life of pi critical essay

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, a tiger can crowd a lifeboat.

Now streaming on:

Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery. Inspired by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties. It is also a moving spiritual achievement, a movie whose title could have been shortened to "life."

The story involves the 227 days that its teenage hero spends drifting across the Pacific in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. They find themselves in the same boat after an amusing and colorful prologue, which in itself could have been enlarged into an exciting family film. Then it expands into a parable of survival, acceptance and adaptation. I imagine even Yann Martel , the novel's French-Canadian author, must be delighted to see how the usual kind of Hollywood manhandling has been sidestepped by Lee's poetic idealism.

The story begins in a small family zoo in Pondichery, India, where the boy christened Piscine is raised. Piscine translates from French to English as "swimming pool," but in an India where many more speak English than French, his playmates of course nickname him "pee." Determined to put an end to this, he adopts the name " Pi ," demonstrating an uncanny ability to write down that mathematical constant that begins with 3.14 and never ends. If Pi is a limitless number, that is the perfect name for a boy who seems to accept no limitations.

The zoo goes broke, and Pi's father puts his family and a few valuable animals on a ship bound for Canada. In a bruising series of falls, a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and the lion tumble into the boat with the boy, and are swept away by high seas. His family is never seen again, and the last we see of the ship is its lights disappearing into the deep — a haunting shot that reminds me of the sinking train in Bill Forsyth's " Housekeeping " (1987).

This is a hazardous situation for the boy ( Suraj Sharma ), because the film steadfastly refuses to sentimentalize the tiger (fancifully named "Richard Parker"). A crucial early scene at the zoo shows that wild animals are indeed wild and indeed animals, and it serves as a caution for children in the audience, who must not make the mistake of thinking this is a Disney tiger.

The heart of the film focuses on the sea journey, during which the human demonstrates that he can think with great ingenuity and the tiger shows that it can learn. I won't spoil for you how those things happen. The possibilities are surprising.

What astonishes me is how much I love the use of 3-D in "Life of Pi." I've never seen the medium better employed, not even in " Avatar ," and although I continue to have doubts about it in general, Lee never uses it for surprises or sensations, but only to deepen the film's sense of places and events.

Let me try to describe one point of view. The camera is placed in the sea, looking up at the lifeboat and beyond it. The surface of the sea is like the enchanted membrane upon which it floats. There is nothing in particular to define it; it is just … there. This is not a shot of a boat floating in the ocean. It is a shot of ocean, boat and sky as one glorious place.

Still trying not to spoil: Pi and the tiger Richard Parker share the same possible places in and near the boat. Although this point is not specifically made, Pi's ability to expand the use of space in the boat and nearby helps reinforce the tiger's respect for him. The tiger is accustomed to believing it can rule all space near him, and the human requires the animal to rethink that assumption.

Most of the footage of the tiger is of course CGI, although I learn that four real tigers are seen in some shots. The young actor Suraj Sharma contributes a remarkable performance, shot largely in sequence as his skin color deepens, his weight falls and deepness and wisdom grow in his eyes.

The writer W.G. Sebold once wrote, "Men and animals regard each other across a gulf of mutual incomprehension." This is the case here, but during the course of 227 days, they come to a form of recognition. The tiger, in particular, becomes aware that he sees the boy not merely as victim or prey, or even as master, but as another being.

The movie quietly combines various religious traditions to enfold its story in the wonder of life. How remarkable that these two mammals, and the fish beneath them and birds above them, are all here. And when they come to a floating island populated by countless meerkats, what an incredible sequence Lee creates there.

The island raises another question: Is it real? Is this whole story real? I refuse to ask that question. "Life of Pi" is all real, second by second and minute by minute, and what it finally amounts to is left for every viewer to decide. I have decided it is one of the best films of the year.

Read and make comments here .

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Matt Zoller Seitz

Dusk for a Hitman

Robert daniels.

Black Twitter: A People's History

Rendy jones.

Monica Castillo

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Tomris laffly.

Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

Brian tallerico, film credits.

Life of Pi (2012)

Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril

127 minutes

Suraj Sharma as Pi

Tabu as Gita

Gerard Depardieu as Cook

Rafe Spall as Writer

Directed by

• David Magee

Based on the novel by

• Yann Martel

Latest blog posts

Cannes 2024: The Substance, Visiting Hours

Jack Flack Always Escapes: Dabney Coleman (1932-2024)

Cannes 2024 Video #3: Megalopolis, Kinds of Kindness, Oh Canada, Bird, Wild Diamond

Chaz Ebert and Esteemed Panelists Discuss Purpose-Driven Filmmaking at Cannes Film Festival

Life of Pi Themes

Themes are overarching ideas and beliefs that the writers express in their texts, including poetry, fiction , and plays.  Themes make the story appealing and persuasive and help readers to understand the hidden messages in a story or poem . The themes in Life of Pi by Yann Martel are both controversial and mystical. Some of the major themes of Life of Pi have been discussed below.

Themes in Life of Pi

Religious Harmony

Religion or religious harmony is one of the major themes of the Life of Pi. Pi talks about multiple religions and disproves the idea of one religion’s superiority over the other. For example, while discussing religion with his parents he asks them for a prayer rug and wishes to be baptized at the same time. He doesn’t want to choose one religion to connect with God and looking down upon the followers of other religions. When he gets to know that his teacher, Mr. Kumar, is an atheist he listens to his point of view and considers it’s just another branch of faith. He views God as an epitome of love, having love and respect for all of his creatures.

