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Life of Pi is a novel by Canadian author Yann Martel. The protagonist Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores the issues of religion and spirituality from an early age and survives 227 days shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean. First published by Knopf Canada in September 2001, the novel won the prestigious Booker Prize the following year. It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003 competition, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee. Its French translation, L'Histoire de Pi, was also chosen in the French version of the competition, Le combat des livres.
Plot summarySpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The book has three parts. The first section is an adult Pi Patel’s rumination over his childhood. The main character, Piscine Patel (aka "Pi") talks about his life living as the son of a zookeeper, and speaks at length about animal behaviour, while also speaking about his religion - Pi practices Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, having seen merits in all three religions. He says "I just want to love God." The second part is a blend of a detailed and realistic survival memoir and a fantastic allegory in a medieval style. Pi’s father decides to sell the zoo and relocate the family to Canada due to politics within India. In the midst of the journey across the ocean, the cargo ship, named Tsimtsum, on which the family has found passage, sinks. Pi manages to find refuge on a lifeboat, though not alone. He shares the limited space with a female orangutan named Orange Juice, a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, and a Royal Bengal Tiger by the name of Richard Parker. At first Pi believes that Richard Parker has abandoned the boat, and focuses on surviving the hyena. It is not long before the hyena begins to feed on the zebra. After the zebra's death, the hyena kills the orangutan, prompting Pi to approach it, lest he be next. It is then that he notices that Richard Parker has been resting under a tarpaulin and has been aboard the lifeboat the entire time. The tiger kills and eats the hyena, but does not immediately attack Pi. The young man manages to construct a raft using supplies aboard the boat, and avoids direct confrontation with Richard Parker by keeping out of the tiger's territory on the deck of the boat. Pi eventually marks his own territory by using his knowledge of zoology thus taming Richard Parker. Pi reasons that while Richard Parker is healthy, he poses less of a threat - an injured beast being more dangerous. Therefore keeping the tiger alive becomes his primary focus. Pi's focus day to day is redirected towards day to day survival. He catches fish and turtles, and uses solar stills to obtain drinkable water. At one point, due to poor diet, nutrition, and weakness, Pi goes temporarily blind, and during this state meets another castaway on a boat travelling parallel with his own. The other man has a French accent, and after a period of amicable conversation he boards Pi's boat with a view to murder him. As soon as he boards, however, he is killed and devoured by Richard Parker. Soon after the duo wash ashore upon a strange wooded island, populated by meerkats, and containing pools of fresh water. After some time, Pi finds a strange tree on the island, and upon examining the tree's unusual "fruit", finds human teeth. He realizes that the 'island' is actually a massive plantlike organisim that has consumed a human previously (as we can see from the teeth in the "fruit") and the pools of water on the island turn into acid at night. Pi and Richard Parker leave on the next day.
Yann MartelYann Martel is a Canadian author who won the Canadian Man Booker award for his novel. He was born in Spain though he moved to different locations throughout his childhood because his parents worked with the Canadian foreign services. He lived in places such as: Alaska, Spain, France, British Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Ontario. As an adult Yann Martel studied philosophy at Trent University. He has written two other books though none acquired the same national acclaim as Life of Pi. In a conversation with Yann Martel, November 11, 2002 with PBS[1], Martel reveals his inspiration and motives for his novel saying “I was sort of looking for a story, not only with a small ‘s’ but sort of with a capital ‘S’ – something that would direct my life”. He spoke of being lonely in his life and needing direction to his life. This novel became that direction and reason to his life [2] Plagiarism Controversy
This dedication to Moacyr Scliar appears in the preface of his novel Life of Pi and sparked controversy. Many people wonder whether this book was deliberately plagiarized. Scliar's Max e os Felinos, published in 1981, is a story of a German refugee who crosses the Atlantic Ocean while sharing his boat with a jaguar. Max and the Cats, an English translation by Eloah F. Giacomelli, was published in 1990. The striking similarity caused critics to question Martel. Martel says he did not read Scliar's book, but he did read a negative review many years prior to writing Life of Pi. What makes it more confusing is that Martel said the review was written by John Updike in The New York Times. However, the newspaper never ran a review of Max and the Cats, nor has Updike ever reviewed the book. When the prize was awarded to Martel in 2002, Scliar said he was perplexed that Martel "used the idea without consulting or even informing him", and considered taking legal action. After talking with Martel, however, he elected not to pursue the matter.[3] CharactersPiscine Molitor Patel"Pi" is the narrator and main character of the story. The story is told as a narrative when Pi is much older and living in Canada. He recounts the story of his life and thus the 227 day journey on a lifeboat when his boat sinks. The section of the book with the abandoned lifeboat is a beast fable in which all the animals are allegorical symbols of the human condition.[citation needed] Pi in this allegory is representative of human divinity for he belongs to three different religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. When Pi relates how Orange Juice the orangutan arrives on the boat he relates, “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary” (Martel, p.111). To Pi, everything is related to God or the Gods. This aspect of his character illuminates belief and the quality of character that can thus aid survival in the direst of circumstances. Richard ParkerRichard Parker is the Bengal Tiger who is stranded on a lifeboat with Pi Patel. In the allegory, Richard Parker is the animalistic characteristics of humanity.[citation needed] The journey centers on being able to control Richard Parker and thus human suppression of their animalistic characteristics, though it is really the tiger that helps Pi stay alive because it is these primal animalistic instincts that allowed him to get food and water over other needs. Pi realizes that it is with coexistence with the Richard Parker that he will be able to survive. He comments that “We would live—or we would die—together” ( Martel, p.164) Richard Parker is a part of Piscine Molitor Patel and thus it is through the coexistence of the both of them that allows the survival of both. Richard Parker was named after an Edgar Allan Poe character from The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838). The book tells of four shipwrecked men who, after many days' privation, drew lots to decide who should be killed and eaten. The cabin boy, named Richard Parker, draws the short straw and is eaten. Tales of cannibalism by shipwrecked sailors were not uncommon in the 19th century, but oddly enough, 46 years after Poe's story was published, the very events Poe wrote about would happen in reality. Captain Dudley and three sailors were stranded in a skiff in the Pacific after the sinking of their yacht Mignonette on the way to Australia. They are forced to eat one of the party to survive, and feast on his body for 4 days — a sailor boy named Richard Parker.[4] Yet another Richard Parker died when his ship, named the Francis Spaight, sank in January 1846. Ten years earlier, in December 1835, an earlier Francis Spaight was wrecked in the north Atlantic: some of the survivors of that wreck too were involved in cannibalism. As Yann Martel said "So many Richard Parkers had to mean something." [5] MotifsMartel contributes several thematic motifs. Pi, the narrator, overtly directs those who hear his story to choose the interpretation that is most affirmative and best aids the reader. Perhaps the dominant motif of the novel is the concept of belief and imagination versus factuality.[citation needed] Belief and Imagination vs. Factuality“I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: ‘White, white! L-L-Love! My God!’