The Pursuit Of Hope In Life Of Pi, By Yann Martel

Improved Essays
It is difficult for one to find a novel that they can comprehend and connect with. It may take some people the majority of their lives to find one of those novels. I am genuinely fortunate to have found that kind of book after a mere 15 years of my life. The book I am referring to is Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. It is a riveting novel that centers on a boy, lost in the middle of the pacific ocean with nothing but his wits, his will, and a four hundred and fifty pound bengal tiger. This novel regards more than just the tribulations of survival. It is one that explores identity, religion and the priority of hope.
The novel’s preface utilises a clever fusion of truth and spectacle. Martel speaks to the reader about the conception of the story. He speaks of the harsh reality that he faced when writing the book; he had not made his mark on the world of literature. He had already released two books at the time and had expected
…show more content…
It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It has moments of both triumph and sadness. It exhibits both affection and anger. The protagonist, Piscine Patel evolves throughout the story as well as his anthropomorphic counterpart, Richard Parker. Life of Pi is pseudo realistic, illustrating how real even the most outlandish ideas can seem when paired with the correct writing techniques and placement near a reference to a real event. I was able to relate with it deeply as I am very similar to Piscine. My name was also made fun of a lot, I am also Tamil and I had to move from a place I was familiar with and had friends in, to a new and mysterious land: Canada. However, I didn’t have nearly as much trouble getting here. Martel has created Pi to be relatable to almost anyone as Pi is such a normal character. Life of Pi achieves everything that I believe makes a book great. It tricks the reader, enlightens them, and leaves them with valuable lessons they can apply into everyday

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Pi Patel suffers an immense amount throughout his travels and learns many lessons along the way. His travels are expressed through the format of storytelling, which its importance also a major theme. Both Pi and the author are characters that are vital in this format. This narrative structure serves the purpose of expressing the major theme of storytelling and its importance in “Life Of Pi” by Yann Martel. “Life Of Pi” is told from both Pi and the author’s (who is writing a book on Pi’s life) perspectives.…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We experience phases, traumas, struggles, that persist in our lives. These phases and traumas can happen due to certain people, but have the most impact on our very lives. In ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, and ‘Life of Pi’ directed by Ang Lee, both protagonists became conscious of the things (beliefs and animals) that impact them and their own spiritual journeys that changed their views. As well as in Life of Pi, The Alchemists protagonist Santiago begins to understand the significance of his existence by trying to attaining his destiny. By fulfilling his Personal Legend, he will not be remorseful later on in his life, and instead be satisfied and contempt.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fever 1793 by Laurie Halas Anderson Do you think the characters/people and their problems/decisions/relationships are believable/realistic? Why or why not? I believe the book is believable, because the details show; that it is a common thing for nurses and doctors to do. The quote in the book, “After a few weeks of nursing the sick, and burying the dead.” (Anderson Page 176).…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With America’s unstable health care system, there can be terrible repercussions from citizens being unable to obtain proper treatment. Sick: the Untold Story of America 's Healthcare Crisis-And the People Who Pay the Price by Jonathan Cohn investigates the history and impact America’s healthcare has had on various people around the United States. There are ten stories that showcase how the lack of a decent support system in health insurance can have big consequences on a person’s life. I think the book is good for any student or scholar who wants a look into the pro-universal healthcare point of view, but not for an objective idea of health care reform. Jonathan Cohn is a senior national correspondent at The Huffington Post.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Isolation In Ethan Frome