Importance of Journey

Pi narrates his life-changing journey and all the experiences with the readers. During his journey, he learns many lessons such as the importance of companionship, faith in God and power of nature. He views the ups and downs of tidal waves, horrifying thunderstorms, hunger pangs, familial losses and attacks of the predators. Besides learning how to recover from grief and sorrow, he also puts unshakable faith in God’s plan for a man. He goes through a near-death experience and even drinks salty water for his survival. During these trials and tribulations, he learns the art of storytelling through this journey and defies the old logic about science and atheism.

Faith in God

Faith in God runs parallel to other themes. Throughout the novel , Pi talks about God as his sole savior and someone Who grants him salvation from worldly problems and miseries. When he loses his family amidst the sea storm, he keeps his faith alive. He thinks that “At moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thoughts, to entertain thoughts that span the universe, that capture both thunder and tinkle, thick and thin, the near and the far.” In his view, faith is the key to everything that occurs in the world. Therefore, a person should trust in God in every situation.

Wildlife and Nature

The novel shows the wildlife’s best and worst sides. There are various animals as ferocious lions and hyenas, including meek guinea pigs. The characters also experience natural calamity when the sea at its worst. Pi learns that life matters for both humans and animals. The writer tries to convey those wild beasts are not always ferocious. Richard Parker is as much afraid of Pi as Pi is afraid of Richard Parker. The animals add peace and beauty to this world and demand the same level of love and understanding from humans. That is why Richard Parker becomes calm when he sees no harm coming to him from Pi.

Survival Instinct

Pi’s father teaches the value of survival instinct for a man as well as for animals. When Richard Parker, the tiger, becomes a predator, he has to kill other animals as his prey for the sole purpose of survival. Pi has to share the journey with Richard Parker for survival and not for dying without a companion. It is also the survival instinct of Pi that forces him to drink salty water. He has to catch sharks to break his habit of being a vegetarian in order to satisfy his and Parker’s hunger. During his near-death experience, he comes to know how survival is instinctual and competes with other animals.

Diverse Culture

The diversity of culture is another significant theme of the story. The reader gets to know the Indian as well as Canadian cultural values. Pi’s full name, Piscine Molitor Patel, inspired by two different cultures. However, his last name comes from his Indian family name Patel. The mention of vast and spacious zoos in India and then the portrayal of the first world in Canada both draws upon the theme of cultural diversity present in the novel.

Storytelling

Storytelling is another significant theme occurring in the novel because it is through this art that Pi narrates the account of his life. He recollects his life he spent on land as well as in the ocean. He also explains the different cultural experiences he has had in India as well as in Canada. He draws attention toward the sentiments of religion, faith and regard for all species through this art of storytelling.

Subjective Experiences against Logic

Subjective experience without logic runs parallel to the major themes. When Mr. Kumar, Pi’s teacher, expresses his atheist beliefs, he bases them on scientific and logical reasoning. He says that there is no evidence of God and that everything that happens in the world is due to scientific principles. He also views religion as superstition because when he suffers from polio, he argues, he cried for help to God, but his ailment is still the same. Similarly, when Pi is rescued on the Mexican shores, the officials fail to believe his survival story because they believe only in logic.

The importance of the virtue of tolerance can be seen in various places. Firstly, when Pi’s biology teacher Mr. Kumar, supports atheist beliefs Pi accepts it as another faith. Secondly, he patiently suffers the hardships of the voyage, thinks about his family and spends time in hope of reunion with his family. During this time, he stays with the animals, trains Richard Parker, the tiger, with a whistle and politely tells his story to the officials. Lastly, throughout his religious training, he remains steadfast and trusts the process of living, staying tolerant.

Philosophy of Life

The novel also revolves around the theme of the philosophy of life since Pi experiences life through faith, miseries, and happiness. He learns that to live a life a person should be patient and faithful. He gets to know about life and its meaning through an adventurous voyage, keeping the curiosity alive and trusting in God.

Related posts:

• Life of Pi Characters
• Life of Pi Quotes
• Macbeth Themes
• Hamlet Themes
• 1984 Themes
• The Crucible Themes
• Frankenstein Themes
• Oedipus Rex Themes
• The Metamorphosis Themes
• Beowulf Themes
• Odyssey Themes
• Beloved Themes
• Slaughterhouse-Five Themes
• Antigone Themes
• Inferno Themes
• Fahrenheit 451 Themes
• Into the Wild Themes
• The Alchemist Themes
• Night Themes
• The Invisible Man Themes
• The Tempest Themes
• The Iliad Themes
• The Jungle Themes
• Siddhartha Themes
• The Stranger Themes
• The Aeneid Themes
• Dracula Themes
• Themes in The Bible
• To Kill a Mockingbird Themes
• The Scarlet Letter Themes
• The Canterbury Tales Themes
• Heart of Darkness Themes
• Brave New World Themes
• Death of a Salesman Themes
• Things Fall Apart Themes
• A Tale of Two Cities Themes
• A Doll’s House Themes
• The Grapes of Wrath Themes
• Twelfth Night Themes
• Crime and Punishment Themes
• Their Eyes Were Watching God Themes
• Wuthering Heights Themes
• In Cold Blood Themes
• The Kite Runner Themes
• The Glass Castle Themes
• King Lear Themes
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Themes
• O Me! O Life!
• Such is Life
• On The Life of Man
• A Former Life
• A Psalm of Life
• Bane of Your Life
• The Life of Riley
• Life In Our Village
• The River of Life
• Life is but a Dream
• Life Is Fine
• Loving You Less Than Life, a Little Less
• Live Your Life
• Life’s Tragedy
• The Buried Life
• The Good Life
• My Life Had Stood – a Loaded Gun
• The House of Life 19 Silent Noon
• Romeo and Juliet Themes
• Lord of the Flies Themes
• Jane Eyre Themes
• Julius Caesar Themes
• 10 Different Themes in Taylor Swift Songs
• A Huge List of Common Themes
• Examples of Themes in Popular Songs
• To Kill a Mockingbird Racism
• Yann Martel

Post navigation

• Unlimited Users & Remote Access Included
• Instant Online Activation When You Order

Critical Insights: Life of Pi

Yann martel’s 2001 novel life of pi earned him the man booker prize and also served as the basis for the critically acclaimed 2012 movie of the same title. the essays featured in this volume survey the novel’s critical reception, discussing topics ranging from narrative techniques through religion and philosophy to the cultural role of zoos, and also provide a brief introduction to the author’s life and work..

