In interviews Yann Martel has said that, for him, the idea of a religious boy adrift in a lifeboat with a wild animal is a perfect metaphor for the human condition – what do you think he means by this?
How might the events in the lifeboat represent Pi’s (and perhaps humanity’s) internal struggle? Against what?
As we continue reading our protagonist’s journey on the lifeboat, think about how Pi’s experience affects his understanding of his place within the universe.
You might also like to think about the parallels between Pi’s journey and the story of Noah in the Bible and what this might represent.
Maria do Céu Costa
said:posted 14 August 09
“… a perfect metaphor for the human condition”:
Indeed it is. Life of Pi conveys strength, power, wisdom, adventure, fantasy along with weakness, fragility, uncertainty and fear, these being overcome through faith.
As for Pi’s internal struggle, we think we could interpret it as the whole process of every individual to understand and adapt himself to different environments. Despite facing risks, every individual should be determined to pursue his “journey”, and be able to learn from the surrounding circumstances. This happened with Pi during his (unexpected) voyage in a lifeboat. His struggle might also be against “fear, rage,lack of hope, apathy…”
“… how Pi’s experience affects his understanding of his place within the universe” : we can remember some interesting passages in which, in our opinion, Pi seems to summarise his experience in the lifeboat: “… Between the two of them, the sky and the sea, all winds were found. And were all nights
and all moons. To be a shipwrecker it is to be a dot perpetually in the centre of a circle. To be a shipwrecker is to be caught in an anguishing dance of circles.” (personal free translation)
In the Bible, Noah was the hero of the flood story and the ancestor of the new race of humans who peopled the earth. According to the story told in Genesis, the wickedness of mankind was so great that God determined to to destroy all living things. Only Noah and his family were saved in the eyes of Lord. In Life of Pi, Pi’s family didn’t have the same luck. Just him and Richard Parker have been saved to tell us “life lessons”…
Alfred Nobile
said:posted 17 August 09
It isn’t until Pi is on the lifeboat with his various companions that he has to face up to realities of life, which are the survival of the fittest. Eg The hyena preying on the weakest the zebra. The orangotang shows defiance and this results in a stalemate.
Korky
said:posted 19 August 09
I’ve advised a friend who’s struggling to get going with this novel to dive straight in to part 2 – the lifeboat. My own overview of part 1 is that nothing happens and I think they’re ‘stuck’ with the same thought.
DVG
said:posted 26 August 09
I struggled with the first part of the book as well. I found myself reading a chapter and walking away. I still came back because I believe it was essential to understand who Pi is and what he believes so we can understand how he survived, why he thought what he thought and did as he did.
Part two did move a bit faster for me.
I do believe the lifeboat and all his struggles are tests of his life lessons and beliefs. All which pull him through this daily routine.
Through all the needs of his survival, he still had respect for life.
Susan
said:posted 27 August 09
Clearly there are many religious elements in the story. Pi’s faith in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism is the spiritual force that helps him survive. The lifeboat is the physical instrument that saves him from drowning. He refers to it as “God’s ark”. Noah too had deep faith in his God. Noah did all that he was commanded to do with no deviation. He continued on the path that he knew to be right, with strength, conviction and faith. Both Noah and Pi did not choose the situation they were in. Both of them survived long periods of time in the ocean; Pi with Richard Parker and Noah with his family and the animals. They were spared from death- Noah from the great flood of mankind’s home (earth) and Pi from the sinking of the ship, Tsimtsum ,which was his temporary home.