Truth In Life Of Pi, By Yann Martel

Story telling is a tradition that has been passed down through generations. From person to person, the story has changed due to their own perception of it, however the stories still hold their truth despite the changes because of the lessons they teach and their overall messages. Sitting around the table at visits to relatives houses, memories are made as granparents share windy stories to be remembered and passed down to the next generation of grandkids. In countless history classes, stories are told of great leaders, origins and tragic events, because of their immense lessons, despite being alterted inumerable times since it was first shared. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the “story-truth” or the animal story, is more significant
than the “happening-truth”, or the human story, because it teaches the lessons throughout the novel in a better way, and shares the events in a truth, that is beautifully written and a memorable story for all readers. The “story-truth” in this novel is important in how it conveys the story to the reader beacuse it is told from the perspective of Pi, which can make the message more personal and impactful to the reader. The main character believed that all stories could be thought of as made up, which he explains when he says, “‘Isn’t telling about something already something of an invention?... The world isn’t just the way it is, It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no? Doesn’t that make life a story?” (Martel 302). Depending on the person, stories are made and perceived as different for everyone. In the sense of the novel, Pi saw the animal story and the same story was told to readers the immitate the perception of Pi, making it important to be told in that version. The way the story is told is also a significant in how it represents Pi’s view of the situation when he tells, “I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously. What a terrible thing it is to botch a farewell… It’s important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go”(Martel 285). In the human story, the end of his journey must have been lonesome and without closure. In the animal story Pi was able to add some meaning to the end of his life changing journey with the addition of Richard Parker. When losing his parents, Pi says,“‘The worst of it,’ he says, ‘is that I can hardly remember what my mother looks like anymore. I can see her in my mind, but it’s fleeting. As soon as I try to have a good look at her, she fades”(Martel 87). In the human story, it describes a painful dealth to his mother, which Pi has to witeness. In the sense that the human story is true, making up the animal story to censor the death of his mother could have been used as a coping mechanism for the character, making the animal story important. The version of the journey with the animals is important because it is the version of the story that the main character saw, putting into perspective what it would be like the be the main character for readers. The importance of “story-truth” in this novel also comes from how well it conveyed the lessons of the novel, for the truth in stories comes from the lessons within them.
The lesson of survival taught in this story is summed up in a quote by Martel that reads, “You may be astonished that in such a short period of time I could go from weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death a dorado… It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even killing”(Martel 185). The lessons taught throughout the novel are conveyed to readers in more effective way due to the “story-truth” aspects, specifically the animals that accompany Pi. The behavior of Pi and the animals could be thought of as almost symbolic in how the primitive, survival instincts in them are representations of the primitive, survival insticts in Pi that are brought out throught his journey. Another lesson taught in this story is one of faith and religion, which can be described in the quote, “ Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out… God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving”(Martel 209). The lessons of faith and religion are shared with the readers in this story in a better way as they witness Pi going through his hardships yet holding on to his religion and will to live. Facing the journey alone with only a Bengal tiger as company would have called for an immense faith in God and his love, teaching readers the idea
to never give up hope. The lesson of suffering can be described in a quote where Pi says, “The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory…”(Martel 162). The lesson of suffering in this novel is also taught in better extent when readers can imagine what the main character was going through in the events of the animal story. Alone in the pacific, faced with the elements and mental hardships of trying to survive, summons a real feal that can only be understood when explained with conditions of that extent. The lessons taught in this novel are undoubtedly applicable to various situations, however the events in the animal story make for a more meaningful and effective way to share these lesson to readers. The story of Pi and Richard Parker is a story that is both beautiful and memorable, and despite its hard to believe momens it remains the better story because it is one readers will remember the most.
Martel writes, “ He pushed me to go on living. I hated him for it, yet at the same time I was grateful. I am grateful. It’s the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story”(Martel 164). In the animal story, the symolism in the relationship between Richard Parker and Pi is something that can’t be replaced in the human adaptation of the story. As a tiger, Richard Parker represents the primal side of Pi that progessivly emerges in his behavior throughout the novel in a way that is more alluring than the human account of the story. Touching a point made in the last quote, the symbolism of Richard Parker and Pi can be seen in quote that reads, “I still cannot understand how he could abandon me so unceremoniously, without any sort of goodbye, without looking back even once. That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart”(Martel 6). The retreat of Richard Parker in the animal story is better because it symbolises the departure of Pi’s primal side in the blunt way that it left him as a character. Like Richard Parker did, his need to survive left him without looking back, the moment the lifeboat hit land. Richard Parkers effect in Pi can been read in the quote that reads, “‘I love you!’ The words burst out pure and unfettered, infinite. The
feeling flooded my chest. ‘Truly I do, I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I dont know what I would do’”(Martel 236). Not only is the relationship betwwen Pi and Richard Parker symbolic, but it is also a interesting dynamic that evokes thought in readers. The two characters not only dislike eachother but they depend on one another, resulting in feelings of loyalty for the other. The story of Pi and Richard Parker, despite being hard to believe, is unforgettable and thought provoking for readers making it the better story.
The “story-truth” in Life of Pi is important because it teaches readers the messages of the story in a touching way, tells the story from a better perspective, and delivers the story in a memorable, thought provoking way. Story telling of the kind that is present in the novel is the kind that people can remember forever due to the emotions they capture in the text and the feelings they evoke in readers. The line between reality and fiction in the novel is something meant for readers to choose themselves, whether to believe the better story. Yann Martel believes in “turning reality into fiction”, which is a lesson that could be seen as choosing to make realities the best it can be and choosing to believe in the stories that make people happy.