The Life of Pi is a great story but will it make you believe in God?
A boy. A tiger. And the vast Pacific Ocean. This is a novel of such rare and wondrous storytelling that it may, as one of the characters claims, make you believe in God. Can a reader reasonably ask for anything more?So reads the dust jacket of the novel The Life of Pi by Yann Martel . My answer: yes. To be more accurate I am not sure the book lives up to this haughty claim. And if it does make you believe in God, what kind of God is it and why do you believe? In other words The Life of Pi left me with a lot more questions than answers. Let’s start at the beginning, however, back at the “a boy, a tiger, and the pacific ocean part;” let’s focus on the wonderful storytelling.…
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— go to most recent comments26 - truce
question: the japanese interrogators, when comparing the similarities of the two survival tales, wonder what the meerkats represented, if Pi's original story wasn't true; any ideas on this?
My guess: masses, reacting to the world around them, which is their sole source of nourishment and life ... without looking deeper into it, to see that it, too, is cause of their demise.
27 - truce
oh yeah, thanx to all of you for giving me a better understanding of this novel.
28 - truce
Okay, last post:
I feel that instead of trying to determine which story is true, consider that neither story is true, or at least, neither is any more true than the other.
Looking at this novel as not a story, but an attempt to convey belief in God (as Martel states it is), realize that both of Pi's tales are (referencing chapters 21 and 22) takes on the same subject, one glorious and one bane; in the end, does it matter which is the true story? There will be those who doubt the glorious, regardless of how factual Pi knows his tale is.
Martel's brilliance in this novel is conveying the first story as though it is the actual tale, with no hint of doubt; then, at the end, he pulls the rug out and introduces very believable doubt, even though we, like Pi, KNOW his first story is true ... or do we? We're debating it now. To have every reason to believe in front of you, but to find doubt.
Believe what you know. Know what you believe. Don't allow doubt of others to tear away your faith.
"And so it goes with God."
29 - Jacqueline
Hi all,
I was wondering if anybody else was thinking of this hypothesis.
The true story was the latter. Though, this story is so terrible, especially because of what Pi had to do; eat a human being. Therefore, Pi saved himself by becoming schizofrenic. He is Richard Parker and sees his other half as a dangerous tiger, but he depends on him too (he even tells him he loves him and would not know what to do without him).
One remark of Pi earlier in the book made me think of this.
Has anyone noticed the following in the bit before the sea trip started? When the interviewer has a conversation with the mature Pi, Pi points at a picture with merely school boys on it and says:" this is Richard Parker". I feel he is most likely pointing at a picture of himself. I noticed it because I got confused later on when RP appeared to be a tiger. When he finally reaches land RP disappears and is never seen again.....
30 - gian
interesting, ideas, contrast, motivations to thought, life, culture. what is truth?... enjoy
31 - truthful_turkey
I have just read 'Life of Pi' and I can honestly say that it is an amazing book and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading something more than just a 'black and white' story.
As many others who have written on this page, I am an exponent of the idea that the second, more brutal story, is true. In one of the present day chapters in the book, Mr Pi Patel tells the author that he cannot remember is mother's face. This is perhaps because the last images of his mother in his memory had been nightmarish. If so, the entire first story and his lack of memory of his mothers face is a ploy to block from his mind what really happened to him and his mother.
However, I might also add that, if I ever met Pi Patel pesonally, I would rather have him tell me the first story to the second. A story of hope is a much better a memory than one of brutality.
32 - thecynic
To Kevin Holtsberry: Thank you for a spot-on analysis that perfectly crystalized what i was unwilling to admit, and therefore refused to believe.
Truth Teller wrote: "Holtsberry's overt desire to see truth spelled out misses the point entirely. Truth lies between the stories not in one or the other."
Sorry, Buddy. You missed the boat BIG-time on this one! Not even Martel tried to claim such as this: that the truth lies "between the stories and not in either." He is stating that the truth is arguably unimportant if it doesn't help you survive. This is the point of the novel, and the one that made some of us angry because (a) we WANTED to believe the first story, not the second, and (b) It's depressing to try to apply this principle to our own reality, i.e. how sad are our lives or our world that we have to "make up" God just to get by?
