong with worshipping three separate religions. He said, "They brought me comfort, that is certain [...] 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" (Martel 208). During his ordeal, the thought of lightness is seen when Pi seeks refuge in God. The lightness in religion can be seen as good and hope that Pi strives for on the lifeboat and is what motivates him to be a better person. In the quote, although there are times when he is feeling depressed and hopeless, Pi believes that God is always there within his heart. He said, "The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving" (Martel 209). Lightness also seems to be a metaphor for hope that motivates Pi to survive. Pi clearly states that the daylight has given him a sense hope and it is when he can be productive on finding ways to survive. He stated, "With the very first rays of light it came alive in me: hope. As things emerged in outline and filled with colour, hope increased until it was like a song in my heart" (Martel 119). At night, when he notices a source of light in the night, he thinks that it might be a boat or plane that will come and rescue him. He says, "On many nights I was convinced I saw a light in the distance. Each time I set off a flare" (Martel 199). Seeing a light in an empty space of darkness gives Pi the hope of being recused, which is why he sets off a flare each time.
Opposite with light, darkness is the other half being mentioned in this motif. The darkness in Pi can be considered to be Richard Parker, which is his cannibalistic and savage side that is willing to do anything in order to survive. Bringing a lively image of his savage side, Pi says, “It came as an unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I noticed, with a pinching of the heart, that I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate” (Martel 225). With the power of words, Martel shows the reader the tone reflecting on humans instead of animals seems darker and cruel because of the fact that humans are the ones committing the actions. Darkness can also be associated with times of despair and anxiety. One example of this is, "As evening approached, my anxiety grew. Everything about the end of the day scared me [...] Darkness came. There was no moon. Clouds hid the stars. The contours of things became hard to distinguish" (Martel 118). At moments like this, darkness mirrors his hopelessness and further his distance away from God. Pi said, "Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out" (Martel 209). In addition to this, Pi later on enters the state of darkness when he turns blind and starts to lose hope on surviving. This period the novel is filled with darkness in a sense that Pi felt furthest from God. Pi says, "My eyes started to ooze pus. Then darkness came, blink as I might [...] I clung to life. I was weakly frantic. The heat was infernal [...] By the next morning I had lost all fear of death, and I resolved to die" (Martel 241).
To bring a clearer picture of the motif, Martel constantly gives the reader clues and comparison throughout the book.

The first contrast of light vs darkness being interpreted between two different point of views. When Pi heard Mr. Kumar says religion is darkness, he asked himself, "Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me?'" (Martel 27). Martel shows the reader the different views between each individual. Pi believes in God and constantly searching for his the light to find his faith and hope. He also refuses to be in darkness throughout the novel. On the other hand, Mr. Kumar, Pi's biology teacher and an atheist; therefore, he believes religion is darkness. Beside giving the contrast of light and darkness, the reader also gets to interpret the balance of the motif. Pi is a good example of a character who possesses a balance between light and dark. Before the shipwreck, Pi was living a normal life in Pondicherry where he has devoted his life to being a Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. At this time, his life had been consisted with brightness and innocence. When Pi was stranded out in ocean, it is evident that he transitioned from being a regular innocent boy into an animalistic person. Pi says, "I wept heartily over this poor little deceased soul. It was the first sentient being I had ever killed. I was now a killer [...] I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious, and now I had blood on my hands" (Martel 183). Pi's animalistic behavior is considered to be his "dark side" that he struggles to master, in order to

survive.
With a comparison between two opposite views, Martel brought to the reader a continuous contrast between the motif of light vs dark. This motif conveys the theme of good and immoral within life. He uses the motif to incorporate the idea of light and darkness in different ways. This shows the balance of light and dark in life.