Hope.
Ashley Marquez
Life of Pi
By Yann Martel
“Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can”(Martel).
In the book Life of Pi written by Yann Martel, a 16 year old survives a shipwreck leaving him alone with an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and the “beast” Richard Parker, the lion. Being stranded on an island alone away from his family he tries to survive the impossible where he remains close to his Hindu, Muslim, and Christian practices of religion. Growing up in Pondicherry, India, he was born a Hindu, and for majority of his life practiced Hindu religions, but then his curious mind begins to explore other religions and practices. He then begins to consider himself a Hindu, Muslim, and a Christian. He believes that all religions are correct and true, and there is more than one way to worship God/Gods. The adventure begins when Pi’s family decides to emigrate from India to Canada on a boat carrying live animals that are meant to be sold in America.
In my opinion, the book did take a long time to start. There was so much information that the author told us about Pi’s life that made the climax longer to come. When reading the climax, however, it really all just tied together. A majority of the climax made a connection to Pi’s life as a young boy. His young life wasn't exactly the perfect childhood because he was a victim of bullying. Pi’s emotions and thoughts were well explained in the chapters that made it boring. There would be no action just explanations of memories and thoughts he had. Especially with my expectation of it being an “edge of the seat” novel, it got me bored once in a while.
“People move because of the wear and tear of anxiety. Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn down in one day by others.” Many people move due to safety, climate, better pay, or sometimes just for a fresh start. A fresh start is what Pi is talking about in this quote, “because of the impression that the future is blocked up, that they might do alright but not their children. Because of the feeling that nothing will change, that happiness and prosperity are possible only somewhere else”(Martel). Pi becomes an immigrant when moving to Canada for a better life. I began to look at this in a different perspective because it really shows how immigration can be such a struggle. Being lost on an island surrounded by animals isn’t exactly the image you expect when trying to begin a better life. After the shipwrecked, Pi lost everything and is stuck with animals that he fears. Many people leaving their home countries are forced to leave everything they have known behind also being stuck with what they have. It is an over exaggerated example in my opinion on immigration but it is important enough to be taken seriously. There are overall many reasons why people leave their countries, mostly due to safety.
Life of Pi is an adventurous fiction book that is filled with surprises. It won Canada's 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. I am not surprised by this because this book has an unbelievable plot that can be so realistic but really opens up your imagination. You are led to believe that something will happen but then the opposite does leaving you with your mouth open The perspective of religions through Pi, a very likable character, made it a beautifully written book. This is a book that I highly recommend to anyone.
Life of Pi
By Yann Martel
“Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can”(Martel).
In the book Life of Pi written by Yann Martel, a 16 year old survives a shipwreck leaving him alone with an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and the “beast” Richard Parker, the lion. Being stranded on an island alone away from his family he tries to survive the impossible where he remains close to his Hindu, Muslim, and Christian practices of religion. Growing up in Pondicherry, India, he was born a Hindu, and for majority of his life practiced Hindu religions, but then his curious mind begins to explore other religions and practices. He then begins to consider himself a Hindu, Muslim, and a Christian. He believes that all religions are correct and true, and there is more than one way to worship God/Gods. The adventure begins when Pi’s family decides to emigrate from India to Canada on a boat carrying live animals that are meant to be sold in America.
In my opinion, the book did take a long time to start. There was so much information that the author told us about Pi’s life that made the climax longer to come. When reading the climax, however, it really all just tied together. A majority of the climax made a connection to Pi’s life as a young boy. His young life wasn't exactly the perfect childhood because he was a victim of bullying. Pi’s emotions and thoughts were well explained in the chapters that made it boring. There would be no action just explanations of memories and thoughts he had. Especially with my expectation of it being an “edge of the seat” novel, it got me bored once in a while.
“People move because of the wear and tear of anxiety. Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn down in one day by others.” Many people move due to safety, climate, better pay, or sometimes just for a fresh start. A fresh start is what Pi is talking about in this quote, “because of the impression that the future is blocked up, that they might do alright but not their children. Because of the feeling that nothing will change, that happiness and prosperity are possible only somewhere else”(Martel). Pi becomes an immigrant when moving to Canada for a better life. I began to look at this in a different perspective because it really shows how immigration can be such a struggle. Being lost on an island surrounded by animals isn’t exactly the image you expect when trying to begin a better life. After the shipwrecked, Pi lost everything and is stuck with animals that he fears. Many people leaving their home countries are forced to leave everything they have known behind also being stuck with what they have. It is an over exaggerated example in my opinion on immigration but it is important enough to be taken seriously. There are overall many reasons why people leave their countries, mostly due to safety.
Life of Pi is an adventurous fiction book that is filled with surprises. It won Canada's 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. I am not surprised by this because this book has an unbelievable plot that can be so realistic but really opens up your imagination. You are led to believe that something will happen but then the opposite does leaving you with your mouth open The perspective of religions through Pi, a very likable character, made it a beautifully written book. This is a book that I highly recommend to anyone.
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