It is [unfortunately for us non-relativists] clear that Martel is instructing us that story #2 is true. (Sadly, those that don't want to accept it-- and some actually criticized K.H. because he says what is painful for us to accept-- are in the same place I was before I read his strip-away-your-personal-desires-and-look-at-the-brutal-truth style review. Ironic how the point of the novel is to look at the brighter side of life, and yet, at the end, it forces you to realize what you thought WAS reality was merely a fantastically "painted-on" version of it, because it was too horrible to comprehend!
Martel still has a valid point: there are good reasons for creating, telling, and believing the "better story"-- but for me, it's twice as depressing to realize that's what the author seems to hint you should resort to-- *even when it comes to God*-- as if God is as much a figment of your imagination/desires as the story of the tiger and Pi was to a young boy... as if *God is not actually real*! And this is why nearly every reader says the same thing: "Gee, I didn't find this story really made me believe in God."
It stands to reason: the author only creates the argument that it is helpful to BELIEVE in God and therefore you SHOULD... regardless of the fact that the notion of God is as much of a fabrication as the tiger and boy story. Hardly a positive message-- well, unless you began reading this book as an atheist... and even then, quite possibly depressing. Holtsberry's understanding further explains Martel's earlier point that he has "no patience" for agnostics because they're not USING a belief in God to get through life. For Pi, it has nothing whatever to do with truth; it has to do with choosing the blue pill over the red pill (fantasy over truth, a la Matrix). Martel argues that there are powerful reasons for developing and sticking to "the better story," including the existence of God, because of how useful it is for going on in the face of adversity.
The real argument here might be that life sucks no matter whether you're on a raft with death at your door or not...
Let's look at it this way. We all know that in The Matrix, it was critical that Neo choose the red pill if he ever hoped to change the state of the universe and humankind. Continuing to hide his head in the sand and believe the fantasy played out before him would have been a colossal mistake, so choosing the blue pill would have dire consequences: the continued slavery of all humankind. But we all know of cases-- being imprisoned, being stranded on an island-- being in a raft, alone at sea-- where there are most definitely benefits to creating an alternative mental reality in order to survive. The blue pill can be the most potent weapon we can have in some sets of circumstances. For Pi, it most definitely was. However, the end of the story shows us that Pi believes it is always preferable, in keeping with his quote "And so it is with God." In the end, he finally admits he believes in God merely because it offers "the better story." Can anyone honestly find this an uplifting philosophy? Aak.
I lived in Japan for three years. They definitely choose the "Ignorance is bliss" mentality over the "Information is power" one more popular in the West. This was disorienting to me for a while... Now I recognize that it can work well-- but only if you have a well-developed mindset that allows you to hold two thoughts in your mind at once: reality, the best you can recognize it (with all the imperfections that might entail!) and a softer, hazier fantasy-style vision that allows you to play along with others so that life can be sweeter. It's like keeping your cynical side tied up for emergencies and letting the optimist run rampant-- just so that there are more reasons to live-- more excuses to be happy. Again, not the most positive way to look at the world if it's really THAT bad to require such "phoniness," but it is absolutely capable of making you more likeable-- to yourself AND to others-- and of making you more life infinitely more pleasant/less likely to stimulate depression/etc.
Let me provide one example, and then I promise to end my dissertation here. I'm an animal rescuers. This means I have ample opportunity to find cats and dogs that have been dumped, stranded, beaten, used for target practice, starved, ignored, etc. I've also seen laziness by pound personnel that caused needless putting to death of friendly, healthy, adoptable animals. All this leads some rescuers to hate humans because of the cruelty they have witnessed, to become depressed about the current state of events (not enough pet fixing and therefore, ever more animals left to starve, be killed, or live out a painful, lonely existence without shelter, love, or steady food), to give up hope (5 million animals are killed just by U.S. pounds annually), and to generally become miserable people to be around. New animal rescuers practically have to be "shuttled away" from crustier "old" rescuers, so they won t see the bitterness that exists, and can develop strength in their decision to rescue animals rather than think "I don't want to be like these people, or work with people like this!"