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How can one possibly think the name Starkfield in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a coincidence? The isolation of the town as well as the cold severity of the constant bleak winter explicitly illustrates the literal meaning in the name Starkfield. Nothing an author presents is ever fortuity in well written literature, in particular in the novel Ethan Frome, written by Edith Wharton. The novel Ethan Frome is written in a manner utilizing flashbacks, a switch in point of views, a framed story structure, and imagery; the structure builds up suspense, generates a sense of roundness, engages the reader and compares characters.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The story envelops all of Pi’s time at sea, alone in his lifeboat, and his perpetual belief in God that takes him through the journey. The Life of Pi would be the most beneficial to people of the future because it not only depicts adventure, but also wonder, fear, happiness, and, most importantly, the major religions of our time and the faith people have in…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The well-spoken Quintus Horatius Flaccus, more commonly known as Horace, once professed that hardship has the ability to provoke hidden skills that which other wise would have never shown themselves. This philosophy is especially true in comparison to the life of Elie Wiesel, a beautifully written Holocaust survivor. Wiesel writes to all who haven't lived through the horror that is known as the Holocaust, in efforts of “transmitting the history of the disappearance” of those who were brutally and unrightfully killed. With a tone of gloom and mourning, Wiesel argues that if it wasn't for the disastrous circumstances of the Holocaust, he would have never become the vivid writer that he is.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Man of La Mancha and Don Quixote The film Man of La Mancha is a movie that is based on both Don Quixote and its canonical collection, making it a more loosely canon piece within the canon. The film, which was released in 1972, is originally based off the 1964 musical of the same name. The musical itself is also based upon a 1959 teleplay, making the movie actually a canon piece based on a canon piece based on another canon piece based upon the original material. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Life Gives HOPE! Everyone who has their dream has found their hope from factors they felt. Junior, a boy in The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian had experienced several factor shaping worldviews, but in the end even though some of his Spokane Tribe resented him for leaving, and he lost some people he truly cared about, he was about to find hope through the love and struggles he had come upon. Family support, race, education and friendship can contribute whether or not people can proceed far in life. Therefore, people have the will power to go far in life if they had the guts to get where they want to be.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life of Pi is a meta-fiction that inquires the reader’s faith. Using meta-fiction to his advantage, Matel questions the disparity between reality and imaginary. In his novel, he explores the contrast of mother nature, her gentle aura and her cruel behaviour. Her gentle side is demonstrated through the protagonist’s interpretation of the fauna and flora. Whereas, her cruel side is illustrated by Pi’s vivid encounter with ferocious animals.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Can any person survive at sea for 227 days? Life of Pi’s protagonist Piscine Molitor Patel not only survived his ordeal in the Pacific Ocean, but did it with his only companion, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Yann Martel expresses his belief towards god by first believing in it and second not writing it in chronological order, instead he wrote it as it was told. Pi’s story has always been with faith. That is why Pi always prefers “the better story”(Martel 70) because it helps him emotionally understand his ordeal on the pacific ocean.…

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Knowing oneself, and being in a state of acceptance can only be beneficial no matter the individual. When ‘armour’ is equipped, it helps eliminate any sort of hidden weaknesses that could be contained within an identity, providing for the individual in all conflicts. Along with Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, the misfortunes the author outlines represent a theme of tragedy and a loss of hope in accordance…

    • 1540 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Of Pi Book Report

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The book is a blend of fact and fiction, which is evident from the author’s literary playfulness. The magical fable also provides a great deal of information about zoomorphism, animal behavior and faith in God. The book convinces the readers by offering various elements, such as tension, horror, gore and humor. A delicate balance between faith as well as science coexists in the book and makes the authors realize that the worst enemy of humans is fear. The most interesting part of the book is its spiritual adventurism and the versatility of Martel in narrating the story.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Life of Pi Essay Life has tons of struggles, problems, and challenges in it that we all have to go through, but sometimes, those issues can turn into something much more. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, we follow Piscine Molitor Patel, a young boy who goes from his home in India where his father runs a zoo to stranded in the middle of the sea on a lifeboat with a tiger. Pi has many beliefs that were formulated while he lived in India that we see appear on the lifeboat. These beliefs helped him survive through his time of peril. Pi’s three beliefs are that religion is important, routine makes life less complicated, and that someone needs to take charge in order for things to go right.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Of Pi Religion Essay

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Life Of Pi Essay The book of “Life of Pi”, by Yann Martel is a novel of finding yourself through religion. The main character named Pi, believed in God and faith. He comes across a journey that showed him how to be a better person. The book shows how Pi struggled through deciding which religion is best for him.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays