Discuss some of the other ways in which these two fields find unlikely compatibility. In subsequent chapters, he explains the ways in which religions and zoos are both steeped in illusion. Early in the novel, we discover that the narrator majored in religious studies and zoology, with particular interests in a sixteenth-century Kabbalist and the admirable three-toed sloth. Did Pi’s tale alter your beliefs about God?Ĥ. Adirubasamy said it would make him believe in God. Yann Martel recalls that many Pondicherry residents provided him with stories, but he was most intrigued by this tale because Mr. In terms of storytelling, what makes this town a appropriate choice for Pi’s upbringing?īecause it gave him the opportunity to be subject to animal behavior at the local zoo, which his father owned. Pondicherry is described as an anomaly, the former capital of what was once French India. I find it funny how Martel often criticizes agnostics in the book, perhaps a feeling of projection, only to conclude on a rather agnostic interpretation in the end - that God is “the better,” albeit fictional story to the “dry, yeastless” reality (there is no God), and the former should be championed because “it makes no factual difference to you (and I) and you can’t prove the question either way.” (p. In his introductory note Yann Martel says, “This book was born as I was hungry.” What sort of emotional nourishment might Life of Pi have fed to its author?It seems to me that Life of Pi is a convenient look for Martel at the struggle between God, symbolism, and science.

If I were a disoriented high school or college student, and were forced to answer the following discussion guide questions for a homework assignment, these would be my answers:ġ. Overall, I give the book four stars out of five for dragging a little in the first and second acts. For that, I was in awe - and laughing at times.

In sum, it’s a clever endorsement for zoos, storytelling, and the existence of God, either allegorically or literally.Īuthor Yann Martel’s use of metaphors is inspired and makes me feel inadequate as a writer when it comes to creatively describing objects, emotions, and experiences. I finished reading the popular Life of Pi last night. Smooth Harold answers your burning Life of Pi questions

Pi martel