Life of Pi
is a story rich with symbolism and allegory, and it also provides commentary
on topics ranging from philosophy to zoology. Author Yann Martel, however, has stated that the core of the book proposes that faith in god is one of the most effective tools in combating the harshness of life and the struggles that we face. Indeed, this idea is popular, with the vast majority of people on earth practicing some form of religion. Martel’s novel offers One of the most important functions of Life of Pi
is to remind or show the reader the importance of religion
to billions of people throughout the world.
From the beginning of the novel, the reader can see that religion was central to Pi as he was growing up in India. Pi enjoys religious rituals as well as the comfort of a god that protects him. Before Pi is stranded, he makes it clear that religion is his greatest comfort by comparing it to the zoo that his father works at; the animals have to obey rules that they would not have to in the wild, but they trade this freedom for safety and consistency in their lives, just like humans do when they practice religion. He explores the concept of zoomorphism in a similar fashion. “The circus lions don’t care to know that their leader is a weakling human; the fiction guarantees their social well being and staves off violent anarchy.” (Martel 86) Pi also refers to religion as “the better story” because people often create stories to improve their quality of life, even if it is just an illusion that they know is false. Here Pi ties together the themes of religion and storytelling in the novel, seemingly asserting that religion is a story that humans create to cope with the harsh realities of the world.
The second part of the novel demonstrates what Pi calls, “dry, yeastless factuality,” or the cruel reality of nature. When the hyena devours the zebra and decapitates the orangutan, the reader is forced to consider that this is the natural states of these animals. Pi, however, does not have to resort to violence or savagery, partially thanks to his religious faith. Instead of giving himself up to the hyena, Pi’s faith in god pushes him to keep on, and his efforts are rewarded when Richard Parker kills the hyena. The importance of religion is accentuated again when Pi notes that he has “1 God” on the boat with him. Pi continues to pray daily as he does his chores on the boat,
“I practised religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances – solitary Masses without priests or consecrated Communion Hosts, darshans without murtis, and pujas with turtle meat for prasad, acts of devotion to Allah not knowing where Mecca was and getting my Arabic wrong. They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. 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. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation and weariness, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up.” (Martel 208-209)
Next, Pi links his survival story with the believability of religion. When the Japanese officials question the validity of his story, he becomes upset and asserts that they want a story that reinforces the worldview that they already hold, which in this case is that animals could not possibly have lived on the boat with Pi. “You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won’t make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. You want dry, yeastless factuality.” (Martel However, When Pi retells the story, the Japanese men agree with him that the story with animals is “the better story.” Although Pi never tells the reader which story is actually true, it is reasonable to assume that Pi made up the animal story to cope with the gruesome events that he has endured. Replacing the animals in the story with humans also serves to demonstrate that humans are susceptible to reverting to our natural savagery, which Pi was able to avoid by leaning on his faith in god. In the end, the reader is left to believe whichever story they choose. This, according to Pi, is synonymous with finding faith in a religion that cannot be proven or disproven. In fact, the author, Yann Martel, gave his own summary of his novel,
The subtext of Life of Pi
can be summarized in three lines:
1)Life is a story.
2)You can choose your story.
3)The story with God is the better story. (Martel
Finally, Pi’s idea to follow three different religions is an uplifting assertion that the concepts of god and truth transcends man made religion.Pi’s light attitude toward balancing the three faiths is challenged by the high ranking officials, and when pressured to choose one of them, he exclaims, “I just want to love God.” (Martel 69) This puts an abrupt end to the debate between the leaders and demonstrates more of Pi’s deep understanding of the concept of religion.
Pi’s parents are bewildered when he tells them that he wants to follow Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. “I don’t see why I can’t be all three. Mamaji has two passports. He’s Indian and
French. Why can’t I be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim?”
“That’s different. France and India are nations on earth.” “
How many nations are there in the sky?” She thought for a second.
“One. That’s the point. One nation, one passport.” (Martel 73)
Pi’s mother represents the typical viewpoint of many religious people today, that one religion is true and the followers of that religion reach heaven. However, Pi sees that all religions try to reach a common goal and show the love of their god to the world. He sees no contradiction between the three because he understands the common underlying theme between them all, and that is what forms the core values of those who follow these religions.
The parallels that can be drawn between events in Pi’s journey and the life of the average believer are numerous, but the most important one is the connection to be made between Richard Parker and the doubt that creeps into the mind of a believer who wishes to keep believing. The constant presence of Richard Parker on the boat reminds Pi of the absurdity of his situation, and at times he almost loses hope and faith completely. Nevertheless, Pi powers through until he is saved, and he even learns to tame the tiger in the process, showing believers that doubt can be tamed and contained no matter how frightening it may seem.
In conclusion, Pi’s faith in religion helped combat the fear that he faced while he was at sea, just as the same faith comforts those who practice it. Life of Pi
seeks to shed favorable light
on religion, a topic that has come under much scrutiny in the twenty-first century. Martel seeks to invite readers to take their own journey and choose their own story, preferably with a God to lean on in hard times.