During Pi's grueling 227 day journey, his "greatest wish — other than salvation — was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One I could read again and again, with new eyes and a fresh understanding each time" (Martel 262). Many readers feel that Yann Martel has created just this type of book because each time they read it, they find new insight and connections that generate profound ideas and meaningful discussion. At the very least, Life of Pi is a book rich in theme, imagery, symbolism, and philosophical ideas.
Directions: For your final assessment of Life of Pi, you will respond to the each of the following questions explored by the novel. Then you must respond to at least two other student responses (more if you want) for a minimum total of 6 responses. If you want an A on this assignment, you must go above and beyond the minimum requirement. Each response must be at least 100 words in length. You must complete no less than one response per day until all required responses are posted. All responses are due by midnight on Sunday, March 25th.
Questions:
- In the "Author's Note," Francis Adirubasamy tells the author, "I have a story that will make you believe in God." Life of Pi proceeds to relate that story. Now that you have finished the novel, what do you make of Adirubasamy's claim? Why might he have said that? To what extent is the claim true? Use specific text to support you response.
- Writer and philosopher Roland Barthes said,“Literature is the question minus the answer.” In Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, the author raises many questions about the boundary between truth and belief, leaving it up to the reader to come up with the answers. At the end of the novel, he offers two choices, asking us to choose which story we prefer; in other words, “which is the better story?” While each reader will most likely answer this question for her/himself, this, alone, is not Martel’s point in writing the novel. In the same way we can imagine Richard Parker out there somewhere, hidden under the foliage of a Mexican jungle, Martel’s central message is also lying in wait, partially concealed beneath the cover of fact vs. belief, logic vs. faith, and myth vs. reality. As you consider the end of the novel, as well as the beginning and the end, what do you feel is Martel’s central message? (Hint: Which story is the "true" story? Does it matter which story is true?)
- Up until the reader encounters the island chapter is part 2 of the novel, most of what Pi has related is improbable, but not wholly unbelievable. The algae island, however, is an impossibility in the physical world as we know it. Martel has said that the island helps prepare the reader for part 3. Now that you have finished the novel, what might this island symbolize and how does it fit in with the overall message of the novel?
- Martel uses binary opposition throughout the entire novel. Choose one set of opposites and discuss how Martel develops this paradoxical pair throughout the book and perhaps how it relates to the central message. For example, consider opposites such as faith vs. reason, science vs. religion, light vs. dark, blindness vs. sight, boredom vs. terror, despair vs. hope, etc. (Chapter 78 will help you with this.)
