For my fiction book, I decided to read "Life of Pi", by Yann Martel, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars . it was beautifully written and completely terrifying, because, honestly, who wants to be trapped in a life raft in the middle of the ocean with a Bengal tiger? this is the type of book that really makes you think. "Life of Pi" tells the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a young Indian boy who was named after a pool in France. the story is told in the first person by Pi, who is narrating at an older age about his earlier life as a student in Toronto, and as a small child in Pondicherry, India. He explains that he has suffered a great deal throughout his life, and finds comfort in religion and zoology. In the early stages of his childhood, up until he immigrated to Toronto, Pi's father ran the Pondicherry Zoo. Pi loved the zoo and marveled in the way that the animals coexisted together. the zoo was his sanctuary, that is...until he discovered religion. Brought up as a Hindu, Pi discovers as a kid Christianity and Islam. though his parents and the rest of society find it strange and wrong that he practices three religions, Pi does not see the fault in what he is doing. This open frame of mind and spirituality lends a hand to how he deals with being in a less than satisfactory situation later on. Soon, due to India's political conflict, Pi's mother and father decide to pack up and move the family (and the zoo animals) to Toronto Canada. they make their journey aboard a Japanese cargo ship named the Tsimtsum. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worst. Part two of "Life of Pi" begins with the Tsimtsum sinking into the Pacific Ocean. Pi had been awoken from a loud boom in the middle of the night. Itching to explore where the sound came from, Pi exits his room and goes up to the main deck of the ship. He soon realizes that the boat is sinking, as chaos of crew members and animals erupts. Pi is thrown into a lifeboat where he soon finds himself alone with a zebra, an orangutan named Orange Juice), and a hyena. All the animals seem to be in shock and wary of one another as they drift away to sea amidst a massive storm. Pi realizes that his family is gone. Once the storm subsides, the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan, as Pi watches in horror. He is weak and knows that the hyena will come after him next, but to his surprise, Richard Parker reveals himself and kills the hyena. let me clarify, Richard Parker is not a human being. he is a Bengal tiger. The discovery that the animal had been under the lifeboat's tarp sends Pi into a frenzy. Pi and Richard Parker are now alone together at sea. As the days pass, and Pi becomes scared and hopeless, he and Richard Parker reluctantly come closer. Pi soon finds himself mastering and training the tiger. They coexist on the small lifeboat, always wary of each other. Soon, brought on by a bought of dehydration, Pi runs into another castaway. They seem to get along at first but when the man tries to attack Pi, Richard Parker kills him. this shows Pi's and Richard Parker's newfound bond. very soon after, the two find a mysterious island filled with trees that grow without soil. Pi and Richard Parker spend a few days there, exploring when it is light out and going back to the boat at night. There, Pi finds meerkats that drink from the freshwater ponds. He believes he has found paradise. One day, though, Pi finds human teeth inside one of the fruits of a tree. He comes to the realization that the island eats people and he and Richard Parker escape the island. They go back out to sea and end up washed on a shore in Mexico. Richard Parker walks away into the jungle and this is the last time Pi will ever see him. In the years to come, Pi will still wonder where Richard Parker went. As the tiger runs off, Pi is spotted by locals and taken to the Benito Juarez Infirmary. In Part three, after Pi has been resting in the hospital for a little while, Japanese officials come to interview him about his time lost at sea. At first he tells them the truth, but they do not believe him and think he is delusional. So, he tells the story again, but replaces the animals with humans. A bloodthirsty cook as the hyena, a sailor as the zebra, and his mother as the orangutan. This satisfies the men, but they still do not understand how the boat sank. in the end, Pi is sent to live with a foster mother in Toronto, where he finishes school, and starts his life with his own family. Along with Pi's narration, excerpts are written by a man who interviewed Pi later in his life in Toronto about Pi's experience. This gives us an idea of how other people perceive Pi Patel. the theme of Life of Pi is willingness to survive, even when the odds are against you. Do not let the horrible things that may happen in your life be the death of you. Overall, I really enjoyed "Life of Pi". it was brilliantly written and executed, and made me view the world in a different way than I had previously seen it. I learned that I have to appreciate all the good things in life, because one day they could all be ripped away from me. I would recommend this book to anyone, really, I mean, people might not like it as much as I did but it is definitely worth the read.