To understand this, I should add that rescuing animals is a tough gig-- you go to rough places, you try to tame animals that don't understand mercy, you spend money, time, and tremendous amounts of energy helping animals become beautiful and healthy again, fix them, and then hunt for stable, safe homes. And then you get picked on by others who think you must be naive to go to such extents for mere animals-- "You can't save them ALL! Why do you bother?!" And etc.
My solution is that I focus on the animals I DID save, and try not to think of all the ones I haven't. In this way, I have found a happy medium between the knowledge that tonight, more animals out there are cold, hungry, abused, and sometimes, even about to die, and the knowledge that focusing on that reality will decrease my power to help those that I can. The difference between this and Pi's story is that I haven't made the jump to claiming or believing that I have saved all the animals, just because it's a better story... If someone asks me, I will tell them the truth.
But I will keep putting the faces of the ones I saved before me just to keep myself going.
On a raft, by myself, as Pi was, I would take the blue pill too. I would create a fantasy if I had the power to. But I'm not sure it's the best way to live a life, and not sure it's a reason to "believe" in God.
Thanks, Kevin H. You said what I didn't want to admit to myself, but now that I have, I can be okay with that. This story is that amazing. I so wanted it to be true. Clearly, it carries a lot of power, no matter how you slice it. (No pun intended.)
33 - thecynic
p.s. Sorry! I'm sure there were plenty of typos in there, and I could have made the points more succinctly. Please excuse me. This is the last thing I should be doing here at 1 a.m.! Better get back to accounting, ukk. :)
34 - Lethal
John John u rock!!! LOL!!!! Couldn't have put it better myself
35 - Goober
Jacqueline: The writer says the photo is
MOSTLY of schoolchildren, so R.P. could still be in it......still a good theory though.
36 - Chloe
The peasants of this blog have no idea what true love really is-that is, the undying love which exists between Yann Martel and myself. Challenge me if you dare.
37 - Jorge
uh, I was wondering, does anyne know where I can find summaries on all the chapters of life of pi?.. I need this for a school thing.. if you do please E-mail me at Falcon560@aol.com it would be apreciated.
THANX
38 - Gagan
Life of Pi is the best book I've ever read...maybe besides the Rohinton Mistry books...I have to admit that i found it quite boring at first..what with the whole three toed sloths n stuff...but later on it got so interesting that I couldn't put it down! its a MUST read
39 - Rob
In this story, Pi explains how zookeepers control wild animals and tame them by using fear and intimidation, and by providing them with a safe environment that meets their basic needs and supplants their true nature (to roam free, explore, hunt, etc.) with a false one (roam around a fake home and wait for food to be dispensed). Pi uses these same techniques to control Richard Parker in the lifeboat.
What Martel is really telling us is that most of us are animals in the world's religious zoo. The zookeepers are the leaders of the worlds religions. They draw dogmatic parameters that they want us to stay within, and then use fear, guilt, intimidation, etc. to keep us from exploring a broader spirituality. Instead of rising above dogma and meeting God on a more spiritual level (where "truth" can't be pinned down so easily) we file to church each week, swallow endless repitition of the same old stories and go about our lives asking no more of our religion. And just like animals in a zoo, our true purpose of seeking God has been supplanted by an artificial one (sitting like zombies listening to blowhards blather on about why our particular "story" is the only true one).
40 - Alexandra
I decided to read this book because of a 2-sentence long description of it on a summer-reading list for school.
Boy, am I glad I selected it! A truly fascinating, rivoting read!
Without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read - I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading it cover to cover in a day.
The ending bugged me a lot, and I've been thinking about it for days, but for those who have yet to read it, I suggest just picking one of the two endings and believing it fully.
I find that this makes it a lot easier to digest. (I picked the original story.)
41 - Cassandra
I have read this book and I would like to know how does Pi compare Hinduism, Christianity, and Muslim to the real world or how people see religion?
Explain them separately using religious belief and textual evidence.
