Give Me Some Pi

The extreme situations experienced by Pi if read metaphorically could have almost infinite meanings attached to them, but I find a couple of the more obscure, and possibly unintended, themes particularly captivating. The events that are described by Yann Martel in his book, though fictional, have some interesting significance if we were to look for applicable lessons. To analyze this book effectively, evoking the historical contextualization to understand the background and events leading to the end of the book are necessary, as well as careful evaluation of the significance this novel possesses.

            As Pi begins to describe the turmoil that is occurring in India at the time, I made some quick assertions that this would have a significant role in the way that the novel turns out. One of the first things that occurred to me as I was reading the book was the interesting contrast in religions and things that he encounters. In small discussion with Mr. Kumar he encounters atheism, but the book never really goes deep into trying to describe whether or not he ponders on this deeply. The possibility for an atheist deeply entrenched in a sort of positivism, as well as an Islamic baker, a tremendous influence of Hinduism, and the meeting of a Christian priest who reforms a young boy’s beliefs, could only happen in a more modern period of peaceful coexistence. India was the perfect setting for a novel of this type to be placed. It’s home to the largest democracy in the world and because of imperialism has been influenced and shaped by so many cultures, and styles of governance. The moral pluralism that Pi practices could only happen in a place where religious tolerance and freedom have been seen or perhaps even emphasized. The revolutionary turmoil that was happening in India at the time was mainly trying to establish individual freedom and a stronger democracy. Yann Martel described this book as one that was written when he was looking for direction in his life, and this book ultimately guided him. The background of chaos in India could perhaps be very representative of the way that Martel felt. The historical context was chosen very carefully by the author.

             Some of the best parts of this book are connected with realizations that nature is everything. Nothing exists outside of it. This is perhaps one of the bridges that Pi crosses in his connection of beliefs, and especially in the way that he isn’t bogged down by atheism. However an interesting contradiction to his beliefs occur on page 241 in the discussion of what an animal is, and he says that he is a’ human being.‘ The response to his assertion is, ‘What boastful pride.’ In this moment he affirms that he is beyond nature, yet one of the interesting beliefs that was possibly assumed by Pi was that he was a part of nature. Here we come up with a dualism that occurs a couple more times where Pi says that he is a part of nature, and even an insignificant part of it, but at the same time he believes he’s beyond the cruel animalistic processes that nature exhibits. Is anthropocentrism damning to his religious beliefs? I would argue that it is not. His final conclusion is that nature was what kept him alive and the personification of animals proves that to an extent, the beliefs of inferiority and superiority he perceives can be synthesized. The way that he combines seemingly contradictory ideas really is interesting, and gives insight into each of our own lives.