–and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostics, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, ‘Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,’ and, to the very end, lack the imagination and miss the better story” (p.64). Much of Martel’s novel deals with the concept of belief. In this situation belief does not necessarily mean faith, but recognition of a story as truth. Martel illustrates that everything is a story, both reality and religion. He suggests that it matters not which is believed as truth but that belief is present. Martel uses these three sub-motifs to further his point. ReligionPi Patel is a member of three different religions, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. He says that the only people he does not understand are the agnostics, for “to choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” (Martel, p.28). He stays true to his own statement through the trials of life. While it may seem contradictory to believe in three religions, this aspect of Pi’s character illustrates the need for a belief creating a sense that it doesn’t matter the faith system as long as one has conviction.[citation needed] Pi was originally Hindu, though through meeting other religions he fell in love with those. After he talks to Father Martin he says, “Catholics have a reputation for severity, for judgment that comes down heavily. My experience with Father Martin was not at all like that” and then after he leaves the church he runs down the hill and “offers[s] thanks to Lord Krishna for having put Jesus of Nazareth, whose humanity [he] found so compelling, in [his] way” (Martel, 58). The same type of event occurred when he learned about Islam. He felt that faith was too good to experience through only one outlet. It is his trust in those faiths that is his character. Through the character of Pi, Martel shows that belief is a human necessity. RealityMartel illustrates reality as another form of a story, one that can be believed or rejected as with any other.[citation needed] Pi is forced to tell another tale, the supposed truth. In terms of reality the only source of knowledge to determine the reality is Pi himself therefore this demand is ludicrous. “In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies and I suffer…so tell me since, there is no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer?” (Martel, p. 317) Martel ends the narrative with a question. He questions the knowledge of factuality because he asserts that even reality is a story. He asserts that the belief and determination that Pi used to get through the ordeal is more important than the details of the story. FablePi’s journey on the lifeboat with the Tiger can be seen as a beast fable.[citation needed] In these tales animals are used to illustrate morals. In this sense the allegory of the animals is apparent. In this allegory, Pi is the divinity of the human spirit, while the Tiger represents the animalistic necessity of humanity, the orangutan is motherly instinct, the hyena is cowardice and finally the zebra uniqueness. All the animals represent different characteristics of the human condition and thus Martel uses this motif to demonstrate survival necessity. This aspect of the journey details the human condition in the direst of times. Interestingly the two aspects that allowed Pi to continue living through his ordeal were his divinity and his animalistic characteristics. For example, Pi, a devoted vegetarian realizes that he cannot be a vegetarian while he is on the boat for he will never survive. In this way he becomes more like the tiger, the animalistic characteristics. Martel uses a fable to present characteristics of the human condition. AnalysisPoint of View/PerspectiveMartel wrote Life of Pi in a first person perspective. Piscine Molitor Patel tells his own story of life through his childhood including an intriguing 227 day journey on a life raft. As a traditional first person narrative the information that the narrator knows the reader also knows. This is altered a little in Life of Pi because the story is recounted after the event so wisdom and hindsight are also a part of the novel. A first-person point of view is generally an unreliable type of perspective, however in Life of Pi this perspective emphasizes the theme. In fact when the book turns to ghostly apparitions and carnivorous plants, Martel has annihilated any sense of reality though this is important to the purpose of the novel [6] Pi comments, “You can’t prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it” (Martel, p.317). This comment is directed to two reporters after he is forced to retell his story with the truth. There are two stories and one may be more factual but Pi tries to make a statement that the facts do not always constitute the importance in the experience. Pi asks, “Which is the better story?” (p. 317). It is through the unreliability of the first person narrative that the reader is presented with the theme: life’s story is one’s own, and faith trumps factuality. ToneThere are three essential tones within the piece, each corresponding to a respective section that portrays character development. At the start of the novel Pi is wide eyed and innocent and the tone follows suit. He says, “the reason death sticks so closely to life isn’t biological necessity—it’s envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it” (p.6). Throughout the beginning of the novel Pi seems innocent as he should be at his age. He is full of life and energy as he explores the world and all that is in it. He even becomes a member in three different religions; Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. He is eager to explore and live in the beautiful world. As the novel progresses the tone shifts. Pi witnesses the death of his entire family and is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. In this section Pi is forced to grow up and take care of himself. In the same way that his character development is forced to progress, the tone shifts and reflects the suffering and angst of his situation. Pi says in one fit about suffering, “No! No! No! My suffering does matter. I want to live! I can’t help but mix my life with that of the universe. Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness—how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things” (p.177). His tone becomes that of fear and desperation in contrast to the previous innocent glee and curiousness. Pi is forced by the circumstances of life to face reality and witness the more evil side associated with life and the tone is a portrayal of these circumstances. Finally at the conclusion to the novel, the tone is a reaffirmation towards life. He has been through 227 days of torture on a lifeboat, enduring physical, mental, and emotional pain. However, when he concludes his journey Pi emerges as a man with the understanding of life. As he recounts the story to the two Japanese ship company investigators in Mexico he is questioned with the factuality of his story. He responds with a different account of the story but then asks “which is the better story?” (p. 317). Pi has emerged from his experience with a newfound respect for life and affirms the process of life and the circumstances of life that create the essence of humanity. This affirmative tone to the conclusion correlates with his maturity. He now understands life and thus he can respect all aspects. FormLife of Pi is written in three sections; the first of which is Pi’s childhood synopsis, the second is the 227 day journey across the ocean to North America, and the third is his experience with the reporters. These formal elements help to define the different aspects of Pi’s character development. The first section describes Pi as a little boy in both physical terms and developmental terms. In this section, Martel describes a young boy amazed with the world and all that is in it. Pi says, “first wonder goes deepest; wonder after that fits in the impression made by the first” (p.50). This comment was made by the older Pi recounting his life. He was a little boy full of wonder. The next section of the novel is dedicated to the main mode of character development. This aspect of the novel describes the origin of Pi’s transformation. He is subjected to horrible circumstances and endures the loss of his entire family. He overcomes physical, mental, and spiritual trials. One interpretation based on allegory suggests that in this section is where Pi learns to harness the different aspects of humanity. This suggests that the animalistic qualities and divinity qualities of humanity represented by the Richard Parker must be balanced and controlled to overcome adversity in life. Pi comments, “It was not a question of him or me, but him and me. We were, literally and figuratively, in the same boat. We would live—or we would die—together” (p.164). The balance of the animal of humanity and the divinity of humanity represents the only plausible attempt at life and Martel explains this comment through Pi’s realization that both he and Richard Parker must coexist. The form of the novel allows each section to describe a specific area of development. Finally, the last area of the novel represents his ultimate maturation in which he is able to articulate life’s importance and thus the theme of the novel is communicated. Pi shows the Japanese ship company investigators that it does not matter which story he tells because neither can be proven and instead suggests that they pick the “better story”. Martel uses the form of the novel to delineate different sections to different areas of the developmental process and in this way the theme is gradually introduced to the reader for the reader can endure the same journey that Pi encountered. The form of the novel is key to understanding the novel. Film and theatrical adaptationsM. Night Shyamalan, writer and director of The Sixth Sense, became interested in a proposed film based upon the novel, but dropped the project due to its twist ending (a common feature of Shyamalan's films), telling magazine Entertainment Weekly: "I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them." Alfonso Cuarón, director of the third Harry Potter movie, has also expressed interest in making it. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has been signed to direct the movie. Martel himself confirmed Jeunet's involvement in a public appearance in April, 2006 at the Peterborough Public Library in Peterborough, Ontario.[citation needed] The novel was adapted for the stage by the Twisting Yarn Theatre Company, which produced a stage adaptation in the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford in 2003 and is due to tour February 2007. The company received the exclusive UK rights to adapt the novel into a play from Yann Martel himself. Allusions and referencesActual geographyThough the novel is a work of fiction, much of the setting of the novel does exist. Discussions of the political situation within the Patel household are realistic and refer to actual events. Pondicherry is a former French Colony in India, and it does have an Indian Coffee House and Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Garden has a toy train track, but there are no signs of a working train, and there is no zoo currently within the gardens (though there is a small building housing an aquarium). Munnar, where the Patel family took a brief vacation, is a small but popular hill station in Kerala and there is a church in the town. Madurai, also referenced in the novel, is a popular tourist/pilgrimage site in Tamil Nadu. Notes
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