Assignment # 4: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

                This summer, I chose to read Life of Pi by Yann Martel, because it was recommended to me. Upon starting it, I did not know exactly what the book was about or under what context the author had written it; therefore, I read the novel thinking that it was a true story about a boy named Pi in India, when in fact it is completely fictional. Because I thought the events of the novel were real, I was devastated at the end of the book when two Japanese officials did not believe Pi when he retold his story. For this reason, I am so impressed by Martel’s storytelling. He successfully convinced me, the reader, that a young boy could fall in love with three religions, sail across the ocean with a Bengal tiger, and live to start a family.

            Martel began convincing me when he introduced the character Pi, who lives in a zoo with his parents and siblings in Pondicherry, India. The main reason I believed Piscine’s character so easily was that he had a vast knowledge of animals and zoos. A boy who lived in a zoo would surely know a lot about the behavior of animals, and Pi, the narrator, devotes a large portion of the novel to this. For example, he describes the territorial tendencies, and dangers of animals, which his father, the owner of the zoo, tells him about. It would make sense, too, that a boy in India at this time would be interested in religious practices. It would even make sense that he would be interested in multiple religions, which Pi was. He devoted himself to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, even though none of the leaders associated with these religions approved of it. Pi’s character is not only believable; he is also relatable, in that he wants to do more than is required of him. At a time in India when people were so unsure of themselves and their lives, Pi knows himself and his beliefs so well.

            Martel also does a great job of conveying the setting to the reader, through a young boy’s eyes. The reader understands the chaos of India at that time, through Pi’s perspective. For example, Pi discusses “a prime minister who has the armour plating of a rhinoceros without any of its good sense” with his teacher, and says, “religion will save us.” He also learns his father’s beliefs about the current situation. Finally, as Pi and his family leave India, in response to the government takeover, he explains the turmoil that is going on in India, without boring the reader with facts. Therefore, the reader gets a good sense of the setting through Piscine’s eyes.

            Finally, the novel itself pokes at the idea of belief. From Pi’s consistent belief in God to his attempt to persuade the two Japanese officials at the end of the book that he did in fact spend over one hundred days in a small boat with a tiger, he learns that belief is everything. Without belief, there is no way for Pi to convince the officials that his story must go in their records. Without anyone to believe Piscine, his story is not technically true. In this way Martel challenges the reader to believe Pi’s story, because he makes it seem so real.