Pi’s Motivation
God.
To some, this is a word of impossible absurdity. To others, it’s an unasked but still unanswerable question. And yet to others it’s a sure and great thing, a magnificent word that sums up the meaning in everything they say and do. The latter is how Pi Patel, main character of Life of Pi by Yann Martel, felt. Pi grew up in India fascinated by 3 different religions – Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. I chose to write about this topic and read this book because, five years ago, my family and I moved to Singapore for three years. While we were there, I experienced and witnessed so many different beliefs and religions that intrigued me and influenced me positively. I can relate to Pi in this way. He learned to love God in all three religions, and practiced the prayers and customs. Pi was a deeply devoted subject in every aspect – and this is what would help keep him alive in his future endeavors. One year, when Piscine was 16, the Patel family decided to leave India for Canada for a better life. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Pi’s ship sank; killing his family and leaving him alone on a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and an adult Bengal tiger. The ways of nature eventually left only our protagonist and the tiger – and against all odds, Pi survived for seven months and believed in God throughout all moments of hardship and doubt.
I believe that the idea of Pi’s utter devotion to God throughout his endeavors is important because it gave him the will to live, and helped him push through his hardships. In Life of Pi, it reads, “Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with desolation, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up. At times like these I would elevate myself and scream, GOD IS WITH ME...’So long as God is with me, I will not die,’ I discovered at that moment that I have a fierce will to live.” (Martel, Ch.74) This proves that Pi relied on his faith to keep him going, because he elevated himself by believing that God was watching over him. Whether or not God was truly with him didn’t matter – Pi believed it in his heart, and fought through everything because of it.
Even after our protagonist survived these horrific months at sea, he continued to live on as a devout Hindu, Christian, and Muslim throughout his life in Canada. According to the narrator, Pi still had Hindu shrines, Christian crosses and an Islam praying mat in his new home. Pi endured much pain, and believing in God helped him through it. This proves that his belief motivated him to live, and helped him deal with the memories and after effects of his endeavors because Pi kept on praying and praising God even after these things had happened to him.
In this book, Pi’s devotion and pure love of God changed my perspective on religion. I, myself, couldn’t tell you what I believe – but I now approach the idea in a completely different way. In my mind, religion isn’t so much the question of whether there is a life after death, but more of an in-heart belief and a motivation. Before I read this book, I didn’t understand how someone could give themselves to their religion without question – don’t they wonder “what if”? But now, I have a deeper and complex understanding that’s almost inexplicable. God or Allah or a messiah or whatever one trusts in isn’t necessarily a judge who determines good from bad. This greater existence, whether the subject agrees or knows it or believes it, isn’t just a miracle worker. God, in my mind, is a way to pull together in one’s community, in oneself, and in one’s heart.
In conclusion, Pi’s story brought out more complex and intellectual meaning than I had ever expected. Pi’s trust got him through his hunger, desolation, and encounters with a Bengal tiger. Yann Martel has succeeded in creating a character that is incredibly human. I believe that without Pi’s devotion, he wouldn’t have been able to make it through the months, mentally or physically. Although this story is wildly fictional, Pi’s character brings out more truth than any book I’ve read before. Life of Pi is more than a metaphorical book about a boy and a cat living on a boat, it’s a marvelous story with insight into the mind of a devoted person experiencing doubt yet staying strong. Humans are just that- human. We all depend on belief and hope, no matter what the outlet for it is. As Mahatma Ghandi said, “Each one prays to God according to his own light.”
