Life of Pi Blog 1

For my book of choice, I decided to read Life of Pi. It may seem like it is just the story about a young man who gets stuck on a life boat for several months with the only company of a wild tiger, but there is so much depth and symbolism in this story that can be discussed. In the beginning of the story we learn that the narrator is also the main character, Piscine Molitor Patel, or Pi for short. Pi tells the reader about how his family lived and India and his father owned a zoo. Pi continues to tell about who he is and what his life is like.  He even goes into extreme detail about the origin of his name and how he came to be known as Pi. He was tormented as a child because his first name got mistaken for "pissing" and he describes how happy he was to find an escape through the use of a nickname: "And so, in that Greek letter that looks like a shack with a corrugated tin roof, in that elusive, irrational number with which scientists try to understand the universe, I found refuge." Pi also informs the reader that he is not a member of one religion but in fact three! He openly practices Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. He doesn't think that it is a problem to have three faiths at the same time: "Bapu Gandhi said, 'All religions are true.' I just want to love God." I have to say I agree with him, to an extent. I believe that people have religions because they want to worship God and love God and Pi is learning how people from other religions praise Him. I think it's a good idea to get to learn about other methods of worship, but it's also a little risky to be involved in three completely different faiths, especially ones that don't necessarily get along. Pi tells us that eventually his family had to sell the zoo because of issues with the government and how they were planning on moving to Canada. This is where the trouble begins. The family loads up a huge ship full of the remaining animals and they set sail for North America. The ship, unfortunately, sinks, and Pi is left all alone on a small lifeboat with an injured zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger.
I really like this book so far. I like the way that it is narrated by the main character and I also like the fact that it is a drama and a comedy at the same time. The author, Yann Martel, touches on many hot issues like religion and the difference between what's real and what's not. This story is so unbelievable that it's actually believable. I enjoy that there's never a dull moment and you never know what is going to happen next. The author uses so much detail and describes how Pi is feeling every step of the way and the reader is able to connect with Pi on a deeper level.