Life Of Pi And Big Fish Analysis

When individuals face hardships in life, hope is the driving force that motivates one to keep going. As Michelle Obama said, “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own” (Michelle Obama). Through the conflicts that the characters in Life of Pi by Yann Martel and Big Fish by Tim burton experience, it is evident that hope should never be abandoned in order to persevere through life’s obstacles. These characters gain hope through the telling of stories, change of perceptions, and the importance of relationships.
Storytelling
Children at his school constantly “[point] at [Pi] and [shout], ‘It’s Pissing Patel!’” (32), which makes his days at St. Joseph’s School very difficult to endure. However, he hears the story of “the persecuted Prophet Muhammad in Mecca” (23), who flees to Medina to start a new and better time. This gives hope to Pi so that he can start a better life of his own, and so, “[he plans his] escape and the beginning of a new time”(23) at Petit Séminaire. In a like manner, Norther Winslow is given hope upon hearing Edward Bloom’s story. Edward explains to Norther what his life is like outside Spectre, a town that no one ever leaves. After seeing Edward actually leave Spectre to follow his dreams, Norther wants to do the same. When Edward departs, “it opens [Norther’s] eyes”(Big Fish), and he sees that “there [is] a whole life out there that [he is] not living”(Big Fish). Upon hearing Edward’s stories of him following his dreams, he receives hope that he can as well, and this allows him to overcome his main obstacle, which is being stuck in Spectre. In the both the novel and film, Pi and Norther see that someone can survive an issue similar to theirs. This gives them hope because they realize that their problem