This volume, like all others in the Critical Insights series, is divided into several sections. It begins with an introductory piece, “On Life of Pi ,” by volume editors Ádám T. Bogár and Rebeka Sára Szigethy, which offers a comprehensive introduction to the titular novel and its multifaceted interpretations. This is followed by a Biography of Yann Martel, written by Gerardo Del Guercio.

A collection of four critical contexts essays are intended to treat the novel (1) from a historical vantage point, (2) in terms of its critical reception, (3) using a specific critical lens, and (4) by comparing and contrasting it with another important work. This section opens with an article by Nicolae Bobaru titled, “ Life of Pi : A Postmodern Castaway Novel Transcending Boundaries, ” followed by a piece written by volume editors Ádám T. Bogár and Rebeka Sára Szigethy, “’…Faith in the Act of Storytelling’: The Critical Reception of Life of Pi .” This essay focuses on the critical responses, including early reviews from the novel’s release to later and more reflective critiques. The following two articles are written by Ester Láncos and Shu-Jiang Lu respectively. The first, “Survival through Meaning: Reading Life of Pi through the lens of Logotherapy,” offers a particular critical lens by examining the novel through the lens of logotherapy, or the concept that the principal motivation of an individual is to look for the meaning of life. The final essay, “Life in Stories: Narrated Time in Life of Pi and To Live, ” compares and contrasts Yann Martel’s and Yu Hua’s novels.

Following these four Critical Context essays is the Critical Readings section of this book, which contains the following essays:

• Pi’s Life and What It Tells Us: A Jungian Reading of the Symbols of Life of Pi , Debaditya Mukhopadhyay
• The New “Demonic” Animal: Crediting God and the Better Story in Life of Pi , Rachel L. Carazo
• Regarding Others: Ethical Human-Animal Encounters in Life of Pi , Alice Bendinelli
• Empathizing with Animals through Fiction: Animal Studies in Life of Pi , Monica Sousa
• Confined Freedom and Free Confinement: The Ethics of Captivity in Life of Pi , Heather Browning and Walter Veit
• Believing without Evidence: Pragmatic Arguments for Religious Belief in Life of Pi , Alberto Oya
• Faith as Fiction or Narrative as Salvation? Ang Lee’s Cinematic Adaptation of Life of Pi as a Pascalian Leap of Faith, Christian Jimenez
• Transmedial Pi (3.1415926…) Part One: Text and Context, Naomi Simone Borwein
• Transmedial Pi (3.1415926…) Part Two: Visualization and Adaptation, Naomi Simone Borwein
• What We Bring to the World: Narrative-Making as Hermeneutical Practice in Life of Pi , Francesca Pierini
• On the Tail of Trauma: The Stories We Tell Ourselves and Others, Jen Yoder
• Life of Pi and Homer’s Odyssey : Suffering, Survival, and Storytelling, Adam Lecznar
• Otherness in Pondicherry, Regina A. Bernard

In the final section, Resources , easy-to-follow lists are provided to help guide the reader through important dates and moments in the author’s life. A selection of further reading is then provided. Each essay in Critical Insights: Life of Pi includes a list of Works Cited and detailed endnotes. Also included in this volume is a Chronology of Yann Martel’s Life , a list of Works by Yann Martel , a Bibliography, biographies of the Editors and Contributors , and an alphabetical Index .

The Critical Insights Series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world’s most studies literature. Edited and written by some of academia’s most distinguished literary scholars, Critical Insights: Life of Pi provides authoritative, in-depth scholarship that students and researchers will rely on for years. This volume is destined to become a valuable purchase for all.

BUY THE PRINT AND GET FREE ONLINE ACCESS Libraries and schools purchasing the printed version of any Salem Press title get complimentary online access to that title on our new online database, http://online.salempress.com . Combining Salem's Literature, History, Health, Science and Careers titles, students and researchers can now access all of their Salem content in one comprehensive site. Any school or library with print reference content in Salem Press' database is entitled to online access to that content. This access is an inherent part of our product.

View a Full List of Literature Titles

Follow us on our socials.

by Yann Martel

Life of pi essay questions.

Pi argues that Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba should take the “better story” as the true story. Argue that either the first or second story is the “true story.”

Suggested Answer: Either side can be argued. To argue that the first story is the true story: all characters in the text, even those originally skeptical, and including the author, eventually choose to believe the first story. Pi was greatly experienced with zoo animals, and manages to plausibly explain how he survived with Richard Parker for so long. Similarly, he seems truly depressed about Richard Parker’s desertion, such that it is clear that he, at least, believes his second story. To argue that the second story is the true story: Pi’s main argument to convince the skeptical Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba that the first is true is that it is better, which is irrelevant in an argument about absolute truth.

Yann Martel has said that the hyena is meant to represent cowardice. Explain how this is true.

