Life of Pi
Human Truths Discovered in Life of Pi:
People's lack of faith. Man's inability to believe anything out of the norm.
Impossible vs implausible
Man's incredible will to survive
Two-hundred twenty seven days. One man. One tiger. With as little as twenty six feet separating the two, Pi's life seems to be nothing more than a fading ember whose end only time can elicit. With what could be classified strictly as a series of incredibly unfortunate events, the Indian boy's journey to Canada is transformed into a horrific tragedy, as the ship he is sailing on sinks into the depths of the pacific ocean. With little chance of survival, Pi's faith in God along with his will to survive are put to the ultimate tests. Presumably, Yann Martel's story would be one which simply tells of success over great odds – but this is not the case – instead, it presents a miracle unparalleled by any phenomenon one could possibly fathom. The accounts of such spectacular experiences, as some may assume, provoke more than just a simple fascination within the reader's minds; they expose a certain truth about humanity and the nature of people. Martel's inspiring novel, the Life of Pi, not only captures readers with an extraordinary tale likely to “make you believe in God”, it reveals numerous truths about human beings in today's society by addressing questions of faith, isolation, and a man's will to survive(VIII).
Faith can be defined as two things really: the first, as having complete trust in someone or something, and the second, as having strong belief in God or the doctrines of a religion (Dictionary.com). Although the definitions may appear as two seemingly detached possibilities, in essence they are much the same – at least for Piscine Molitor Patel. With a scientifically advancing world however, faith is a quality which has undoubtedly dwindled from the mindsets of many individuals; so-called factual evidence, numbers and statistics are all what replace it in order to build the
People's lack of faith. Man's inability to believe anything out of the norm.
Impossible vs implausible
Man's incredible will to survive
Two-hundred twenty seven days. One man. One tiger. With as little as twenty six feet separating the two, Pi's life seems to be nothing more than a fading ember whose end only time can elicit. With what could be classified strictly as a series of incredibly unfortunate events, the Indian boy's journey to Canada is transformed into a horrific tragedy, as the ship he is sailing on sinks into the depths of the pacific ocean. With little chance of survival, Pi's faith in God along with his will to survive are put to the ultimate tests. Presumably, Yann Martel's story would be one which simply tells of success over great odds – but this is not the case – instead, it presents a miracle unparalleled by any phenomenon one could possibly fathom. The accounts of such spectacular experiences, as some may assume, provoke more than just a simple fascination within the reader's minds; they expose a certain truth about humanity and the nature of people. Martel's inspiring novel, the Life of Pi, not only captures readers with an extraordinary tale likely to “make you believe in God”, it reveals numerous truths about human beings in today's society by addressing questions of faith, isolation, and a man's will to survive(VIII).
Faith can be defined as two things really: the first, as having complete trust in someone or something, and the second, as having strong belief in God or the doctrines of a religion (Dictionary.com). Although the definitions may appear as two seemingly detached possibilities, in essence they are much the same – at least for Piscine Molitor Patel. With a scientifically advancing world however, faith is a quality which has undoubtedly dwindled from the mindsets of many individuals; so-called factual evidence, numbers and statistics are all what replace it in order to build the