42 - confused
i read this book over the summer and it left me very confused. i didn't like the book, it was too slow and boring. but it did get me thinking. i wish Martel had given a better explanation on which story i should believe. i think i believe that the animals were from Pi's mind and that there were truly four human survivors from the sunken ship. it seems harsh...and like the japenese interogators i think the animal story is unbelievable.
43 - Karolina
I just love this book ! and I bough it just by chance, waiting to take a plane on airport , it was sold with another book as a gift so I thought , ok, nice at least I have many to read , and... after just few pages I follow in love. But I don´t like the end, I would like to discuss with Yann Martel. do somebody know´s his e-mail ?
44 - Chris
In reference to the symbolism of the name Pi:the ratio of a circle's circumference divided by its diameter, ending in an irrational number.
In the boat Pi divides himself, enabling his survival. A story about multiple realities. Irrational things can be quite logical.
45 - Chris
From Authors note: That’s what fiction is about, isn’t it, the selective transformation of reality.
To me, the key is transformation.
46 - Dale
Maybe neither of the two stories were correct and Pi was on his own on the boat, with a lot of time on his hands and a wonderful imagination he wrote the first story in his diary as a way of passing time and in his mind the tiger became like an imaginary friend. when confronted by the Japanese investigators he has no trouble with putting together another story on the spot, gruesome though it was.
did anyone else consider this or am I just a complete arse?
47 - Steve
I just finished this book last night and I can't wait for my wife to read it so I have someone to discuss it with. I agree with Kevin's review that the principle failure of the novel is that it doesn't look for truth. However, this is only important if you expect it to "make you believe in God." If only Martel had left this unfortunate sentence out of his book, it would be a compelling argument as to why we should believe in God - or how cynicism is no reason not to believe in God.
The story this most reminds me of is "The Little Prince" by Antoine St. Exupery. Both stories speak about the differences in perception between a skeptic and believer. Both revolve around fantastic journeys that seem to defy reality. Finally, in the closing pages, the author offers an alternative story that would satisfy the skeptic - but then reminds the reader of the brilliance of believing.
48 - Jesse
what was martel's purpose of using an urang utan as a character in the novel?
49 - Melissa
Has anyone realized that during the time when Pi is going crazy and talking to Richard Parker... richard parker said he killed to people... A man and a women.. does that mean he killed his mom and the chief?
50 - Daniella
Why do we have to choose an ending? Why is the common goal in life to find answers to every question? Never once does Martel indicate that either story is more or less factual, however Pi states: "Which story is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without animals?" Both men choose the story with the animals. Pi responds: "Thank you. And so it goes with God."
If God knows the truth, than who are we to make assumptions as to something which we really have no insight into?
Oh, and as for the whole practising of "three incompatible religions" theory; step back and take a look at every message Martel expressed about each religion. Are they not fundamentally similar? So, now similarity is incompatible? An open mind can see what the closed mind can only guess at. "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
"
51 - Carla
Well, having questions and searching for God is good. I highly recommend it as a life style. However, when you find all the answers no one will believe you, but many will follow you after you are dead and rise again. Be blessed in your journey.
52 - latina
wow...i loved this book, i had to read it for school and i just wanted to keep on reading. I believe in the second story too, even though after reading yall's comments, now im very confused...but they really got me thinking..this is probably the best book i've read in years.
53 - Steve
Well, it's my experience that religions only appear the same on the surface, the more you study, the more you realise just how far apart they really are. The key is to be precise in defining terms, religions often use the same terms but the meaning for each religion is entirely different e.g. -
Both Buddhism and Christianity agree that meditation is an important spiritual discipline.
Sounds similar right??? Wrong...
Meditation in the Christian tradition means thinking about God's Word (in the Bible) and his laws and ways.
In the Buddhist religion, meditation means EMPTYING your mind.
The two religions' ideas on meditation are actually opposites.
54 - gggg
this book sucks. so boriong and long
55 - Samantha Tennant
I really loved this book, and I agree with many of the points brought up here. However, while many of the points have allowed people to come to the conclusion that the second story is true, they have allowed me to do the opposite. Almost every point that I have read has made me think, and I have come to the conclusion that the first story is true, and that we may all be overalalyzing the story. But maybe I'm wrong. Either way, as the author suggests, I will choose "the better story".
