Alicia kim's blog

Introduction:
Life of Pi is a philosophical novel by Yann Martel, published in 2001. It was made into a film in 2012. The book is about a young boy, Pi, who learns about religion. After the shipwreck, Pi spends 227 days in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal Tiger. It is a popular book for its philosophical ideas about religion and nature.

Plot:
A guy from Canada goes to India and meets an old man named Francis who says he has a crazy story to tell. The story is about a guy named Pi who grew up in India. He had had a hard time with school but he found comfort with religion and zoology. He was born as a Hindu but discovered Christianity, then Islam, choosing to practice all three religions together. Pi’s family owns a zoo, and when they decide to move to Canada, they board a ship with the zoo animals. The ship sinks, and Pi ends up on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a tiger named Richard Parker. The hyena killed the zebra and the orangutan and the tiger killed the hyena. Pi has to survive on the ocean for weeks, trying to co-exist with the dangerous tiger. A blind man almost killed Pi but luckily, Richard Parker saved Pi from getting killed. At one point, they land on a strange island made of trees, but Pi discovers it’s unsafe. Eventually, Pi and Richard Parker make it to the coast of Mexico. The story is so unbelievable that officials from Japan don’t believe Pi at first. So he tells them a version with just people instead of animals, which they think is more realistic. Ultimately, they say Pi did an amazing job surviving with a full-grown tiger for so long.

Analysis:
The novel goes over the theme of zoology and religion. Pi had wanted to be a Hindu, Christian, and Islam at the same time. It is different from others as usually, a person would have one religion that they are faithful to. Pi was also brave to learn about other religions as he was expected to be a Hindu but ended up getting curious about other religions as well. Another theme that can be spotted in this book is companionship. When the ship sinks, Pi is left alone with a tiger, Richard Parker. They had only each other for a few months. They had to rely on each other for the time being. This was crucial as they helped each other to survive for 227 days on the Pacific Ocean. Richard Parker may be a symbol of companionship and help. The lifeboat is a symbol of help as well. It saved some animals and Pi by letting them get on the lifeboat. However, it’s a question why Pi’s parents didn’t survive the shipwreck. A lesson learned in the novel is life can be full of surprises and sorrows. He had lost both of his parents in one day but survived himself. Some might say it’s a miracle while others say it’s unfortunate. The novel shows that miracles but also unfortunate events are a way of different viewpoints. The philosophical ideas about zoology and religion are well explained in the book with Pi telling his point of view on zoology and religion.

Conclusion:
Life of Pi is a philosophical novel by Yann Martel, published in 2001. It is known for being made in 2012. The book is about a boy who finds solace in animals and beliefs and goes through a shipwreck that made him survive 227 days with a tiger in the Pacific Ocean. He arrives in Mexico, encounters the Japanese officials, and tells his story to them. They’re amazed by how he survived for months with a grown tiger. The themes in the book are companionship, zoology, and religion. Pi had to survive months with a grown tiger and had grown attached to the tiger. Pi also considers zoology and religion to be his favorite subjects. The point of view is very significant in the novel as it requires the understanding of both parts.