Life Of Pi Rhetorical Analysis

In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the author uses the elements of voice to convey that Pi believes that religion is up for interpretation by each individual, rather than a global set of rules. After Pi explains and lists the actions of others, he begins to explain why they are wrong. He begins by noting that God should “be defended” “on the inside”, instead of “on the outside” (71). Building on that, Pi continues by comparing a “battlefield” to “the small clearing of each heart” (71). This metaphor of a battle on the inside of a person is shown by the elements of voice. By using similar sentence length throughout the paragraph, Pi shows that he is logically and calmly explaining. The paradox of a battle on the inside combined with parallelism shows

his simple yet complicated view that religion is individually interpreted. This same view is also shown in the next paragraph.

He begins with saying how “an oaf chased” him away from “the Great Mosque,” continues with “the priest glar[ing]” at him as to feel uncomfortable, and finally ends it with how “a Brahmin sometimes showed [him] away from darsan” (71). The diction used by Martel shows how Pi is persecuted for his unique religious beliefs. The words “chased”, “glared”, and “shooed” are all words that give the reader a sense that Pi’s presence is unwanted. Each of the words connote a negative but non violent reaction. Together, each of the diction words show that Pi is being persecuted by his own religions. He wholeheartedly believes in all of them, and is shunned for it. Finally, the final paragraph of the chapter shows how Pi still pursued his own beliefs in the face of ridicule. After noting how “religion is about dignity,” Pi simply begins to list on what exactly he did. Specifically, he “stopped attending mass” but “[instead went] to Our Lady of Angels” (71). For Islam, he “no longer lingered [among brethren]” (71). Even for his first religion, he came “when the Brahmins were too distracted” (71). Parallelism in this paragraph also shows Pi’s clear headed determination to follow his own

beliefs. The simple and constant sentence structure of this paragraph represents his own clear and simple resolutions. The read neither gets a sense of lethargy or energy, but rather acquires a feeling of calm, thoughtful decisions, mirroring Pi’s own calm and collected decision on religion. These paragraphs together outline and highlight exactly why Pi believes that everybody can interpret religion in their own unique way.