Thematic Abundance of Yann Martel's Novel Life of Pi

 
Thematic Abundance of Yann Martel's Novel Life of Pi
The Yann Martel's philosophical novel Life of Pi has become a treasury of human emotions,
a colorful tale describing the formation of an adult in a situation of survival. This is a multi-layered
story, touching upon a number of philosophical themes, fascinating from the very beginning, and
giving the opportunity to reflect on the human nature in its various forms. The novel tells how the
basis of an individual's worldview is formed at an early age by various factors, and how in the
future, it affects the course of a life.
Yann Martel's Life of Pi as a Coming-of-Age Story
For the first time, the readers meet Pi, the main character, when he is a middle-aged man
who retells to the author his story and the incredible adventures that brought him near the verge of
death. In this way, the author resorts to the literary technique known as a frame narrative in order to
contain one story within another (Junfang 44). Young Pi, whose full name is Piscine Molitor Patel,
was brought up in the traditions of Hinduism. Nevertheless, the young man continues his religious
education by studying Christianity and Islam – he even claims to have encountered Jesus Christ,
thus the readers get to know Pi as an impressionable and inquisitive person. The protagonist's
spirituality is, in a way, the core of his character for some scholars analyzing the text: Pi's
fascination with Gods pushes him into accepting three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam
(Palmer 95). However, the young man's interest in spirituality is not approved by Santosh Patel, his
father, who is a strong believer in the power of reason and science with the vision of religious text as
of fairy tales. Father's disapproval does not hinder Pi's further religious journey when later his faith
and convictions are to be put on trial.
Main Characters and Anthropomorphism
The anthropomorphic nature of the novel starts unfolding itself with the beginning of Pi's 
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marine journey and, to some degree, is interrelated with Santosh Patel's character who owns and
runs Pondicherry Zoo. During Pi's early adolescence, Santosh Patel decides to take his family and
the vast majority of the animals from the zoo and move to Canada, where the animals could be sold
to make a living. After several days of calm and peaceful ocean travel, the ship with Pi, his family,
and the animals onboard enters the storm – Pi thinks that he is the only surviving living being. Later
when the storm calms down, the protagonist discovers that some animals from the ship found their
shelter in the boat with him: hyena, zebra, orangutan Orange, and tiger Richard Parker. Palmer
states, "we can see Life of Pi as a part of a turn toward a reconsideration of humans' place in the
nature – here the shared but diverged animality of a boy and his "other", in this case, a tiger" (95).
Accordingly, one of the central points in the novel is the nature and possibility of a bond between
humans and animals.
The novel can be regarded as another revision of the old castaway narrative, all the tropes of
which are present here – the struggle to survive, violence, and finally madness. Pi finds himself in a
limited space with wild animals and spends 227 days at sea having no other company, which forces
him and the animal to reach mutual understanding. According Storey, "in this regard, Life of Pi is a
typical illustration of the monomyth, a model of structuralist inspiration, as Pi passes through the
stages of the hero's journey..." (210). Notably, one of the things that help Pi not to lose his sanity is a
journal – an allusion to another popular castaway narrative, that is to Daniel Defoe's Robinson
Crusoe. Nevertheless, the fight for survival continues with new obstacles that Pi has to overcome to
be able to complete his journey.
Religious Themes of the Novel
After long days at the sea, Pi and Richard Parker proceed to the next stage of their survival,
which might be considered common for this type of narrative, which is survival on an island.
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Subsequently, the biblical theme is investigated further in this story sequence, since a number of
things leads to the comparison with Eden. For instance, the paradisiacal nature of this island (even if
only at first sight). Biblical references in the novel are part of a larger thematic corps: belief in God
is a major thread that goes through Life of Pi. God in the novel is viewed in the broadest sense,
overcoming the differences and conflicts between variety of religious movements (Palmer 103). Pi
states on this occasion that there are thousands of gods in India, and adding three more to them
would not be a big mistake.
Intersection of Truth and Storytelling Themes
Finally, having survived together a number of deadly situations, Pi and Richard Parker arrive
in Mexico, where the tiger leaves Pi standing in solitude without saying goodbye. The bond that the
man and the a