56 - Piscine
turns out it's all lies. there were no animals on the boat, only a bunch of murderers and cannibals. ha ha sorry to spoil the ending!
57 - Sam
fucking shitty ass mother fucking bull shit gay ass fucking shitty book! Never read it again!, and if you havent DONT!
58 - Stephanie
I was disappointed to read so many cynical views of the book! And although I believe it was incorrect to label the book as one that would "Make You Believe in God", I felt it at least made you think about God. To me, Life of Pi opened my eyes to the importance it is to believe and have faith, no matter what you are believing in. That is why Pi attacks agnostics at the beginning of the novel, since they are full of doubt, yet athiests believing in nothing at all is in fact believing in something.
I suppose I choose neither story as true, and only consider the stories for what they represent. Theories that Pi created Richard Parker to avoid insanity definately intruiged me! However, this is like choosing the story without animals to me, it's not pretty and I'm not sure if it's what Martel intended.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, however when I had to read for analysis rather than pleasure, I realized it did not hold up as well as I would have liked it too. Part I of the book was slightly mirrored in Part II of the book, but not enough as I would have liked. Anyways, just read Life of Pi!
59 - Samantha
What do you think the purpose of the zebra is in the book? Why do you think Yann Martel killed the Zebra off and what do you think the Zebras brought into the book in it's short time?
60 - Ji
What's with the meerkats? I figured it was yet another thrilling example of human dichotomy. He's really into that. Or some cannibal island?
Man, when I read the part about the tooth-fruit, a shiver just went up my spine.
Naturally, the second story is 'true'. I mean, who really wants to believe that humans are capable of such evil? But we are. It would be so much easier to accept the animal story because we can excuse animals more easily of such various 'misdeeds' as brute savagery and even cannibalism. Hell, I went through the book placidly enough, simply loving R.P. and his simple animal ways, but my heart beat so rapidly in those last few pages with the narrative of the 'true' story, simply because the violence went from animal to human. Stunning.
I applaud Holtsberry and thecynic for such terrific insight into the book. The idea that God is simply the better story may seem too much of a generalisation, but isn't that why so many of us believe in God? Heaven is a much better story than any of the evil on earth, I'd say.
Religious institutions may seem different, Steve, but I think faith in God comes from something other than ritualistic institution. Even Martel addresses that, that the priest, even as a priest, was glaring at him, going between him and God. The Brahmin shooed him away. He was chased from a mosque. He seems to address the small-mindedness and busibodiness of so many humans because they refuse to leave their marked 'territory', so to speak. Fervent love for God goes so much farther, you know?
Anyway, it was an thrilling book. I simply could not put it down. I am critical of Martel's drawn out style, however. It dampened my interest in many of the chapters and led me to skimming, which isn't too helpful when reading such an engrossing story.
The utter parallelism in his symbolism is delightful, though. That the orangutan was the herbivoric, gentle mother of two strapping boys. You know, in restrospect, you see all these things. Those meerkats, though. They really bother me.
61 - jade123
oh i just loved the book "Life of Pi".
i thought it was boring at first, maybe it's because i didn't understand the stuff about religions, especially Hinduism. (i never learned anything about Hinuism before...)
but when i got the main idea of the religions, and i continued to read through it, i just found the book hilarious.
haha i was confused by the two stories at first. i was like hmmmmmm which one is the real story?! but then yeah, it's all up to me.
by the way, i prefer the first story as well.
62 - jade123
sorry, a spelling mistake: Hinduism
63 - jade123
oh i forgot to mention this:
well, how about the French man he met when he was blind.
and was there a carnivorous island? is the island which has meerkats and trees on it real?
64 - DJ
Hi all,
I agree with Ji, the second story is the obvious true one. The writer tries to tell the reader that the cannibalistic nature of man is something we don't want to hear or believe. That is why he compresses the true story at the end of the book into a few pages, as if to say: "There, is that better now, do you feel better about the truth?" It is a story without a God.
