Week 7 Post B

Well, Pi has finally made it to land and he is off the horrible boat that he was confined to for almost 300 days. The book states that his boat washed up on the shores of Mexico. I am not sure how Pi ended up in Mexico but it seems like an unlikely spot to land. When Columbus first followed the winds and currents to the Americas, he hit many island before even reaching Mexico. It took many more years and expeditions for people of his time to get to Mexico. For this reason, I doubt that Pi would randomly wash up on the shores of Mexico without first stopping at some of the other hundred islands. Overall, as the end of this book approaches, I was somewhat disappointed. The overall story had a unique plot but it was a little too unbelievable for my taste. The setup that Yann Martel uses put too much emphasis on Pi's faith. I understand that this is presented as a large portion of the book on purpose but it has negative effects on the book as a whole. Consequently, the book moves painfully slow and failed to gain my sympathy for Pi because of his religious antics. If I had to rate this book I would give it a 6-7 because it has a unique plot but moved too slowly and included too much useless information.

Week 7 Post A

It is astounding to think that Pi has been at sea for 227 day. Chapter 31 includes many famous cast aways however none of their circumstances come close to Pi's predicament. He attributes his success to the fact that he is constantly kept busy physically and spiritually. He prays for most of his day aboard the vessel keeps his mind from thinking about subjects such as his dead family or even his own death. The tiger, believe it or not, is also playing a part in Pi's survival. Although he appears to be nothing but a threat to Pi, the tiger is another living soul that keeps Pi company and keeps him sane. The relationship between Pi and the tiger seems crucial to each others survival. "Success was slow to come, and when it did, it was much appreciated, but the effort seemed out of proportion to the reward. The hours were long, the fish were small, and Richard Parker was forever hungry"(194). The struggle to care for the tiger gives Pi a purpose to survive which supplements his own will to survive.

Week 6 Post B

I am amazed at how much there is to write about a boy and a tiger stuck on a life boat. The setting, plot and characters wouldn't seem like an engaging one for the reader however I am always surprised by what happens next. The unpredictable and somewhat ridiculous nature of the novel makes it very entertaining to read. This book is also a lot like Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road" which also has only two main characters and describes a post-apocalyptic world in which a father and son much survive. Between "The Road" and "Life of Pi" both of the novels share the same themes of survival and love.

Week 6 Post A

Pi's faith seems to be giving him the will power to survive. Pi says, "I was giving up. I would have given up- if a voice hadn't made itself heard in my heart. The voice said, 'I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are'...so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen." I was wondering why Yann Martel was spending so much time describing Pi's faith in three different religions and all of his ideals but now it is clear to me. His faith is the sole element to his survival. It has to be tough being the only one on a raft with weeks of alone time and solidity. I have often heard that tragic events bring a person closer to god but as of right now, Pi is beginning to doubt whether God's love will save him. In a way, these past few chapters have been a proving ground for Pi's faith much like the "land of no return" in the mono myth cycle. Martel shows the reader a glimpse of what Pi's life is like after the shipwreck and the reader finds out that in the end of the story, he has a wife, child and home and is very successful but this doesn't give away the story because I still have no idea what will happen to Pi and how he will become rescued and make it to Canada.

Week 5 Post A

It is a lot harder now to blog about a cultural aspect of Pi's life because his ship has just sunk and now he is drifting on his life raft alone with just a few animals. Pi describes each animal with human characteristics calling the hyena a coward and tricking the reader into thinking Richard Parker is really a human. "I creid, Richard Parker, is that you? It's so hard to see. Oh, that this rain would stop! Richard Parker Yes it is you! I could see his head. He was struggling to stay at the surface of the water." At this point Martel had me completely confused because I had never previously heard of this character. Later, after pie throws the life buoy to him, the reader learns that pie is actually describing a giant bangle tiger. The animals that survived and are remaining on the life raft are already competing for survival. The tiger has claimed its territory leaving the rest to fend for themselves and Pi wonders which of the animals will be first in the pecking order. At this point, Pi is still afraid of the tiger and sees him as his main conflict an enemy rather than surviving in the unforgiving environment he is put in.

Week 5 Post B

I am glad the action finally kicked up in this novel. Pi is stranded in the middle of an ocean accompanied by a huge bangle tiger and a hyena. This reminds me a lot of those survivor shows that are played on the History and Discovery channel where survival experts film themselves trying to survive in the harshest places on earth. One particular episode of "Survivorman" on the Discovery channel showed just how difficult it was to survive in a life raft. Many of the problems that he went through are also being faced by Pi. Pi does have one distinct advantage however and that is the storage of food that he discovers in a compartment near the front of the boat. His survival depends on this little storage of food and he quickly calculates that he has enough water to last him 124 day and enough food to last him 94 days which is a huge amount of food and water which should keep him alive until he is rescued. With the food and water problem solved, it will be interesting what will happen between the bangle tiger, hyena and Pi. I suspect that the tiger will probably end up eating the hyena and will need some of Pi's food and water rations.

Week 4 Post B

This post is about an interesting twist to the way Life of Pi is written. Chapter 30 is narrated by the author rather than Pi. In previous chapters, this switch in narration confused me because there is nothing to alert the reader that the switch happens however this little trick that Yann Martel uses helps characterize Pi by describing his future self and life. Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the reader gets to see what happens to Pi near the end of the story without knowing what the transition from Indian life and culture to Canadian life and culture will bring Pi.

Week 4 Post A

"The mid-1970s were troubled times in India...I wasn't interested. The orangutans were as eager for chapattis as ever; the monkeys never asked after the new from Delhi; the rhinos and goats continued to live in peace; the birds twittered; the clouds carried rain; the sun was hot; the earth breathed; God was-there was no Emergency in my world"(78). Pi and myself have more in common that I first thought. In the quote above, Pi expresses his indifference to the conflicts that are taking place in India and the power struggles within the government. For him, every aspect of zoo life is the same and his faith is still strong. I was recently asked to write a two page report on the earthquake in China and the effects on life and civilians. I learned a large amount of facts which allowed me to better comprehend the disaster however I had a tough time relating to the millions who have lost everything they own. I was actually disappointed in myself for not feeling sorry enough. The fact of the matter is that much like Pi's life at his zoo, my world remained largely unchanged. The saying "don't take things for granted" applies in my every day life but I think that one must experience tragedy first-hand before one can truly know.