Suggested Answer: The hyena displays many negative qualities, such as greed, stupidity and viciousness, but these qualities can be seen to come from its cowardice. At the beginning of their time in the boat, the hyena whines almost constantly, and is so afraid that it runs in circles until it makes itself sick. Unlike Pi, who even in his desperate fear finds ways to survive, the hyena just kills and eats as much as it can in a panicked state until Richard Parker kills it.

In what ways does Pi parallel religious belief in God to the zoo?

Suggested Answer: The main parallel that Pi draws between these two things is the true freedom that both provide, even in seeming to restrict it. He says that detractors argue that zoos restrict animals’ freedom and so make them unhappy, and the rituals and rules of religion can similarly be said to restrict human freedom. Pi argues, however, that zoos, by providing an animal with its survival needs, in fact give that animal as much freedom, for it is content, safe, and wouldn’t want to leave. Similarly, the rules and ritual of religion in fact give people what Pi sees as their spiritual essentials, and thus a more significant kind of freedom.

Yann Martel has called chapters 21 and 22 essential to the book. Why would this be so?

Suggested Anwer: These chapters deal explicitly with the promise of Pi’s story’s power given by Mr. Adirubasamy—that it will make the author, and by extension, the reader, believe in God. In chapter 21, that the author has begun to believe is very clear, and chapter 22 underscores Pi’s belief in every atheist’s potential to become a believer. The chapters together also underscore the act of storytelling, which Pi himself relates to a belief in God, by showing the author writing down the words which he then presents to us as Pi’s own—and which are echoed at the end of the story, when Pi convinces Mr. Okamoto to believe in his story, and thus God.

Both worship of God and survival are hugely important to Pi—which does he give primacy to?

Suggested Answer: Although Pi claims to have never lost faith in God, this faith clearly becomes less important to him while he is in his desperate fight to survive. Most obviously, he talks about God and his belief much less than in the chapters that deal with his life before and after his ordeal. He becomes to weak to perform his religious rituals with any regularity, but even more, he allows his need to survive to overpower his moral system. That is, he eats meat, kills living animals, and even goes so far as to eat human flesh.

What are the significance of the stories behind how Pi and Richard Parker got their names?

Suggested Answer: Both Pi and Richard Parker’s naming stories are related to water—Pi is named for a swimming pool, and Richard Parker’s name was supposed to be Thirsty, because he drank so emphatically. Pi’s water-related name is significant because he is the only member of his family who Mr. Adirubasamy can teach to swim, and although it does not explicitly save him, this ability gives Pi options while he is at sea. That Richard Parker ends up named after a man, rather than Thirsty as he is meant to be, is also significant because although Pi knows the danger of it, he eventually anthropomorphizes Richard Parker and so feels betrayed by him.

Belief is a major theme in this novel. How are belief in God and belief in a story paralleled in Life of Pi ?

Suggested Answer: Pi parallels the belief in God with the belief in a story by saying that everything in life is a story, because it is seen through a certain perspective, and thus altered by that perspective. If this is the case, he claims that something that doesn’t change factual existence and cannot be determined finally either way can be chosen. Given this, one can, and should, choose the better story, which Pi believes is the story—the life—that includes a belief in God.

Why is it significant that Pi is blind when he meets the Frenchman?

Suggested Answer: Pi’s blindness is symbolic in many ways in the episode with the Frenchman. At the end of Life of Pi , Pi tells the Japanese officials that they would believe in the man-eating island if they had seen it, and thus ties belief to sight. Without sight, belief is much more difficult—so much so that Pi assumes he is hallucinating for much of his conversation with the Frenchman. But in the end he is able to believe without sight, an imperative for belief in God. His blindness is also significant because it parallels the literal darkness to the figurative darkness of the scene, which is perhaps the most disturbing of all of Pi’s ordeal.

Why does Pi give Richard Parker credit for his survival?

Suggested Answer: Richard Parker provides Pi with two things that are essential to his survival—companionship, and a surmountable obstacle. Although Richard Parker’s presence at first seems like a death sentence, the challenges presented by it are in fact surmountable, as opposed to the loss of his family and the despair that it causes, which Pi can do nothing to alleviate. And although Richard Parker is dangerous, once Pi has tamed him, he does, in the wide open sea, provide a certain kind of companionship, which is deeply important to the utterly alone Pi.

If each character in Pi’s two stories are paralleled, Orange Juice to Pi’s mother, the hyena to the cook, the sailor to the zebra, and Pi to Richard Parker, what does the Pi in the first story represent?

Suggested Answer: While Richard Parker in the first story is paralleled to Pi, it can be said that he is paralleled to Pi’s survival instinct, while the Pi in the first story represents Pi’s spirituality and morality. In this way, Pi’s spirituality is able, with much hard work, to exert some control over his survival instinct—at least enough to remain in existence, even when not in control—while the survival instinct remains powerful and dangerous. Pi says that he would not have survived without Richard Parker, and this too is true in the parallel, for Pi’s spirituality and morality needed Pi’s survival instinct to keep his body alive, so that his spirituality could exist as well.

Life of Pi Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Life of Pi is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

how pi describe the hyena

"I am not one to hold a prejudice against any animal, but it is a plain fact that the spotted hyena is not well served by its appearance. It is ugly beyond redemption. Its thick neck and high shoulders that slope to the hindquarters look as...

What is flight distance? Why is this important for zookeepers to know?

Flight distance is the amount of space that one animal will allow another animal before fleeing. Zookeepers need to be aware of this distance in order to keep from frightening the animals.

Please state your question.