"Life of Pi" tells the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a young Indian boy who was named after a pool in France. the story is told in the first person by Pi, who is narrating at an older age about his earlier life as a student in Toronto, and as a small child in Pondicherry, India. He explains that he has suffered a great deal throughout his life, and finds comfort in religion and zoology. In the early stages of his childhood, up until he immigrated to Toronto, Pi's father ran the Pondicherry Zoo. Pi loved the zoo and marveled in the way that the animals coexisted together. the zoo was his sanctuary, that is...until he discovered religion. Brought up as a Hindu, Pi discovers as a kid Christianity and Islam. though his parents and the rest of society find it strange and wrong that he practices three religions, Pi does not see the fault in what he is doing. This open frame of mind and spirituality lends a hand to how he deals with being in a less than satisfactory situation later on. Soon, due to India's political conflict, Pi's mother and father decide to pack up and move the family (and the zoo animals) to Toronto Canada. they make their journey aboard a Japanese cargo ship named the Tsimtsum. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worst.
Part two of "Life of Pi" begins with the Tsimtsum sinking into the Pacific Ocean. Pi had been awoken from a loud boom in the middle of the night. Itching to explore where the sound came from, Pi exits his room and goes up to the main deck of the ship. He soon realizes that the boat is sinking, as chaos of crew members and animals erupts. Pi is thrown into a lifeboat where he soon finds himself alone with a zebra, an orangutan named Orange Juice), and a hyena. All the animals seem to be in shock and wary of one another as they drift away to sea amidst a massive storm. Pi realizes that his family is gone. Once the storm subsides, the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan, as Pi watches in horror. He is weak and knows that the hyena will come after him next, but to his surprise, Richard Parker reveals himself and kills the hyena. let me clarify, Richard Parker is not a human being. he is a Bengal tiger. The discovery that the animal had been under the lifeboat's tarp sends Pi into a frenzy. Pi and Richard Parker are now alone together at sea. As the days pass, and Pi becomes scared and hopeless, he and Richard Parker reluctantly come closer. Pi soon finds himself mastering and training the tiger. They coexist on the small lifeboat, always wary of each other. Soon, brought on by a bought of dehydration, Pi runs into another castaway. They seem to get along at first but when the man tries to attack Pi, Richard Parker kills him. this shows Pi's and Richard Parker's newfound bond. very soon after, the two find a mysterious island filled with trees that grow without soil. Pi and Richard Parker spend a few days there, exploring when it is light out and going back to the boat at night. There, Pi finds meerkats that drink from the freshwater ponds. He believes he has found paradise. One day, though, Pi finds human teeth inside one of the fruits of a tree. He comes to the realization that the island eats people and he and Richard Parker escape the island. They go back out to sea and end up washed on a shore in Mexico. Richard Parker walks away into the jungle and this is the last time Pi will ever see him. In the years to come, Pi will still wonder where Richard Parker went. As the tiger runs off, Pi is spotted by locals and taken to the Benito Juarez Infirmary.
In Part three, after Pi has been resting in the hospital for a little while, Japanese officials come to interview him about his time lost at sea. At first he tells them the truth, but they do not believe him and think he is delusional. So, he tells the story again, but replaces the animals with humans. A bloodthirsty cook as the hyena, a sailor as the zebra, and his mother as the orangutan. This satisfies the men, but they still do not understand how the boat sank. in the end, Pi is sent to live with a foster mother in Toronto, where he finishes school, and starts his life with his own family.
Along with Pi's narration, excerpts are written by a man who interviewed Pi later in his life in Toronto about Pi's experience. This gives us an idea of how other people perceive Pi Patel. the theme of Life of Pi is willingness to survive, even when the odds are against you. Do not let the horrible things that may happen in your life be the death of you.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Life of Pi". it was brilliantly written and executed, and made me view the world in a different way than I had previously seen it. I learned that I have to appreciate all the good things in life, because one day they could all be ripped away from me. I would recommend this book to anyone, really, I mean, people might not like it as much as I did but it is definitely worth the read.