Life of Pi

A solitary boat remained afloat on the surface of the wild blue Pacific, and there were a boy who devoted to many faiths and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Being at the sea tests men’s intelligence, bravery and perseverance. “Don’t let your morale flag be daunted, but not defeated. Remember: the spirit, above all else, counts.” This is the most significant discipline that God gives in the survival game. Closing the book with satisfaction, I realize Life of Pi isn’t just about the adventure of life and death; it is an extraordinary story about faith and truth, which makes you believe in God.

Piscine Molitor Patel, nicknamed Pi, lived in Pondicherry, India. Nurtured from an environment combined unique nature with abundance cultural background, Pi had an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behaviors and an intense love of religious stories. He was a devout believer of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. At the age of sixteen, a shipwreck injected a big change into his life when Pi and his family were on the way to Canada with their zoo animals. Pi found himself alone in a lifeboat with some animal companions, including Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. His knowledge, inexpressible fear and faiths supported him to live on the sea for 227 days.

What makes Life of Pi marvelous is the both truthful and fictional plot. In the end, Japanese authorities who examined Pi rejected to believe his story, and wanted him to tell words that reflected reality. “God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” These words deeply astonish me. Does everything have to be that “I believe what I see”? Nevertheless, we ought to realize how infinite the universe is and how tiny we humans are. There are many phenomenons that we still can’t explain and many wonders that we need to discover, so we shouldn’t deny the possibility of Nature. Afterward, Pi told another version that replace animals by men, a story much less fantastical and much more conventional. However, would its cruelty and bloodiness make us believe it is the “truth”? For me, I believe miracles still exist.

Another reason that makes Life of Pi differ from other voyage stories, such as Robinson Crusoe and The Old Man and the Sea, is the book not only tells about life but takes a very special look at many things that we can think about. When the three wise men of different religions forced him to choose a singular religion, he blurted out,” I just want to love God.” This reminds me of Thirty Years’ War, the biggest religious war in medieval Europe; people finally learnt the spirit of toleration. How ridiculous it is that today’s religions still can’t respect each other which results in serious conflicts such as the September 11 attacks. What’s more, Life of Pi has an unusual opinion about zoos. From Pi’s point of view, he told us a zoo brings what in the wild is spread out in a small place. Animals in the wild are, in practice, not free in space, in time, nor in their internal relationships. They want everything to follow the same pattern. Last, people think fear is a negative reaction. However, for Pi, horror of the tiger had him concentrate on living with it. He turned fear into the support of living. Without Richard Parker, he couldn’t stand the loneliness and the hurt of losing his family.

“In my experience, a castaway’s worst mistake is to hope too much and do too little.” I admire Pi’s adventurous spirit and strong will. Though under danger, he faced every crisis calmly. I learn living in modern society is just as living on the sea. Careful observation, focused thought and absolute confidence are keys to break through difficulties. The power of Life of Pi nudges me toward becoming a lover of books and life. With two versions of the adventure, choosing which one depends on how deep your belief is. After all, whether Pi’s survival is a miracle or a tragedy is up to our attitude toward sufferings.