Study Guide for Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a novel by Yann Martel. Life of Pi study guide contains a biography of author Yann Martel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Life of Pi
• Life of Pi Summary
• Life of Pi Video
• Character List

Essays for Life of Pi

Life of Pi essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Life of Pi written by Yann Martel.

• Living a Lie: Yann Martel’s Pi and his Dissociation from Reality
• A Matter of Perspective: The Invention of a Story in Martel’s Life of Pi
• Religion as a Coping Mechanism in Life of Pi
• Hope and Understanding: Comparing Life of Pi and Bless Me, Ultima
• Religious Allegories in Life of Pi

Lesson Plan for Life of Pi

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Life of Pi
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Life of Pi Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Life of Pi

• Introduction
• Inspiration

Be thinking

Truth, faith and hope in life of pi ? a philosophical review.

The Life of Pi – as both a novel and a recent Oscar winning 3D film – opens up the fascinating dialogue between the worldviews of Secular Humanists, Hindus and Christians. This article compares and contrasts how these three worldviews deal with the inter-related concepts of truth, faith and hope.

When it comes to defining 'truth', Christians have generally endorsed the classical philosophical tradition of the Greco-Roman word, in which 'truth' has two meanings. One refers to the accurate saying of things about reality. The other refers to the reality about which things may be accurately or inaccurately said.

That is, Christians distinguish between: a) true beliefs about reality and b) the truth of reality that true beliefs accurately represent. For example, if the cat's on the mat, this is a truth of reality. That's one sense of the 'truth': what reality is . If the cat's on the mat and I believe that the cat's on the mat, then the truth of my belief is another sense of the term 'truth'. My belief is true to the truth of reality (it accurately represents the way things are). As Thomas Aquinas observed: "it is from the fact that a thing is or is not, that our thought or word is true or false, as [Aristotle] teaches." [1]

Aristotle's definition of the primary meaning of truth can be given in words of one syllable: "If one says of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, he speaks the truth; but if one says of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, he does not speak the truth." [2] This 'correspondence' meaning of truth refers to a quality of beliefs. It's not a quality of all beliefs, but only of those that correspond to the truth of reality : "truth in the mind ... isn't determined by how the mind sees things but by how things are: for statements – and the understanding they embody &ndash ; are called true or false inasmuch as things are or are not so ..." [3] As Aristotle wrote: "it is by the facts of the case, by their being or not being so, that a statement is called true or false." [4]

The facts of the case (like the cat either being or not being on the mat) are the truth of reality , and it's the truth of reality that determines whether or not our beliefs about reality are true to reality . Reality calls the shots: "We may be entitled to our own opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts. Believing a statement is one thing; that statement being true is another." [5]

We may be entitled to our own opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts

- Douglas Groothuis

Many Secular Humanists accept the correspondence theory of truth, whilst often restricting the means of access to truth to empirical and / or 'scientific' ways of knowing. They would hold with Mr. Kumar from Life of Pi that: "There are no grounds for going beyond a scientific explanation of reality and no sound reason for believing anything but our sense experience." ( Life of Pi , p.27.) Some Secular Humanists have advocated alternative definitions of truth, such as the pragmatist idea that truth is whatever works (a claim that contradicts itself if it claims to be more than 'a working definition').

For Hinduism, there is One Ultimate Truth of Reality:

The ultimate reality is 'Brahman', the one infinite impersonal existence. Brahman is all that exists, and anything else that appears to exist is maya , and does not truly exist at all. Ultimate reality is beyond distinction, it merely is. There is therefore a unity of all things . [6]

However, if there's "a unity of all things" the conceptual distinction between 'true' and 'false' must itself be maya , which means that statements such as "there is a unity of all things" and "Brahman is all that exists" cannot be advanced as being true rather than false . When Pi defines Brahman as "That which sustains the universe beyond thought and language" ( Life of Pi , pp.48-49.) he uses both thought and language to make a specific truth-claim concerning the nature of something he claims to neither know the nature of nor to be able to communicate the nature of. No wonder he also says that "language founders in such seas" ( Life of Pi , p.15). As James W. Sire observes:

Knowledge … demands duality – a knower and a known. But the One is beyond duality; it is sheer unity … as the Mandukya Upanishad says , "He is Atman, the Spirit himself … above all distinction, beyond thought and ineffable ." … reality is one; language requires duality; several dualities in fact (speaker and listener, subject and predicate); ergo, language cannot convey truth about reality . [7]

And yet this claim is made using language . Again, according to the Hindu definition of Brahman: "The ignorant think that Brahman is known, but the wise know him to be beyond knowledge." [8] But if something is 'beyond knowledge' it is by definition impossible to know of it that it is beyond knowledge. As philosopher Norman L. Geisler argues:

The very claim that 'God is unknowable in an intellectual way' seems to be either meaningless or self-defeating. For if the claim itself cannot be understood in an intellectual way, then it is a meaningless claim. If the claim can be understood in an intellectual way, then it is self-defeating, since it affirms that nothing can be understood about God in an intellectual way. In other words, the pantheist expects us to know intellectually that God cannot be understood intellectually . [9]

"Now we see … why Eastern pantheistic monism is non-doctrinal" , writes Sire, "No doctrine can be true. Perhaps some can be more useful than others in getting a subject to achieve unity with the cosmos, but that is different. In fact, a lie or a myth might even be more useful." [10] On the subject of truth Hinduism bears a similarity to those Secular Humanists who reject the correspondence theory of truth for a pragmatic definition. Of course, the pragmatist can't coherently claim that one doctrine truly is more useful than another, or to make any claims about what it is useful for truly achieving.

