The Life of Pi

[yamaf350]

The first of "The Life of Pi" is absolutely essential to all that follows, of course! Just as any story, its foundation is absolutely essential! Why else would one be invested if we hadn't already come to know and love Pi?

[Suzanne]

Why else would one be invested if we hadn't already come to know and love Pi?

And of course the animals, we are invested in them as well. Each animal in the novel has a distinct personality. The care of these animals are carefully described. The first phase of this novel sets the magic in motion. The animals become characters as real and plausible as Pi himself.

[President Camacho]

Gary, you would read this one over? I dunno, it seemed a cute story to me but ended there. Hopefully this thread will shed some light perhaps on something I missed. The impact of the novel just didn't hit home for me.

This is another Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time type stories... stories which are meant to be very deep but merely bounce across the surface of the water like a skipping stones for me.

[yamaf350]

I think that the reason I was so personally involved in Piscene Molitor Patel's life and adventures is that I have struggled to understand and accept the beliefs of others, and he seemed to me to be able to do so with ease; he seemed to me so innocent and pure that he won my admiration immediately.

[Eriksoln]

For me, the biggest question after reading the book is........which version of the story do you believe to be true? With animals or without?

The greatest trick of this book is that, no matter how determined you are of one or the other.....there is strong doubt. I flip flop almost every day since completing the book. First, I thought for sure the story without animals was the true story and the "with animals" story was simply Pi's way of coping with it. Having spent as much time as he did, alone (or with the Tiger, depending on what you believe), he certainly must have been dealing with a great deal of mental stress.

As I see it, the "without animals" story is true, and the "with animals" story was Pi's, sort of.....post traumatic reaction. The book's ways make a great deal of sense when looked at in this light. The first part of the book discusses how he was brought up, his interest in both animals and religions of all sorts. It does a wonderful job of making Pi our hero, the lovable boy the story needs him to be for it to work. It then presents us with Pi's mental illusions next..........while we are still in love with him. Never once, except maybe when he ran into the cook while he was blind, did I accuse Pi of being delusional. The book flowed in such a way that we don't dare question his sanity, and you can't help but believe everything is just as he says it.
Then, the interview with the Japanese insurance workers, and the "without animals" story is told. Doubt crept into my mind and eventually made its way to my heart. Finally, in the end, I couldn't help but deduce that the preceding "with animals" story was simply a diary of Pi's coping mechanisms after losing his family. Yann Martel did a masterful job of presenting the stories in such a way though that while you are reading the "with animals" portion, you are lead to believe every word of it. Brilliant work in my opinion.

[Eriksoln]

A discussion, eh, Suzanne? Well, my favorite aspect of the book is young Patel's uninhibited spiritual thirst; his mind is truly open to any and all sources of wisdom, truth, knowledge, et cetera. I think the character is so admirable in that way. I wish I could adopt his ability to accept the positive points of multiple belief systems and not allow them to clash. I think Pi is a very groovy kid.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when the three religious men are pressuring Pi to make a choice on one faith, and he spurts out in anger "I just want to love God!".

Then his father, after a long awkward silence saves the day with careful words. Loved it.

[Eriksoln]

I think Pi is a very groovy kid.

I think he is too, and what is easy to forget, is that he is just a kid. Much of his wisdom he may have gotten from his father, I think this can be seen by how much time and devotion Martel spent on the first part of the book. Many people have a hard time getting through the first 60 pages or so, but I thought it set the tone very well for what was to come. I learned much from this part of the book. It introduces the science of zoology, but the latter part of the novel combines the science with the spirituality of religion.

I saw the spirituality in Pi grow and change and develop over time. His needs changed frequently, and Pi does demonstrate the strength of the human spirit and how it is constantly evolving. Pi clearly relies heavily on a spirit outside of himself when he feels weak and afraid. Martel does an excellent job blending several factors together, all of which helped Pi survive.

A discussion, eh, Suzanne?

Why do you sound dubious?

I don't know why, because there is much evidence to the contrary if you seek it, but for some reason, I got the impression Pi got his personality and spirituality from his mother. He struck me as...........for lack of a better term, a "Mama's boy".

I think he not only loved his mother, but looked up to her in a number of ways. I don't think it is coincidence she is attributed to being the orangutan "Orange Juice" yet the father is nowhere to be found post ship sinking. It kind of reflects the first part of the book, mother is there, defends Pi to the best of her ability and possess many likable qualities, and father is sort of in the background or forgotten most of the time.

[Suzanne]

The greatest trick of this book is that, no matter how determined you are of one or the other.....there is strong doubt.

This doubt may be the whole point of the book. The reader is asked to make a choice whether or not to believe. There is no proof that Pi's story is factual, in fact, it seems impossible. There are heavy religious undertones to this book, and the premice to most religions is to believe in the incredible, to believe without proof, to believe just because it is said to be true. So, although Martel gives us a rational explanation of the story Pi tells us, the doubt is still there, the impulse to believe is strong.

[Eriksoln]

Yes. Beginning the whole story with religion and putting the readers mind in a state that will believe the impossible is surely not coincidence. It worked on me. I read the middle part of the book and fought my rational side the whole way. The term "it COULD happen, not entirely impossible" was a recurring theme as I read.

I don't know if anyone else felt this way, but the book made me feel a little "tricked". I spent a lot of time convincing myself that Pi's journey was real, only to flip flop in the end.

[yamaf350]

I agree with Eriksoln's interpretation of the story, and I think it is a fantastic read!