Monday, August 27, 2007

Life of Pi

Life of Pi

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Life of Pi

An American paperback edition of Life of Pi
Author Yann Martel
Country Canada
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher Knopf Canada
Publication date September 2001
Pages 336
ISBN ISBN 0-676-97376-0 (first edition, hardcover), ISBN 0-15-602732-1 (US paperback edition) ISBN 1-565-11780-8 (audiobook, Penguin Highbridge)
Preceded by Self
Followed by We Ate the Children Last

Life of Pi is a novel by Canadian author Yann Martel. The protagonist Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores the issues of religion and spirituality from an early age and survives 227 days shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean.

First published by Knopf Canada in September 2001, the novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize the following year. It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003 competition, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee. Its French translation, L'Histoire de Pi, was also chosen in the French version of the competition, Le combat des livres.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet has been signed to direct the film adaptation of the book.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Plot summary

A scale diagram of the lifeboat, from descriptions in the book.
A scale diagram of the lifeboat, from descriptions in the book.

The first section is an adult Pi Patel’s rumination over his childhood. The main character, Piscine Patel (aka "Pi") talks about his life living as the son of a zookeeper, and speaks at length about animal behaviour, while also speaking about his religion - Pi practices Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, having seen merits in all three religions. He says "I just want to love God." While on a ship when his family leaves politically oppressed Pondicherry for Canada, the Japanese ship Tsimtsum mysteriously sinks into the ocean (most likely due to an engine malfunction). Everyone, including Pi's family, is lost at sea and Pi is the only survivor of the fatal accident. He manages to survive due to being tossed into the lifeboat before the ship went under, and is joined by a zebra who jumps into the boat and breaks its leg due to the impact. Pi then mistakenly helps a dangerous 450-pound Bengali tiger by the name of Richard Parker, only to realize his mistake after the tiger is on board. There are other animals on the boat with Pi, including a hyena, orangutan, various insects and other pestilence. At first Pi believes that Richard Parker the tiger has abandoned the boat, and focuses on surviving the hyena. It is not long before the hyena begins to feed on the zebra. After the zebra's death, the hyena kills the orangutan, prompting Pi to approach it, lest he be next. It is then that he notices that Richard Parker has been resting under a tarpaulin and has been aboard the lifeboat the entire time.

The tiger kills and eats the hyena, but does not immediately attack Pi. The young man manages to construct a raft using supplies aboard the boat, and avoids direct confrontation with Richard Parker by keeping out of the tiger's territory on the deck of the boat. He fishes and feeds both Richard Parker and himself and tries to keep both of them alive. Later as they are close to death, the duo wash ashore upon a strange island formed of a tightly-knit edible algae. The island is populated by meerkats and contains pools of fresh water, but at night the algae that forms the island becomes dangerously acidic. After some time, Pi finds a strange tree on the island, and upon examining the tree's unusual "fruit", finds human teeth. He deduces that the 'island' is actually a massive plantlike organism that has consumed a human previously. Pi and Richard Parker soon leave. They later make it to Mexico, whereupon the tiger leaves Pi feeling at a loss for losing his one companion. By the time he has made it to the hospital, he has been at sea for 227 days.

During his stay in the hospital, Pi is visited by two Japanese officials, Okamoto and Chiba, who work for the Japanese government, and he proves to be most frustrating for them. They tape record their conversation with him in order to find out and form an official report on how the ship sank. He stubbornly tells them his story of animals and spending 7 months at sea with a ferocious tiger, but the skeptical men cannot believe his tale. Pi asks the two men if they disliked his story. Okamoto replies that they enjoyed it, but that they need to know what really happened. Pi says he will tell another story. In this story, the four occupants of the lifeboat are Pi, his mother, the cook (an ill-tempered, greedy French man), and a sailor (a beautiful young Chinese boy). The sailor had broken his leg jumping into the lifeboat, and the cook cuts the leg off and tries to use it for bait. The sailor dies and the cook butchers and eats him. Pi and his mother, both horrified, try to stop him. The cook kills Pi’s mother and throws her head in Pi’s direction. Soon after, Pi fights the cook and kills him. He eats his heart and liver and pieces of his flesh. Then, as Pi says to Okamoto and Chiba, “Solitude began. I turned to God. I survived.” The parallels between that story and his story involving the tiger are noted by the two horrified Japanese men. They ask more about the ship and how it sank, but Pi cannot tell them anything useful. Pi asks them which story they preferred: the one with animals or the one without. Both Chiba and Okamoto agree that the one with animals is “the better story.” In his report, which years later he sends to Martel, Okamoto writes that Pi’s story of survival at sea with an adult Bengal tiger is astonishing and unique.