It is precisely because Hinduism rejects the classical distinction between truth and falsehood that Pi believes he can think of himself as "a practicing Hindu, Christian and Muslim" ( Life of Pi , p.64.) despite the fact that all three religions contradict each other. Pi can report: "Bapu Ghandi said, 'All religions are true.'" ( Life of Pi , p.69), but Ghandi's claim is self-contradictory because every religion contradicts all the others. Indeed, the idea of jettisoning truth as an important category is the key to understanding Life of Pi : "if we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams." ( Life of Pi , p.xii.)

On the other hand, if we don't support the classical concept of truth, we necessarily end up believing that nothing it true and being unable to differentiate between fact and fantasy, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness. Isn't truth essential for imagination? Christians and the majority of Secular Humanists thus find themselves in mutual opposition to the Hindu obfuscation of truth. As Pi's father says: "Believing in everything, is the same as not believing in anything."

The authorial voice within Life of Pi recognizes the importance of trust: "Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane… But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transport." ( Life of Pi , p.28.) When the New Testament talks positively about trust, or 'faith': "it only uses words derived from the Greek root [pistis] which means 'to be persuaded.'" [11]

To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transport

- Life of Pi

As Michael J. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland affirm: "the modern view of faith as something unrelated or even hostile to reason is a departure from traditional Christianity and not a genuine expression of it." [12] In other words, the Christian understanding of 'faith' is of placing personal trust in someone that one is rationally convinced is trustworthy. Moreland thus defines faith as "a trust in and commitment to what we have reason to believe is true" , [13] and explains:

The essence of faith – biblical or otherwise – is confidence or trust, and one can have faith in a thing (such as a chair) or a person (such as a parent, the president, or God), and one can have faith in the truth of a proposition... When trust is directed toward a person / thing, it is called 'faith in'; when it is directed toward the truth of a proposition, it is called 'faith that'.... It is a great misunderstanding of faith to oppose it to reason or knowledge. Nothing could be further from the truth. In actual fact, faith – confidence, trust – is rooted in knowledge . [14]

C.S. Lewis defined faith as: "the art of holding onto things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods." [15] For moods change whatever view your reason takes:

Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable ... unless you teach your moods 'where to get off,' you can never be a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion… When we exhort people to Faith as a virtue, to the settled intention of continuing to believe certain things, we are not exhorting them to fight against reason... If we wish to be rational, not now and then, but constantly, we must pray for the gift of Faith, for the power to go on believing not in the teeth of reason but in the teeth of lust and terror and jealousy and boredom and indifference that which reason, authority, or experience, or all three, have once delivered to us for truth . [16]

According to Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (writing in Hinduism Today ), faith ( astikya in Sanskrit) is a process of moving from "blind faith to conviction bolstered by philosophy, and finally to certainty forged in the fires of personal experience." [17] He writes:

The cultivation of faith can be compared to the growth of a tree. As a young sapling, it can easily be uprooted, just as faith based solely on belief can easily be shaken or destroyed. Faith bolstered with philosophical knowledge is like a medium-size tree, strong and not easily disturbed. Faith matured by personal experience of God and the Gods is like a full-grown tree which can withstand external forces . [18]

Some Secular Humanists (e.g. those of a 'neo-atheist' persuasion) equate faith with 'blind faith' in order to portray all religious believers as anti-intellectual. According to A.C. Grayling: "Faith is a commitment to belief contrary to evidence and reason..." [19] Likewise, Richard Dawkins definesreligiousfaith as: "blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence." [20] However, Secular Humanist Richard Norman cautions that "faith means different things to different religious believers, and from the fact that they claim to have faith you can't infer that they are all irrationalists who believe things on 'blind faith' without any evidence..." [21] On the meaning of 'faith', then, it would seem that there's a degree of commonality between Christians, Hindus and many Secular Humanists; a commonality upset primarily by the blind rhetorical stance of certain 'new atheist' writers.

Secular Humanism has an ambiguous relationship with the concept of hope. On the one hand Richard Norman explains that: "Humanism is more than atheism, it is about putting humanist beliefs and values into practice and trying to make the world a better place." [22] According to the Humanist Manifesto III: "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfilment that aspire to the greater good of humanity." [23]

On the other hand, the naturalistic worldview that undergirds Secular Humanism provides no foundation for hope in the long term , as Peter Atkins acknowledges: "We are children of chaos, and the deep structure of change is decay. At root, there is only corruption, and the unstemmable tide of chaos. Gone is purpose; all that is left is direction. This is the bleakness we have to accept as we peer deeply and dispassionately into the heart of the Universe." [24] Peter Cave muses: "We humanists know we shall cease to exist, yet we believe the world goes on. We build monuments, preserve libraries and save whales, when all will be lost. Vanity, all is vanity." [25]

Moreover, naturalism appears to exclude the freedom of will necessary for the ethical responsibility cherished by secular humanists. According to atheist William Provine:

Humans are comprised only of heredity and environment, both of which are deterministic. There is simply no room for the traditional concepts of human free-will. That is, humans do make decisions and they go through decision-making processes, but all of these are deterministic. So from my perspective as a naturalist, there's not even a possibility that human beings have free will . [26]

Little wonder atheist John Gray concludes: "A truly naturalistic view of the world leaves no room for secular hope." [27]

When your intellect has cleared itself of delusions, you will become indifferent to the results of all action, present or future

