Introduction
The novel “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel tells the story of one boy’s adventures in the Pacific Ocean with an Orangutan tiger. Pi is an Indian boy who lives with his parents in India. His parents own a zoo and, therefore, according to Indian standards, they are considered to be quite affluent. Being the common religion in India, Pi is brought up as Hindu but during his teenage years, he becomes interested in the other two religions that characterize his nation, Islam and Christianity. It is here that he makes the constant decision to follow all the three religions that is Hindu, Christianity and Islam His parents are obviously disheartened by his decision but they relatively calm down when he explains to them that he simply wants to serve God. The changing political situation in his country prompts his parents to immigrate the family to Canada and it is during this movement which also involve shipping the animals formerly contained in their zoo that a disaster strikes and the ship transporting the animals capsizes. Pi is however lucky to escape with a lifeboat, but some unfortunate events force him to make a small raft whereby he is joined by an orangutan tiger named Richard Parker that was one of the animals being transported. The two have a lot of adventures and misadventures before the small raft finally washes ashore in Mexico after 227 days. Throughout the novel, the author Yann Martel makes constant references to religion, and this appears to be the story’s core idea. From all the religious accounts contained in the novel, Yann Martel comes across as a religious person. Through the Life of Pie, Martel expresses a credible and enthralling argument for faith in religion through the main character’s embracing of the world’s main three religions, his deep religious faith in the midst of the shipwreck crisis and his encounter with animal which almost appear to be symbols of religion.
Although Pi is raised as a Hindu, he nevertheless embraces the other two religions in his nation and through this, Martel’s own beliefs in religion are depicted. If Martel was not religious, he would have followed a very common path by other authors who usually describe their characters religious upbringing up to a certain point like teenage hood where they tend discredit religion after being exposed to real world phenomena. In this novel, however, the main character embraces three religions, and this is perhaps is a reflection of the author’s own personal belief in religious faith. In regard to his embracing of Christianity, Pi states “Lord Krishna led me to meet Jesus Christ one holiday” (50). This occurs after a chain of events whereby Pi encounters Christian church and after seeing an image of the crucifix; he becomes very interested and consults a Priest, who explains everything about the religion to him. He is particularly very interested in the concept of Jesus’ death sacrifice to save mankind and he cannot understand how the sins of mankind can be repaid through the death of “God’s Son’ when he is not in fact the one who committed the sins. He eventually decides to become Christian, and when he expresses this to the priest, the priests tell him “You already are, Piscine – in your heart. Whoever meets Christ in good faith is a Christian. Here in Munnar, you met Christ” (57). Obviously Pi is very excited about his new found religion and is thankful to Lord Krishna “for having put Jesus of Nazareth, whose humanity I found so compelling, in my way” (58). Pi’s embracing of the Christian faith is followed by his encounter with Islam after he starts interacting with and Islamic bread seller near his zoo. After witnessing a Muslim praying session, Pi is once again interested in the religion and inquires more about it. He starts understanding the religion and increasingly starts seeing it as comprising of a very loving union between the followers and God. He soon embraces the religion and contends that his actions resemble a unification of the Islam the Hindu gods whereby he states “Atman met Allah” (62). Through these passionate accounts about the nature of Christianity and Islam, the author Martel, is able to present an enthralling case for religious faith whereby his personal beliefs about this faith shines through.
The constant integration between religion and zoology is also a reflection of the author’s religious orientation. Pi’s upbringing is characterized by a blend of zoology and religion. Animals are symbolized to religion throughout the novel. In addition, the main character’s life, Pi is driven by these two concepts and even in school, he studies a mixed course of zoology and religion. He acknowledges the wonders of zoology, such as the physiology of animals and the role that God’s plays in this. For example, at one point when he is conducting a thesis study about a three-toed sloth, he makes a connection of its physiology to religion through the quote “The three –toed sloth, such a beautiful example of the miracle of life, reminded me of God” (5). Through this connection, the author Martel is trying to incorporate the influence of God on everyday wonders of life, and this is once again clear reflection of his personal faith and belief in God. He is, therefore, obviously a religious person.
Pi’s adventures at sea where he has nothing else to hold on except his religious beliefs and the general willingness that he exhibits to live is a reflection of Martel’s religious orientation. Pi is able to survive the various misadventures that he goes through and it is as if Martel is implying that this does not happen by default, but that there is some divine influence that ensures that Pi survives. Stranded in the ocean and with only a Tiger as his companion; Pi holds on to his religion and even relies on some of the rituals of these religions to prevent him from completely despairing. Throughout the gruesome adventure, he never loses his faith even for a minute, and he is prayerful throughout. He prays for his own life as well as for the lives of the various animal that he encounters. For example, he recalls the zebra that was initially in the lifeboat with him and that was eaten by a hyena. He states that “I have not forgotten that poor zebra and what it went through. Not a prayer goes by that I don’t think of it” (120). It is this deep commitment to prayer and God that he maintains his hope for survival. He states that “Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen” (148). This once again a depiction of Martel’s religious orientation whereby through the adventures of Pi, he shows that religion is indeed existent and can help one overcome tough situations.
In conclusion, The Life of Pi is a passionate tale through which the author presents an enthralling argument about the existence and indeed the role of religion in human life. Through the Life of Pie, Martel expresses a credible and enthralling case for faith in religion through the main character’s embracing of the world’s main religion, his deep religious faith in the midst of the shipwreck crisis and his encounter with the animals which almost appears to be symbols of religion. Martel’s own faith in religion shines through this entire novel ad he can, therefore, be deemed to be a religious person.
Works Cited
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.