[edit] Yann Martel

Yann Martel is a Canadian author who won the Man Booker award for his novel. He was born in Spain though he moved to different locations throughout his childhood because his parents worked with the Canadian foreign services. He lived in places such as: Alaska, Spain, France, British Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Ontario. As an adult Yann Martel studied philosophy at Trent University. He has written two other books though neither acquired the same national acclaim as Life of Pi. In a conversation with Yann Martel, November 11, 2002 with PBS[1], Martel reveals his inspiration and motives for his novel saying “I was sort of looking for a story, not only with a small ‘s’ but sort of with a capital ‘S’ – something that would direct my life”. He spoke of being lonely and needing direction to his life. This novel became that direction and reason to his life [2]

[edit] Plagiarism controversy

“ Also, I am indebted to Mr. Moacyr Scliar, for the spark of life. ”

This dedication to Moacyr Scliar appears in the preface of his novel Life of Pi and sparked controversy. Many people wonder whether this book was deliberately plagiarized.

Scliar's Max e os Felinos, published in 1981, is a story of a German refugee who crosses the Atlantic Ocean while sharing his boat with a jaguar. Max and the Cats, an English translation by Eloah F. Giacomelli, was published in 1990. The striking similarity caused critics to question Martel.

Martel says he did not read Scliar's book, but he did read a negative review many years prior to writing Life of Pi. What makes it more confusing is that Martel said the review was written by John Updike in The New York Times. However, Updike never reviewed the book. The Times did run a review of Max and the Cats by Herbert Mitgang on July 11, 1990. When the prize was awarded to Martel in 2002, Scliar said he was perplexed that Martel "used the idea without consulting or even informing him", and considered taking legal action. After talking with Martel, however, he elected not to pursue the matter.[3]

[edit] Characters

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[edit] Piscine Molitor Patel

"Pi" is the narrator and main character of the story. The story is told as a narrative when Pi is much older and living in Canada. He recounts the story of his life and thus the 227 day journey on a lifeboat when his boat sinks. The section of the book with the abandoned lifeboat is a beast fable in which all the animals are allegorical symbols of the human condition.[4]

Pi in this allegory is representative of human divinity for he belongs to three different religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. When Pi relates how Orange Juice the orangutan arrives on the boat he relates, “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary.[5] To Pi, everything is related to God or the Gods. This aspect of his character illuminates belief and the quality of character that can thus aid survival in the direst of circumstances.

[edit] Richard Parker

Richard Parker is the Bengal Tiger who is stranded on a lifeboat with Pi Patel. In the allegory, Richard Parker is the animalistic characteristics of humanity.[citation needed] The journey centers on being able to control Richard Parker and thus human suppression of their animalistic characteristics, though it is really the tiger that helps Pi stay alive because it is these primal animalistic instincts that allowed him to get food and water over other needs. Pi realizes that it is with coexistence with Richard Parker that he will be able to survive. He comments that “We would live—or we would die—together”[6] Richard Parker is a part of Piscine Molitor Patel and thus it is through the coexistence of the both of them that allows the survival of both.

[edit] Motifs

Martel contributes several thematic motifs. Pi, the narrator, overtly directs those who hear his story to choose the interpretation that is most affirmative and best aids the reader. Perhaps the dominant motif of the novel is the concept of belief and imagination versus factuality.[citation needed]

[edit] Belief and Imagination vs. Factuality

“I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: ‘White, white! L-L-Love! My God!’–and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostics, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, ‘Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,’ and, to the very end, lack the imagination and miss the better story." [7]

Much of Martel’s novel deals with the concept of belief. In this situation belief does not necessarily mean faith, but recognition of a story as truth. Martel illustrates that everything is a story, both reality and religion. He suggests that it matters not which is believed as truth but that belief is present. Martel uses these three sub-motifs to further his point.


[edit] Reality

Martel illustrates reality as another form of a story, one that can be believed or rejected as with any other.[citation needed] Pi is forced to tell another tale, the supposed truth. In terms of reality the only source of knowledge to determine the reality is Pi himself therefore this demand is ludicrous. “In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies and I suffer…so tell me, since there is no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer?”[8] Martel ends the narrative with a question. He questions the knowledge of factuality because he asserts that even reality is a story. He asserts that the belief and determination that Pi used to get through the ordeal is more important than the details of the story.

