Religion In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

Martel uses religion, such as Catholicism, to give Pi a reason and ability to survive in Life of Pi, shown in Christian symbolism, Pi’s introduction and reliance on religion, and his persistence in keeping his faith throughout his ordeal. Martel used substantial amounts of symbolism in his book to prove a point about how life relates to faith and religion. There are several ways Pi relied on his faith throughout the book. There are also several reasons why Pi stayed faithful during his ordeal in the Pacific.

Catholicism has many symbols, with a deeper meaning usually found in the Bible. One such symbol is the Virgin Mary. As the mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary represents purity and freedom from sin, because she was born free of sin (Carnagie

He is somewhat reluctant to learn about Christianity, because it has a reputation for severity, but Pi finds Father Martin quite kind and tells Pi a Story (Martel 66-67). Pi begins to think about Jesus until he can’t get him out of his head, remarking he still can’t stop thinking about Him to this day (Martel 72). Pi marvels God would send a part of his Spirit to Earth to die, and when he asks Father Martin why he would do such a thing, he replies with a simple answer: love (Martel 68). This gives Pi enough reason to believe in the story of Christianity, and he later asks Father Martin to become Catholic (Martel 72-73). Pi continues to pray several times a day while he is stranded (Martel 240-241). This is important to give Pi a daily ceremony to distract him and keep him close to God. It helps him to keep his sanity and give him something to constantly be thinking about. Pi relates events, such as the orangutan, to his faith to help him rationalize his story and strengthen his belief during his ordeal at

Many people would abandon their religion in a situation like Pi’s. However, Pi instead uses it both to help him survive and to give himself a reason to keep living. Pi says keeping himself busy is one of his greatest tools to surviving (Martel 239). At times, Pi’s prayers are answered, proving he should keep his faith. Immediately after the Tsimtsum crashes, Pi prays to his God for Richard Parker to make it to the lifeboat: “Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see you, Richard Parker! Don’t give up, please. Come to the lifeboat,” (Martel 121). While Pi later realizes how it was a bad idea to invite a tiger onto his lifeboat, it would later prove vital, as taking care of Richard Parker was one of the main reasons Pi had a will to survive. Another instance where Pi prayers are answered happens when Richard Parker has killed the hyena and turns towards Pi: “My heart stopped and then beat triple speed. I turned. ‘Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu!’ I saw a sight that would stay with me for the rest of my days. Richard Parker had risen and emerged. He was not fifteen feet from me. Oh, the size of him! The hyena’s end had come, and mine,” (Martel 189). Just as Richard Parker begins to focus on Pi, a small brown rat appears out of nowhere. In a panic, Pi throws it to Richard Parker. Richard Parker accepts this tribute and eats it whole (Martel 192-193). At