Life Of Pi And Religion
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, starts off with an elderly man in Pondicherry, India, telling one of the authors, “I have a story that will make you believe in God” (x). The author stops and thinks, Was this some Jehovah Witness knocking on my door? (x). This author, Yann Martel, is from Canada, where our other author, Piscine Molitor Patel, is from Pondicherry, India. Piscine is a middle eastern boy who’s family owns a zoo, with magnificent animals. Piscine does not like his name, because of all the students at the school he attends calling him “Pissing Patel”, so he decides to change his name to Pi.
Pi was very confused with his religion aspect. He grew up Hindu, same as his mother. His father, on the other hand, had no religion. He did not encourage it, and wanted nothing to do with it. When Pi wanted to be apart of 3 different religions, Hinduism, Islam, and christianity, his father and brother mocked him. His father told him that he had to choose …show more content…
one or the other, because they were all different and had nothing in common. Pi responded, “That’s not what they say! They both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses, and Jesus as prophets” (72). This is important because Pi is standing up for what he believes in, which is evidently the theme of this book — the will he has to find what he believes in.
Pi was talking about agnostics and said, “Doubt is useful for a while. … But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” (28). I really liked this quote because of the simile he uses about immobility and that being your only source of transportation, just like if you were to not believe in anything — you won’t go anywhere in life.
Pi’s family is having a rough time with the New India and decided to flee to Canada, bringing their zoo with them to sell, and leaving behind everything they knew. They decide to put themselves and all their animals onto the ship called Tsimtsum. Tsimtsum is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah, school for people practicing Judaism, to explain a doctrine that God began the process of creation by contracting his infinite light in order to allow for a conceptual space in which infinite and seemingly independent worlds could exist. Is it a coincidence that the boat is named after an infinite number, just like one of our authors?
On their way to Canada, Pi is awoken by an explosion, which makes him go and explore this noise.
When Pi arrives at the main deck of the ship, he sees there is a huge rainstorm, which is rocking the ship back and forth. He then realizes that the ship is sinking, and he panics. As he is breaking his panic, he understands that someone let the animals loose. After the ship has sank, he finds himself in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan named Orange Juice, and a bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Pi survives on the boat for a good 227 days, crossing some of the most miraculous stuff. Pi is introduced to many new things, especially being an Indian boy that has never left India before. At times of need, he receives what he needs the most. He gets food at times of hunger, he receives a friend when he is very lonely, he receives comfort at times of fear, and discovers land right when he needs too. This is one of the mains parts of the book that Pi realizes that there is a God, and he now has complete
faith.
Pi talks about many different gods. “God perserve me!” (140), Pi says to the Christian god, God. In chapter 85, lightning strikes the sea and Pi responds, “Praise to Allah, Lord of All Worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgement Day!”, (233). What really striked me in this book was when Pi’s religious leaders meet up on the street, all talking to Pi. They fight about Pi’s religion and which he should choose, then Pi blurts out, “Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God.” I think Pi enjoyed the feeling of having multiple religions, due to the fact that he was open to so many different beliefs and different insights of faith.
If Pi had any doubt in his faith of all 3 religions, he wouldn’t have survived in his journey through the Pacific Ocean. He had a strong belief of faith which brought him to Mexico, where his journey ends. If he followed his father’s path, and decided to not believe in any faith, he would have given up before he found the island.
Pi was very confused with his religion aspect. He grew up Hindu, same as his mother. His father, on the other hand, had no religion. He did not encourage it, and wanted nothing to do with it. When Pi wanted to be apart of 3 different religions, Hinduism, Islam, and christianity, his father and brother mocked him. His father told him that he had to choose …show more content…
one or the other, because they were all different and had nothing in common. Pi responded, “That’s not what they say! They both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses, and Jesus as prophets” (72). This is important because Pi is standing up for what he believes in, which is evidently the theme of this book — the will he has to find what he believes in.
Pi was talking about agnostics and said, “Doubt is useful for a while. … But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” (28). I really liked this quote because of the simile he uses about immobility and that being your only source of transportation, just like if you were to not believe in anything — you won’t go anywhere in life.
Pi’s family is having a rough time with the New India and decided to flee to Canada, bringing their zoo with them to sell, and leaving behind everything they knew. They decide to put themselves and all their animals onto the ship called Tsimtsum. Tsimtsum is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah, school for people practicing Judaism, to explain a doctrine that God began the process of creation by contracting his infinite light in order to allow for a conceptual space in which infinite and seemingly independent worlds could exist. Is it a coincidence that the boat is named after an infinite number, just like one of our authors?
On their way to Canada, Pi is awoken by an explosion, which makes him go and explore this noise.
When Pi arrives at the main deck of the ship, he sees there is a huge rainstorm, which is rocking the ship back and forth. He then realizes that the ship is sinking, and he panics. As he is breaking his panic, he understands that someone let the animals loose. After the ship has sank, he finds himself in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan named Orange Juice, and a bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Pi survives on the boat for a good 227 days, crossing some of the most miraculous stuff. Pi is introduced to many new things, especially being an Indian boy that has never left India before. At times of need, he receives what he needs the most. He gets food at times of hunger, he receives a friend when he is very lonely, he receives comfort at times of fear, and discovers land right when he needs too. This is one of the mains parts of the book that Pi realizes that there is a God, and he now has complete
faith.
Pi talks about many different gods. “God perserve me!” (140), Pi says to the Christian god, God. In chapter 85, lightning strikes the sea and Pi responds, “Praise to Allah, Lord of All Worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgement Day!”, (233). What really striked me in this book was when Pi’s religious leaders meet up on the street, all talking to Pi. They fight about Pi’s religion and which he should choose, then Pi blurts out, “Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God.” I think Pi enjoyed the feeling of having multiple religions, due to the fact that he was open to so many different beliefs and different insights of faith.
If Pi had any doubt in his faith of all 3 religions, he wouldn’t have survived in his journey through the Pacific Ocean. He had a strong belief of faith which brought him to Mexico, where his journey ends. If he followed his father’s path, and decided to not believe in any faith, he would have given up before he found the island.