[edit] Fable

Pi’s journey on the lifeboat with the tiger can be seen as a beast fable.[citation needed] In these tales animals are used to illustrate morals. In this sense the allegory of the animals is apparent. In this allegory, Pi is the divinity of the human spirit, while the tiger represents the animalistic necessity of humanity, the orangutan is motherly instinct, the hyena is cowardice and finally the zebra uniqueness. All the animals represent different characteristics of the human condition and thus Martel uses this motif to demonstrate survival necessity. This aspect of the journey details the human condition in the direst of times. Interestingly the two aspects that allowed Pi to continue living through his ordeal were his divinity and his animalistic characteristics. For example, Pi, a devoted vegetarian, realizes that he cannot be a vegetarian while he is on the boat for he will never survive. In this way he becomes more like the tiger, the animalistic characteristics. Martel uses a fable to present characteristics of the human condition.

[edit] Analysis

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Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.

[edit] Point of View/Perspective

Martel wrote 'Life of Pi' in a first person perspective. Piscine Molitor Patel tells his own story of life through his childhood including an intriguing 227 day journey on a life raft. As a traditional first person narrative the information that the narrator knows the reader also knows. This is altered a little in Life of Pi because the story is recounted after the event so wisdom and hindsight are also a part of the novel. A first-person point of view often generates a feeling of unreliability, however in Life of Pi this perspective emphasizes the theme. In fact when the book turns to ghostly apparitions and carnivorous plants, Martel has annihilated any sense of reality though this is important to the purpose of the novel [9] Pi comments, “You can’t prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it." [10] This comment is directed to two investigators after he recounts his story. There are two stories and one may be more factual but Pi tries to make a statement that the facts do not always constitute the importance in the experience. Pi asks, “Which is the better story?”[11] With the unreliability that first person narrative gives to the reader is presented with the theme: life’s story is one’s own, and faith trumps factuality.

[edit] Tone

There are three essential tones within the piece, each corresponding to a respective section that portrays character development. At the start of the novel Pi is wide eyed and innocent and the tone follows suit. He says, “the reason death sticks so closely to life isn’t biological necessity—it’s envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it.”[12] Throughout the beginning of the novel Pi seems innocent as he should be at his age. He is full of life and energy as he explores the world and all that is in it.

As the novel progresses the tone shifts. Pi witnesses the death of his entire family and is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. In this section Pi is forced to grow up and take care of himself. In the same way that his character development is forced to progress, the tone shifts and reflects the suffering and angst of his situation. Pi says in one fit about suffering, “No! No! No! My suffering does matter. I want to live! I can’t help but mix my life with that of the universe. Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness—how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things.”[13] His tone becomes that of fear and desperation in contrast to the previous innocent glee and curiousness. Pi is forced by the circumstances of life to face reality and witness the more evil side associated with life and the tone is a portrayal of these circumstances.

Finally at the conclusion to the novel, the tone is a reaffirmation towards life. He has been through 227 days of torture on a lifeboat, enduring physical, mental, and emotional pain. However, when he concludes his journey Pi emerges as a man with the understanding of life. As he recounts the story to the two Japanese ship company investigators in Mexico he is questioned with the factuality of his story. He responds with a different account of the story but then asks “which is the better story?”[14] Pi has emerged from his experience with a newfound respect for life and affirms the process of life and the circumstances of life that create the essence of humanity. This affirmative tone to the conclusion correlates with his maturity. He now understands life and thus he can respect all aspects.

[edit] Form

Life of Pi is written in three sections; the first of which is Pi’s childhood synopsis, the second is the 227 day journey across the ocean to North America, and the third is his experience with the investigators. These formal elements help to define the different aspects of Pi’s character development. The first section describes Pi as a little boy in both physical terms and developmental terms. In this section, Martel describes a young boy amazed with the world and all that is in it. Pi says, “first wonder goes deepest; wonder after that fits in the impression made by the first.”[15] This comment was made by the older Pi recounting his life. He was a little boy full of wonder.

The next section of the novel is dedicated to the main mode of character development. This aspect of the novel describes the origin of Pi’s transformation. He is subjected to horrible circumstances and endures the loss of his entire family. He overcomes physical, mental, and spiritual trials. One interpretation based on allegory suggests that in this section is where Pi learns to harness the different aspects of humanity. This suggests that the animalistic qualities and divinity qualities of humanity represented by the Richard Parker must be balanced and controlled to overcome adversity in life. Pi comments, “It was not a question of him or me, but him and me. We were, literally and figuratively, in the same boat. We would live—or we would die—together."[16] The balance of the animal of humanity and the divinity of humanity represents the only plausible attempt at life and Martel explains this comment through Pi’s realization that both he and Richard Parker must coexist. The form of the novel allows each section to describe a specific area of development.