I also agree that the whole animal story is an allegory for faith, since the build-up in the book was all about the faiths.
That the animal story is a parallel for heaven, I think is nonsense. Pi had no fun time out there even if you believe the animal story. So I think it is a story of a reality of pain and suffering that is disquised as an acceptable tale. It also kept Pi going. This signifies how people view God. It doesn't change reality, but a God in ones mind changes your own experience of reality. It also gives hope.
The Island...now that I don't understand. And also the Meerkat bones. I don't know if there is any significance in this. To me something along the lines of an island must have happened, or at least the idea of algea that drifted on the ocean. The reason I say this, is because Pi's eyesight miraculously returned, this must have something to do with vegetation or fresh water. But the Meerkats!?!?
I come from South Africa and it is quite interesing why he picked them as players in the tale. Maybe Pi found them so interesting when was young, that it became a figment of his imagination.
Lastly, I would have liked the writer to eloborate at the end on the journey Pi took. Kilometers traveled, the route. The tanker's crossing with his paths. Maybe a picture.
Anyway, anybody on the Meerkats?
65 - The Lorax
I just finished reading Life of Pi. I loved the story, but the way Martel wrote it did not appeal to me. I'm sure others can relate to me when I say that I was distraught when Pi started telling the second story. I think there is an overall "want" to believe the impossible and the most extreme.
I still have some questions though...If anyone can clear this up, that would be most helpful!
So...I still don't get this carnivorous island! What's up with the teeth in the fruit! I did not understand that at all.
Martel's purpose is also foggy. What is his purpose? Is it truly all religious or is there something else?
Apparently there's a theme to this story too. I can't even begin to find one! Religion? Faith?
Those are my questions. I was also thinking that the zebra, orangutan, and the hyena getting eaten on the lifeboat could have represented Pi's three religions deteriorating and him no longer believing in them (since he barely regarded his religions while on the lifeboat and came to Mexico a changed man), is that way off?
In addition, I was also thinking that since Pi fabricated one story, couldn't he have made up the second one too? What if (and I know I'm taking this farther then it should go) Pi let the animals loose and helped the ship sink. Or, more likely, what if he killed his own family on the lifeboat? I think it's a possibility.
I would appreciate hearing some responses. Thanks all!
66 - Jumpshot
I enjoyed this book immensly. However, I thought it best to clear something up. It seems like many of the comments here are assuming that one of the two stories must be true, when actually neither story is true. Hence the definition of a Novel: "a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes." In other words, Martel made the entire thing up from his imagination. Enjoy the book for what it is... a wonderfully written novel.
67 - amrita
wow, i just finished reading the book, and the ending definately left me chilly. the latter, or "true" version really caught me off guard and even though it makes the novel richer, i wish it wasnt part of the book. i think the latter story was the true one, but pi invents the former to explain/justify the events. the part about the canibalistic island, for me, was the most eeire part of the book, especially the part about the teeth..!!
68 - Vern Halen
I don't know if all this religious stuff was the point of the novel. I suppose it;s there, but I think it's more about the nature of reality & how much self construction goes into it. And it's a cool twist ending.
69 - Henry Billups
To the guy asking for chapter summaries on Life of Pi.
70 - a c
the book was lame
71 - Teddy
Pies the tiger and he killed the hyena(the chef),however the story says that he killed two people a man and a women. Now the mans taken care of so who was the women. Was it his mom or somebody else?
72 - Teddy
Sorry about the spelling of "pi" in the last comment
73 - Sirrah
I read somewhere that Martel wanted to use the meerkat island more as a literary device than just a metaphor, as his final blow to the typical, expected form of fictional writing. And that by trying to find out what the island represents, we forget a large part of his intention: "to not sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality".
It simply makes the story more interesting.
74 - sean
yeah my only problem with the novel was that Pi beliefs were never explained or justified, ther is nothing wrong with them, but why is that mind set a goal for us.
75 - I RULE
I dont know why everybody thinks this book is so good i thought it was horrible and now i have to right some dumb essay on the importance of Pi's name and how it affects the book when i dont even understand the stupid book