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Starry Lai
JCNE, Block D
Mr. Olszyk
03/13/2015

Life of Pi: the power of religious belief

The movie life of Pi, which received 11 nominations for the Academy Award, is widely
regarded an epic movie. The story of a young man trying to survive from shipwreck seems
compelling, yet the deeper idea of religious belief is what makes the movie meaningful and
unique. The movie discusses religious beliefs without talking about any specific religion. The
movie is about Pi tlling his story that makes people believe in God from a polytheist's
perspective and conveys the idea that all religious should be respected.
The main theme of the movie Life of Pi is the power of religious belief.The director Ang
Lee conveys what he wants the audience to believe through Pis at the very beginning of the
movie: It is a story that will make you believe in God. Science can teaches one about what is
out there in the world, but religions help one finds peace in the world. Piscine Pi Molitor Patel
who found himself lost at sea after his familys cargo ship sinks in a storm. He was on the
lifeboat with four animals from his fathers zooA hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and an adult
Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. He floated on the ocean for 227 days and eventually
survived. Pi had nothing but his faith, and that is what gave him hope to live. The power of
religious belief kept him accompanied and made him survived.

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The movie life of Pi is not a portrayal of a particular religious subject matter. It is an
accurate portrayal of a young man whose strong religious beliefs were challenged at the
beginning and later found peace in his beliefs. Pis life experience might not be commonly seem
among regular people. However, his experience in religious life is similar to almost everyone
who has a religious belief. He went though a process from questioning God to be grateful to
God, and eventually truly put himself in Gods hand. God gave him all the hopes that make him
survive. It is like God gives all followers hope to be better people and live holier life.
Ang Lee, as two-time Best director winner of the Academy award, definitely used the
medium movie extremely well and made Life of Pi absolutely compelling. Ang Lee did a
phenomenal job with both the story-telling structure and new movie technology, thus created this
epic movie. According to Peter Yan, a reviewer :Life of Pi is told from two alternating points of
view, the main character Pi in a flashback and Yann Martel himself, who is the "visiting writer"
interviewing Pi .This technique of the intrusive narrator adds the documentary realism to the
book, setting up, like a musical counter-point, the myth-making, unreliable narrator, Pi. The
reader is left to ponder at the end whether Pi's story is an allegory of another set of parallel
events or vice versa. The movie, which also won the best visual effect in the Academy award
that year, has 3D and imax versions so that the audience can get closer to the story when
watching the movie. Audience see and hear Richard Parker yelling in front them. Audience see
the whole universe in Krishnas mouth when Pi's mother was telling the story. Ang Lee used the
benefits of the new technologies of movie to include every audience in Pis story. Audience
learnt the story by visual effect, by sounds, and by the atmosphere the director that creates. These
make movie a great medium to convey message and tell a story.

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The desire to live and Pis strong religious belief motivate Pi and lead to his change.
When he first sank, Pi almost gave up getting on the lifeboat. Later in the beginning of his
floating on the ocean, he started his process of questioning and doubting why God let him suffer
more if He had already taken his family away. He also question God for the existence of Peter
Parker, a Bengal tiger that can take his life away in any second. God does have a plan for him
even though He puts Pi in this horrible situation. Everything is a test to his faith. Pi knew that the
only way he is able to survive is to cooperate with Peter Parker. Peter Parker needs Pi to get it
food and clean water. Pi needs Peter Parker's accompany.The fear for Peter Parker reminds Pi of
how much he wants to live. It is the fear that keeps Pi alerted and aware of what he wants. If Pi
were on the lifeboat alone, he would have died soon. Pi's dad once told him that one can only see
his reflection in Peter Parker's eyes. Peter Parker has no soul. What Pi has seem was more than
that. Pi was understood God more through Peter Parker. God conveys what He wants to Pi
through Peter Parker. God gives Pi hope through Peter Parker. Pi realized God's plan and
decided to train the tiger. He was grateful to God's plan and was grateful that Peter Parker was
with him in his journey. Pi strengthened his faith while feeling the hope and every day that he
survived on the ocean. He put himself in God's hand.
The movie conveys a positive idea that all religious belief should be respected. As a
polytheist, the important thing for Pi is to believe in God rather than choosing to believe in one
specific religion. He found his way without choosing a path. Pi was first introduced to God as a
Hindu. He learnt about Hinduism from colorful pictures on the Hindu storybooks and his
mothers story-telling. Pi understood the world in the most beautiful and romantic way as a
Hinduthe whole universe is in Krishnas mouth and we all live in Vishnus dream. Christ was

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introduced to Pi when he was 12. He walked into a church because of a bet his brother had
offered. Pi was amazed by the fact that God sent his own son to save people and fascinated by
the story of Christ suffering for humans. The more he learnt about Christ from the priest, the
more he fell in love with Christianity. That was not it. God was introduced to him again in Islam.
Pi found harmony and brotherhood when performing Salaah. He said that he felt he is closer to
God when he says prayers in Arabic words.He came to faith through Hinduism, ascertained
Gods love through Christ, and found peace in Islam. Without any of these, Pi would not be Pi.
He would not be able to survive without his strong religious beliefs and faith. Different religions
have different rituals and different stories of how the universe was created. However, above all,
they all bring people joy, peace, love and give people hope. All religious beliefs should be
respected.

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Work Cited:
"Awards." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/
awards>.

"Movie Review: Life of Pi | An American Atheist." An American Atheist RSS. Web. 10 Mar.
2015. <http://anamericanatheist.org/2012/12/17/movie-review-life-of-pi/>.

"." ----. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

<http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2012/1126/c87423-19696776.html>.