Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi was written by the Canadian writer Yann Martel in 2001. The storyline is based on an Indian
Boy, Piscine Patel (aka. Pi), a boy with a zeal to explore the notion of spirituality. His father is a zoo
owner in the Indian state of Pondicherry. Due to a national crisis, he decides to sell his zoo and immigrate
to Canada with his family. During their trip, a storm hits their ship, leading to a wreckage, and bringing
death to everything on the ship except a zebra, a hyena, a monkey, a tiger, and Pi. These lives are left in a
small boat in the middle of the ocean where there is no one to come to their aid. The writer eloquently
articulates the conditions, circumstances, thoughts, feelings, environment that was with Pi in the middle
of the ocean, with nothing but animals and a survivor kit until he reaches the border of Mexico. The
theme of the book introspects into the concepts of belief, spirituality, hope, and perception that humans
adopt to lead their lives. One idea that springs very prominently in the book is that spirituality and an
optimistic view on life not only enhance human tendency to survive in adverse conditions, but also
alleviate the pain that humans endure during their life term. It also explores the notion of morality and
cognitive dissonance in situations where humans are forced to take action contradictory to their moral
standards. The author uses personification, contradictions, figurative language and other rhetorical
strategies to convey these ideas and make the reader question the various demanding and dictating
phenomena that influences their decision making, and life is, alas, all about taking a decision.

The most important component of the self represented in "Life of Pi" that has implication in my life is the
raft, which represents the main character's faith. Like many people who read the book it offers us some
pretty worthy life lessons specially in my own life.

1. We need to treat our animal friends better: Because to be honest I am not a pet-friendly but after
reading the book I realized their importance in human life that’s why I learned to love and care for them.
Now, I have a cat.

2. Religion is a mechanism: As the story unfolds though, I learned the important lesson that religion is
not the end, simply a means to our own deeply personal understanding of the world and beyond. This
awareness and acceptance could help me avoid wars, bigotry, and intolerances around the world.

3. There's a difference between being alone and being lonely: Pi and Richard Parker find ways to
make the best of their experience so do I.

4. Forgiveness is always the right choice: Pi lost everything, by no fault of his own. For some people,
this could create resentment and anger. But he manages to take it all in stride and forgive the situation. To
hold onto the anger and pain would be to let those situations control his life. We may never forget, but we
can always forgive.

5. Don't take things personally: In the same token as forgiveness, we also can't take things too
personally. He understood that there was an opportunity in his predicament, no matter how extreme or
unfair it seemed.

6. Don't give up: Whatever it is you're committed to, there will be obstacles along the path. At times it
may even seem impossible. But when you truly believe in achieving your goal, you can't give up, no
matter how daunting the outlook is. Like Churchill said, when you're going through hell, keep going.

7. Perspective changes everything: How we choose to see a situation is the situation. Whether it's good
or bad is always up to us. We always have the power to instantly change our perspective and thus change
the outcome of any circumstance.

8. Stories and experiences are our greatest teachers: We can often illustrate and cope with tough
situations through the powerful lens of imagination. It's as helpful for our own understanding as it is for
others to relate to a situation. And in some cases, it's all we ever really have.