Life Of Pi Rhetorical Analysis

1059 Words3 Pages

People have different strategies when overcoming a traumatic event. Without a way to cope, one would shut down and slowly fizzle out as there is a lack of hope for a better future. In Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi, after the protagonist Pi survives months stranded in the ocean, the author claims his story has a happy ending. For Pi, his strategy to overcome his grief is through storytelling, using it to tell two contrasting narratives, one with animals and strong faith, the other more scientifically accurate with humans. Storytelling and belief in Pi is the ability to cope, control, and then create; the story with the animals allows Pi to write his own happy ending. When the cold facts do not help to show his resilience fully, Pi turns to storytelling as a coping mechanism. Talking …show more content…

Sharing with others such as the author will further strengthen his bond to his experience, reinforcing that this is his story to tell and continue to live out. Overcoming his past with the animal story enables Pi to restart and create his own ending. He rebuilds his life, creating a home “large and memorably crowded” as he now has a family and pets of his own, and continues to keep up with his faith. The author meets Pi’s entire family, including his son and daughter, and acknowledges that Pi has filled his life with people he is proud of and loves. After being asked about his son, he responds, “‘Yes.’ Acknowledging the fact brings a smile to his lips” (Martel 92). His belief and reassurance in this open-ended story gives him the chance to keep moving forward, and even keep motivation to work towards closure. Resilience and faith have never left Pi, and he can keep a remembrance of his journey in a safe, hopeful tone. He has a family, while furthering his relationship with God, and is content with where he is, and he could not have reached it without trusting the Richard Parker

Open Document