At first the fact that Pi couldn't choose between the 3 religions bugged me. Each has such separate beliefs, some of which contradict each other. I thought he was just being indecisive, or perhaps afraid of insulting one of the religions if he didn't choose that one. But this isn't the case. He couldn't choose between them because none of them had the complete truth. Each religion had parts of truth and that's what he saw in each of them. He could feel some truth in one of them that he wouldn't feel in another, so he couldn't give up any of the religions.
At the beginning of Life of Pi it says that this is a book that will make one believe in God. However, seeing as I already believe in God, I'm not sure if that claim is true, but it did make me think about God a whole lot. Pi, though he is in a situation that seems hopeless, still prays. As I was reading this that point really stood out. I wondered how he could have the strength to do that. I wondered if I would be able to pray if I was in his situation. It would be so easy for someone to forget about God, or even blame God for the situation they were in, but he chose to do neither. He chose to pray. Though Pi didn't have one God, he prayed. If God wasn't real, how could anyone have the courage and the strength to pray in that situation? So maybe this story isn't true, or maybe it's actually the second story that's true, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't give one a ton to think about. It made me reflect on where my own faith stands. Am I to the point that I, too, could pray to God when faced with such trials?
Nice, I think it's true. It was his way of coping with the fact that none of the three religions have the whole truth. I was wondering why that bugged me! Thanks for clearing things up a bit. Someone should go preach the Gospel to Yann Martel.
ReplyDeleteI think what you said makes a good point. Praying when faced with trials can sometimes calm a person down, not necessarily because they are touched by the spirit, but it gives them hope in something greater than themselves. Essentially, putting faith in a higher purpose helped Pi throughout the novel so he could adequately face the many hard trials opposing him.
ReplyDeleteI like what you have, but I only see personal reflection. Make sure to add in historical contextualization and more critical analysis (there was some). Overall, your writing style is great so just finish your essay off.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that he couldn't decide bugged me too. This is a captivating start, it makes you think and question yourself and it has a nice relation to the book. I'm interested to see where you will take it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with previous comments. I also really liked how at the end you internalized Pi's situation and made it your own by stating, "It made me reflect on where my own faith stands. Am I to the point that I, too, could pray to God when faced with such trials?" I think it's something we can all think about. This is great! :)
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