- Bhagavad-Gita

For the Hindu, "atman [the 'true self'] seeks to realize Brahman [the impersonal Fundamental Reality with which atman is actually identical] , to be united with the Absolute, and it travels in this life on a pilgrimage where it is born and dies, and is born again and dies again, and again, and again [samsara] , until it manages to shed the sheaths that imprison it here below [moksha] ." ( Life of Pi , p.49.) One might be tempted to think that in the idea of moksha (the Hindu term for the liberation of the 'soul' from the wheel of karma ) Hinduism provides adherents with a goal to hope for and look forward to. However, the individual cannot hope to reach this goal, nor can they look forward to it, because this goal is precisely the abolition of the (illusory) individual; for the existence of individual persons is Maya , an illusory or provisional reality, in-as-much-as "Atman is Brahman. Brahman is one and impersonal. Therefore, Atman is impersonal… Human beings in their essence – their truest, fullest being – are impersonal." [28]

Contrary to the common western understanding of reincarnation, for the Hindu "no human being in the sense of individual or person survives death. Atman survives, but Atman is impersonal. When Atman is reincarnated, it becomes another person." [29] Likewise, the naturalistic worldview of the Secular Humanist entails that when a person dies, although their matter continues to exist and to be incorporated into new things (even new people), the person is dead and gone.

Anthropologist David Burnett explains that within the Hindu worldview:

Individuality and human consciousness are just a part of the total illusion of Maya . The individual soul, atman, is in fact the divine self, which is identical with 'Brahman'. The focus of human achievement therefore becomes world-denying rather than world-affirming as with the secular worldviews. To realize one's true oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond personality… Personality demands self-consciousness that requires a distinction between the thinker and the thing thought about . [30]

If long-term hope is an inappropriate category to apply to the Hindu worldview, what about the short term? Like the Secular Humanist, the Hindu can of course have their own subjective hopes for their immediate, worldly future. However, the monistic nature of both Pantheistic Hinduism and Naturalistic Secular Humanism appears to preclude any objective grounding for values, any objective distinction between good and evil. Cave talks about the way in which "Humanists are tempted to think that 'deep down inside' each human is valuable" [31] and ponders: "Is it not utterly ridiculous that things should matter so much to us, when from outside they matter not at all?" [32]

There is nothing that one objectively ought or ought not to hope for within either worldview. The Bhagavad-Gita says: "When your intellect has cleared itself of delusions, you will become indifferent to the results of all action, present or future." [33] Moreover, the Hindu doctrine of karma works itself out in a caste system that precludes any hope of social mobility: "Each caste has its own skills and specialized functions. A person is born into a particular caste and as such, his or her lifestyle, occupation and even the food he or she eats are designated. There is no possibility of social mobility." [34]

The apostle Peter commanded Christians to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have … with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15) For Christianity, then, hope is grounded in truth – especially (a) truth concerning the character and intentions of God and (b) truth concerning Jesus' divinity and resurrection from the dead. If the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, then the Christian hope is one solidly grounded in reality. If not, then the Christian hope is an illusion.

As the apostle Paul observed: "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Corinthians 15:14). At one stage of his journey Pi professes to have "lost all hope" and to have "perked up and felt much better" as a consequence. Be that as it may, it would seem that Christians, Hindus and Secular Humanists all agree that if Christian faith isn't truthfully grounded in reality, we face the absence of any long-term personal hope.

Discussion Questions:

• Pi's father says: "Believing in everything, is the same as not believing in anything." Do you agree? Do we need to believe in anything?
• How do you respond to Pi's three different 'conversions' and his desire to hold all three at once?
• Pi says: "You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better." Do you think it is good for us to have hope? Or to lose it? Or to lose one type of hope and find another?
• Pi suggests that we can choose our own story, and that it is better to choose a good story than a true story. Do you agree?
• What is the difference between faith and blind faith? Is it possible to have blind doubt?
• [1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica , Part I, Question 16, Objection 3.
• [2] Quoted by Peter Kreeft, Between Heaven and Hell , Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP, 1982.
• [3] Thomas Aquinas, Questiones Disputatae de Veritate , in McDermott (ed.), Aquinas – Selected Philosophical Writings , Oxford University Press, 1998, p.58.
• [4] Thomas Aquinas, quoted by Norman L. Geisler & Paul D. Feinberg, Introduction to Philosophy , Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987, p.247.
• [5] Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics , Nottingham: Apollos, 2011, p.124.
• [6] David Burnett, Clash of Worlds , London: Monarch, 2002, p.71.
• [7] James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door : A Basic Worldview Catalogue , 5 th edition, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009, p.155.
• [8] 'Kena,' in The Upanishads , p.31 quoted by Norman L. Geisler & William D. Watkins, Worlds Apart , 2 nd edition, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989, p.80.
• [9] Geisler & Watkins, Worlds Apart , p.104.
• [10] Sire, op.cit ., p.155.
• [11] Tom Price, 'Faith is about "just trusting" God isn't it?', available at http://www.bethinking.org/truth/faith-is-about-just-trusting-god-isnt-it .
• [12] Michael J. Wilkins & J.P. Moreland, Jesus Under Fire – Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus , Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1996, p.8.
• [13] J.P. Moreland, 'Living Smart' in Paul Copan & William Lane Craig (eds.), Passionate Conviction , B&H Academic, 2007, p.22.
• [14] J.P. Moreland, The Kingdom Triangle , Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007, pp.130-131.
• [15] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity , available at http://merelewis.com/CSL.mc.3-11.Faith.htm .
• [16] Ibid .
• [17] Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, 'The Three Stages of Faith', available at http://hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5041 .
• [18] Ibid .
• [19] A.C. Grayling, Against All Gods , London: Oberon Books, 2007, pp.15-16.
• [20] Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene , Oxford Paperbacks, p.198.
• [21] Richard Norman, 'Holy Communion', New Humanist , November-December 2007, p.18.
• [22] Norman, Ibid . , p.19.
• [23] Humanist Manifesto III, available at www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III .
• [24] Peter Atkins, quoted by Richard Dawkins in Unweaving the Rainbow , Penguin, 2006, p.ix.
• [25] Peter Cave, Humanism , Oxford: OneWorld, 2009, p.132.
• [26] William Provine in Russell Stannard (ed.), Science and Wonders , London: BBC / Faber and Faber, 1996.
• [27] John Gray, Straw Dogs , London: Granta, 2002, p.xii.
• [28] Sire, op.cit ., p.154.
• [29] Ibid , p.158.
• [30] Burnett, op.cit ., p.72.
• [31] Cave, p.134, my emphasis.
• [32] Ibid , p.139.
• [33] Bhagavad-Gita , translators Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, New York: Mentor, 1972, p.41.
• [34] Burnett, op.cit ., p.75.

