Life of Pi
By: Yann Martel
Post 3
Just like the movie, Life of Pi was truly something special. I had already seen the movie. I knew what to expect (The movie actually surprisingly true to the book, unlike some book-to-film adaptations). But I was still gripped by the plot, excited by Pi and Richard Parker's relationship, and satisfied by the ending all over again.
SPOILER ALERT
Since I last posted, all of the other animals on the life boat besides Richard Parker have died. The hyena was in fact killed by Richard Parker. As the days wore on, Pi made use of the lifeboat's supplies, including life vests and buoyant oars to make a raft so as to be separate from Richard Parker. He fished, witnessing many marine wonders, like whales, sharks, dorados (a type of fish which would turn rainbow and iridescent in its death throes), and flying fish. Gradually, as time wore on, and things like his life boat rations running out, his discovery of how to use solar stills to purify salt water, and the (eventual) destruction of his raft, Pi realizes that he must tame Richard Parker so that they can survive the ordeal (or at least so that Pi will be able to live on the life boat). Using the rocking of the boat, Richard Parker's seasickness, a whistle, and the supplying of food, Pi manages to tame Richard Parker, to an extent. Richard Parker recognizes him as the 'alpha' of the boat.
Two major events that Pi and Richard Parker experience are the meeting of another castaway and the discovery of an island. At one point in the story, Pi is overcome with the heat of the sun and fatigue, and becomes unable nourish himself, to the point where he becomes temporarily blinded. While blinded, he apparently meets another man (who has a French accent). They converse, and the other man claims to be blind as well. However, upon tethering their boats to each other, the other man, who is revealed to have lied about his blindness, attacks Pi, choking him. Pi, still delirious, accepts it as an embrace, and forgets to warn the man about Richard Parker. The man, who reveals his intentions to butcher and devour Pi for his own nourishment steps on the bottom of the boat and is subsequently devoured alive by Richard Parker. When Pi regains his eyesight after some brief nourishment through morsels of food that on the other man's boat and some rinsing with (sea)water, he finds the man's mangled half-eaten corpse. The other major event during Pi and Richard Parker's adventures include their landing on a strange isle. It is filled with vegetation and meerkats, and for the first time in a long time, Pi and Richard Parker are able to relax a little and enjoy the delicious algae and fresh water found on the isle. However, they discover later that the isle is more of a floating mass of carnivorous vegetation. At night, the ground and the freshwater ponds became highly acidic, digesting fish in the water and burning the soles of Pi's feet. Pi additionally found the remains of another human who must have stumbled upon the island: all that remained was a set of teeth. Pi and Richard Parker quickly left after that.
It was a short time later that they came upon land; the Mexican shores. Richard Parker flees into the forest, leaving Pi alone, even after all they'd been through together. Pi is rescued by a group of people who take him to the hospital, where he recovers. Two Japanese men from the company that the Tsimtsum sailed for come to interview Pi about the causes of the sinking of the ship, and what happened to him. They do not gain much information about the cause of the wreck, and initially they do not believe Pi's story with animals, so they request he tell the "truth." Pi responds with another story. This story metaphorically represents what happened, and also left out the seemingly supernatural events. The role of the zebra is replaced by a young sailor, the hyena by a vicious bloodthirsty cook, the orangutan by Pi's mother, and the tiger with Pi. The sailor's leg is broken, and after a prolonged period of time, he dies. The sailor is butchered, used for fishing, and eaten by the cook. Several days later, the cook attacks Pi for failing to catch a turtle, and Pi's mother hits the cook (the orangutan had originally fought back against the hyena by bopping it on the head). The cook turns on Pi's mother, who tells Pi to head towards a raft tied to the life boat. Pi's mother is then beheaded by the cook (the orangutan was beheaded by the hyena), who throws her head at Pi. Pi then kills the cook, just as Richard Parker killed the hyena. The Japanese men subsequently put the story with animals (the true story) on the official report.
So... a LOT happened in the second half of the book. More than can be merely summarized in a few short paragraphs.
I mentioned earlier that I thought religion would play a really big part in the book later... it didn't as much as I thought it would. It is touched upon a lot in the beginning, but the story ends up taking a much different focus by the end. I think probably the most interesting and prevalent dynamic and theme is the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker. At the beginning of their journey together, their relationship is rocky. But eventually, Pi gathers the courage to establish himself as 'alpha male' of the life boat, and Richard Parker (appears) to develop, at the very least, a grudging respect for him as leader. Their relationship continued to strengthen, even more so on the island, when Pi had Richard Parker perform tricks (jumping through a vine hoop), in an almost domesticated way. The real fascinating part was Richard Parker's ending of their partnership, by running off into the Mexican jungle without so much as a glance backwards. "In some such way, he would conclude our relationship. He did nothing of the sort... Then Richard Parker, companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life" (Martel 284-285). I believe that though there was no physical indication, Richard Parker's decision to move on w a sign to Pi to not dwell on the past too much (but look to the future), and this advice was his farewell, conclusion, and goodbye.
Again, another great book has been completed. What book will come next?
Until next time,
Josh C.
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