The Quest of Pi The Life of Pi a quest with an strong influence of religion that is apparent throughout the story. “We are all born like Catholics, aren't we--in limbo without religion, until some figure introduces us to god” (Martel 58). Piscine Molitor Patel a young Indian teen has a unique infatuation with religion. Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, Gave Pi or Piscine an interesting life that is different from others. Piscines’ life is a constant struggle or a quest..
An in Depth Look at “Life of Pi” The Life of Pi a quest with a strong influence of religion that is apparent throughout the story. “We are all born like Catholics, aren't we--in limbo without religion, until some figure introduces us to god” (Martel 58). Piscine Molitor Patel a young indian teen has a unique infatuation with religion. Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, Gave Pi or Piscine a very interesting life that is different from others. Piscines’ life is a constant struggle or quest..
Nathanial Mendes Philosophy in Literature 2/23/2018 One of the primary themes in Life of Pi is that of survival. Much of the struggle is against both internal and external forces; Pi is at the center of it all. The book highlights – primarily through Pi’s journey in the Pacific Ocean – that Pi will need to change and adapt to survive. Though readers should recognize that he will live in the end, the constant tension between staying true to oneself and fighting to survive keeps up the pressure of the novel on each decision Pi makes. While some may say that Pi's journey was luck, Martel highlights the extremes that living things will go to survive, sometimes fundamentally changing their natures.
Yann martel wrote a book featuring a young adult named Piscine Patel who is on his way to complete a hero's journey. This journey really shows how much someone can adapt to such a life changing experience. Before Pi’s journey began he lived in Pondicherry, India, along with growing up in the zoo his father owned. Having the opportunity to be raised in a zoo gave him skills that help him survive his voyage. Pi starts his expedition by his family telling him the news of them moving to Canada and bringing the Pondicherry zoo too.
Despite Yann Martel’s ability to incorporate some comedic and ironic elements to the novel, Life of Pi shows a stronger sense of an Autumn Tragedy and Summer Romance. As the story progresses, it is only towards the end of the narrative where the reader realizes the horrific and shocking reality of Pi’s journey. After reading the third part of the novel and analyzing Frye’s four archetypal narratives, I believe the most fitting mythos for Life of Pi would be an Autumn Tragedy. Weather Pi lost his mother to a cannibalistic cook or at sea, the loss of his entire family is something that is undoubtedly tragic and unbearable. Before this, however, Pi experiences a childhood that tailors nicely to Frye’s first few phases of an Autumn Tragedy.
Evidently, Pi’s father takes on the role of the breadwinner in the novel by going to work everyday and by controlling the household. Furthermore, as being the dominant figure in the household, Pi’s father (Santosh Patel) has made the major decisions in the household, for instance like moving to Canada and selling the Podicherry zoo. On the Patel’s moving day, Pi’s mother seemed “sad. For she was leaving India, India so familiar to her and loved by her” (Martel 100). As a result, she is portrayed as a minority and a powerless figure because she is incapable to voice her outlook to her family, thus showing there are traditional binaries seen throughout Pi’s family.
At the beginning of the story, it would appear that Pi is trying to determine the kind of person he wants to be as he grows up, to find his identity, so to speak. This is first hinted at when Pi discusses his struggles throughout grade school, especially being nicknamed “Pissing” Patel. Displeased with this nickname, Pi sets out to create a new identity for himself at Petit Seminaire by demanding that everyone shorten his name to Pi, instead of Piscine. As Part One progresses, Pi’s attitude of rebellion stays strong. Some could argue that Pi takes part in three religions at once out of rebellion.
Yann Martel is an award-winning Canadian author with many notable works, including Life of Pi. In this novel, Trent University alumnus depicts a story of a young Indian boy, Piscine Patel, who is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel presents two stories to leave the reader conflicted as to what story is true, which emphasizes the reader’s subjective ideology and the realization that there is no absolute truth. Most readers presume that the relativity of truth isn’t introduced until the end of the novel, but the beginning of the novel also postulates that there is no absolute truth. The author’s note blurs the border amid fact and fiction.
In the novel, Pi is an archetypal hero because a traumatic event changes his life forever, and he suffers from his journey. Pi’s voyage causes him to become an archetypal hero because the traumatic event of the ship sinking and his situation changes his life forever. When Pi has come to the realization that the ship sank, he understands that
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Yann Martel’s Life of Pi are examples of novels both similar and contrasting in their content. They each hold profound symbolism, showing obedience and law. Both stories also maintain the idea of civilization. And yet, these symbols contrast in how each item is manipulated when expressing ideas. The differences and similarities in the symbols of civilisation found in Lord of the Flies and Life of Pi are striking.