© 2013 Peter S. Williams

This article originally appeared in Dialogue Australasia Journal, May Issue 2013.

Peter S. Williams

You might also be interested in

Risen - a sceptic's perspective

Chris Knight and Peter May

Thoughts on the film Risen which looks at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of a sceptical Roman soldier.

'Feeling The Force' - Star Wars and Spiritual Truth

John C. McDowell

Delve deeper into some of the religious and spiritual aspects behind the Star Wars series.

"Thou shalt not be certain"

Should we be certain about anything to do with God? Is radical uncertainty about God just being respectful of his greatness?

86 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

Before Reading

Reading Context

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

After Reading

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

Essay Questions

Exam Questions

Exam Answer Key

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Get access to this full Teaching Guide and much more!

• 7,700+ In-Depth Study Guides
• 4,850+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
• Downloadable PDFs

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

The SuperSummary difference

• 8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
• Study Guides you won ' t find anywhere else
• 175 + new titles every month

1. Pi describes freedom within the confines of the zoo, religion, and lack of chaos.

• How does Pi define freedom? ( topic sentence )
• Explain how Pi defines freedom in relation to the zoo and in relation to religion. Then explain how Pi justifies his assertion when animals choose to escape the confines of the zoo—and presumably, when people escape the confines of religion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you agree with Pi’s definition of what it means to be free.

2. Ritual is an important aspect of Pi’s life as it manifests itself in multiple ways throughout his narrative.

• How does ritual pervade the narrative of Life of Pi ? ( topic sentence )

Don't Miss Out!

Access Teaching Guide Now

Related Titles

By Yann Martel

Beatrice And Virgil

Yann Martel

The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

The High Mountains of Portugal

Featured Collections

Action & Adventure

View Collection

Books Made into Movies

Canadian Literature

Order & Chaos

Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Life of Pi — Yann Martel’s “The Life Of Pi”: Book Review

Yann Martel's "The Life of Pi": Book Review

• Categories: Book Review Life of Pi Literature Review

About this sample

Words: 980 |

Published: Oct 2, 2020

Words: 980 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

• Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Harcourt, 2001.
• Bocking, Brian. “Life of Pi, Virtue, and the Question of Religion.” Literature and Theology, vol. 29, no. 2, 2015, pp. 150–162.
• Forbes, Bruce David. “Cognitive Ecology, Religion, and The Life of Pi.” CrossCurrents, vol. 63, no. 2, 2013, pp. 233–252.
• Gifford, James. “The Limits of Literary Interpretation : Life of Pi and the Philosophical Significance of Animal Symbolism.” Journal of Critical Animal Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, 2012, pp. 62–79.
• Higginson, James. “Animals, Empathy, and the Ethics of Narrative: Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.” Philosophy and Literature, vol. 37, no. 2, 2013, pp. 404–417.
• Jolly, Margaretta. “Sacred Spaces and Literary Practices in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.” Religion and the Arts, vol. 17, no. 1–2, 2013, pp. 127–152.
• Kavenna, Joanna. “The Resilience of Religion in Life of Pi.” The Spectator, 30 June 2018, www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-resilience-of-religion-in-life-of-pi.
• Malik, Ameena. “Faith, Fiction, and the Human Journey: Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.” Religion and the Arts, vol. 20, no. 5, 2016, pp. 625–644.
• Mathur, Piyush. “Animals as Narrative Devices in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.” Journal of Indian Writing in English, vol. 42, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1–8.
• Sinclair, Mark. “Writing Faith: Pi Patel and Yann Martel.” Literary Imagination, vol. 18, no. 3, 2016, pp. 348–366.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1443 words

2.5 pages / 1074 words

3 pages / 1138 words

4 pages / 1725 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Life of Pi

Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is a novel that explores various themes such as survival, faith, and the power of storytelling. The protagonist, Pi, finds himself stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with only a [...]

Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, is a rich and complex story that is filled with symbolism. The novel tells the story of Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific [...]

In the renowned novel "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, the character of Richard Parker assumes a pivotal role in shaping the narrative and exploring significant themes. Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger, not only serves as the [...]

In Yann Martel's novel, "Life of Pi," the protagonist, Pi Patel, embarks on an extraordinary journey of survival and self-discovery after a shipwreck leaves him stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. As [...]

Uniqueness is a struggle to find throughout literature, especially within recreations of previously published stories. Once a story is told, the originality begins to dissipate and the audience skews the story. Popular novels [...]

Life of Pi is a novel telling the story of a teenage boy named ‘Pi’ and his survival through 227 days living in a lifeboat with a male, adult Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker in the Pacific Ocean. Pi’s original home is in India [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free