If you are looking for an adventure, Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a perfect literary escapade. Life of Pi starts out fascinating to me, a child raised in the United States and not in India and not the child of zookeepers.
“In many ways, running a zoo is a hotel-keeper’s worst nightmare. Consider: the guests never leave their rooms; they expect not only lodging but full board; they receive a constant flow of visitors, some of whom are noisy and unruly. One has to wait until they saunter to their balconies, so to speak, before one can clean their rooms, and then one has to wait until they tire of the view and return to their room before one can clean their balconies; and there is much cleaning to do, for the guests are as unhygienic as alcoholics. Each guest is very particular about his or her diet, constantly complains about the slowness of the service, and never ever tips. To speak frankly, many are sexual deviants, either terribly repressed and subject to explosions of frenzied lasciviousness or openly depraved, in either case regularly affronting management with gross outrages of free sex and incest.” Chapter 4
Ordinary in many other ways, our main character, is quiet and the opposite to his athletic older brother. Given a name that is easy to tease, he has to be brave and rename himself Pi, as in π or 3.14. Pi lives in a country where religion is taken very seriously but most people choose Hindu, Muslim or Christian, not all three. It is different, but Pi’s mother can’t find a reason to make him stop studying all 3 religions so it is allowed.
“Though she had lived in Toronto for over 30 years, her French-speaking mind still slips on occasion on the understanding of English sounds. And so when she first heard of Hare Krishnas, she didn’t hear right. She heard ‘Hairless Christians,’ and that’s what they were to her for many years. When I corrected her, I told her that in fact she was not wrong; that Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God are hat-wearing Muslims,” Chapter 16
Pi’s life is ordinary to him until his father gets the idea to sell the zoo and move his family to Canada. Regardless of how his family feels, deals are struck and the family finds themselves on the Japanese cargo ship, Tsimtsam along with several wild animals that they are delivering to new places.
While they slept, one night Pi is awakened by an odd sound and he gets out of bed to see what happened only to find the ship is sinking fast! Before he knows it, he finds himself in a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. By morning, this 16-year-old boy has lost his entire family and must learn to survive in the most extreme circumstances.
“Life on the lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn’t be more simple, nor the stakes higher, Physically it is extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing. You must make adjustments if you want to survive. Much becomes expendable. You get your happiness where you can. You reach a point where you’re at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and your feel you’re the luckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish.” Chapter 78
For over 6 months this young man figured out how to survive on the lifeboat. He made choices. He accepted loss. At times you forget he is only a boy and then other times you want to grab him and hold him tight. His devotion to his faith carried him through because that is what faith does. No matter what name you call it by.
“This beach, so soft firm and vast, was like the cheek of God, and somewhere two eyes were glittering with pleasure and a mouth was smiling at having me there.” chapter 94
I am glad I decided to read this book. It wasn’t the smoothest read but I know it was important for the part of life I am in for right now. Not all paths are smooth and sometimes seeing how others struggle through and listen to the wisdom inside ourselves, even when no one believes us, is exactly what we need.
I checked my book out at the Longview Public Library but your can buy your own copy of Life of Pi by Yann Martel on Amazon.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
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