Life Of Pi by Yann Martel - Learning From Literature

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a philosophical fiction novel published in 2001.

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General Summary (No Spoilers)

Piscine “Pi” Patel’s childhood was spent in 1960s India, where his father managed a zoo. One of the zoo’s notable inhabitants is a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi is raised as a Hindu and a vegetarian, but he also explores Christianity and Islam on his own, driven by his love for God. In 1976, due to political turmoil in India, Pi’s family decided to sell the zoo, take a few animals, and move to Canada.

The story then shifts to the journey of Pi’s family on a ship bound for Canada. A storm hits a few days into the voyage, and the ship sinks, but Pi manages to board a lifeboat. He soon realizes he is not alone and has to share the space with a spotted hyena, an injured zebra, and an orangutan named Orange Juice. Eventually, he discovers that Richard Parker the tiger is also on board, hiding under a tarp. The rest of the novel chronicles Pi’s struggle for survival in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Background

In Life Of Pi, Yann Martel uses a literary technique called framing, which involves using one story to enclose another (essentially a “story within a story”). One story serves as a “frame,” setting the stage / context for the main narrative. Framing can create a specific mood, convey a particular theme, or manipulate the reader’s perception of the story.

Examples:

One Thousand And One Nights (Arabian Nights) → the life of Scheherazade, who avoids execution by telling the king a story every night and leaving it incomplete
The Canterbury Tales → a procession of pilgrims take turns telling each other stories to pass the time as they travel
Frankenstein → Captain Walton writes multiple letters to his sister describing his encounter with Dr. Frankenstein and the unbelievable tale he told

Life Of Pi is framed by a fictional letter from Yann Martel recounting how he first heard of Pi’s story and met with Pi to hear his account.

Themes

Religion / Faith

Pi practices Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam all at once, even against his family’s and religious mentors’ wishes. The author emphasizes the common aspects within all three religions, such as loving others and God rather than exclusive and specific maxims

Storytelling

Pi and Yann Martel both believe that while one version of a story can be factually correct, another variation may possess an emotional / thematic truth that the former cannot convey. The entire book, especially the surprise ending, is an attempt to prove that stories resonate teach us more than “true” tales. Life Of Pi teaches philosophical ideas that the reader grasps easier than if taught through a nonfiction book or lecture

Morality

The author uses Pi’s zoo, vegetarianism, religious beliefs, and more to raise ethical questions about life, such as how we treat the environment, animals, and other people

Review

Despite being a work of fiction, Martel managed to address complex themes in a way that was both meaningful and applicable to real life. The author went beyond a simple plot and explored these topics more realistically and with greater depth than the average fiction novel.

Personal Thoughts And Recommendations

I loved Life of Pi, and it would be one of the first books I’d tell someone trying to get into fiction to read. My favorite elements of the novel are the open-ending plot, the story of survival on the lifeboat, and the evolution of Pi and Richard Parker’s relationship.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes easy-to-read fiction with philosophical applications. For example, if you like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, you should read Life Of Pi.

The “Life Of Pi” (2012) movie was created based on Martel’s novel

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