Finally, the last area of the novel represents his ultimate maturation in which he is able to articulate life’s importance and thus the theme of the novel is communicated. Pi shows the Japanese ship company investigators that it does not matter which story he tells because neither can be proven and instead suggests that they pick the “better story”. Martel uses the form of the novel to delineate different sections to different areas of the developmental process and in this way the theme is gradually introduced to the reader for the reader can endure the same journey that Pi encountered. The form of the novel is an essential component of an understanding of the novel.


[edit] Allusions and references

[edit] Actual geography

Though the novel is a work of fiction, much of the setting of the novel does exist. Discussions of the political situation within the Patel household are realistic and refer to actual events. Pondicherry is a former French Colony in India, and it does have an Indian Coffee House and Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Garden has a toy train track, but there are no signs of a working train, and there is no zoo currently within the gardens (though there is a small building housing an aquarium). Munnar, where the Patel family took a brief vacation, is a small but popular hill station in Kerala and there is a church in the town as well as the Tata Tea factory mentioned in the novel. Madurai, also referenced in the novel, is a popular tourist/pilgrimage site in Tamil Nadu.

[edit] Names

[edit] Pi

Pi's name is a shortening of his given name Piscine (which is French for "swimming pool"), but is also referenced as the number Pi. Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. It is also a number with an infinite decimal representation. Pi floated in the ocean for 227 days. This is also another play on the number Pi, as one of the earliest approximations of Pi was 22/7. Martel may have chosen the name Pi to reference the unknowability and unreliabilty of the narrator Pi. Near the end Pi says,

For example—I wonder—could you tell my jumbled story in exactly one hundred chapters, not one more, not one less? I’ll tell you, that’s one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that number runs on forever. It’s important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go.

[edit] Richard Parker

The tiger Richard Parker was named after an Edgar Allan Poe character from The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838). The book tells of four shipwrecked men who, after many days' privation, drew lots to decide who should be killed and eaten. The cabin boy, named Richard Parker, draws the short straw and is eaten. Tales of cannibalism by shipwrecked sailors were not uncommon in the 19th century, but oddly enough, 46 years after Poe's story was published, the very events Poe wrote about would happen in reality. Captain Dudley and three sailors were stranded in a skiff in the Pacific after the sinking of their yacht Mignonette(see R. v. Dudley and Stephens ) on the way to Australia. They are forced to eat one of the party to survive, and feast on his body for 4 days — a sailor boy named Richard Parker.[17] Yet another Richard Parker died when his ship, named the Francis Spaight, sank in January 1846. Ten years earlier, in December 1835, an earlier Francis Spaight was wrecked in the north Atlantic: some of the survivors of that wreck too were involved in cannibalism. As Yann Martel said "So many Richard Parkers had to mean something." [18]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Ray Suarez, PBS News Hour, November 11, 2002
  2. ^ (Martel, Y How I wrote Life of Pi. Powells, Retrieved Jan 20, 2007, from http://www.powells.com/fromtheauthor/martel.html
  3. ^ Scliar, Moacyr. Interview with Eleanor Wachtel. Writers & Company. CBC Radio 1. July 16, 2006. (Transcript [.ram]).
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ Martel, p.111
  6. ^ Martel, p.164
  7. ^ p.64
  8. ^ Martel, p. 317
  9. ^ Blackstock, C (2002). Booker winner in plagiarism row. The Guardian, Retrieved 12/18/2006, from http://books.guardian.co.uk/bookerprize2002/story/0,,836092,00.html
  10. ^ Martel, p.317
  11. ^ p. 317
  12. ^ p.6
  13. ^ p.177
  14. ^ p. 317
  15. ^ p.55
  16. ^ p.164
  17. ^ The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens; L.R. 14 Q.B.D. 273
  18. ^ "Yann Martel on tigers, cannibals and Edgar Allan Poe", 14 May 2002. Note: the canongate.net article is factually incorrect about the Francis Spaight, see The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket for additional citations.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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[edit] Book reviews

Preceded by
True History of the Kelly Gang		 Man Booker Prize recipient
2002		 Succeeded by
Vernon God Little
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