Life of Pi Yann Martel

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Life of Pi Essays

Living a lie: yann martel’s pi and his dissociation from reality sean patrick ewart.

Piscine Molitor Patel, the protagonist of Yann Martel’s acclaimed novel Life of Pi, survives a horrific 227-day ordeal trapped aboard a directionless lifeboat with only a 450-pound Bengal Tiger, named Richard Parker, for company. Pi’s account of...

A Matter of Perspective: The Invention of a Story in Martel’s Life of Pi Justin Caleb Walters College

In Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi, Piscine “Pi” Patel is forced to relay his life story to condescending Japanese skeptics who refuse to believe his tale; they refer to it as nothing more than a fictional invention. Pi somewhat agrees with the...

Religion as a Coping Mechanism in Life of Pi Damien Rajvin Stanley 12th Grade

In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi Patel too uses his faith in God as a vital coping mechanism to survive in the vast Pacific Ocean. His faith in God proves to be a crucial part in Pi’s survival as it guides him through his ordeal. Pi, a...

Hope and Understanding: Comparing Life of Pi and Bless Me, Ultima Kelsey Braford 10th Grade

In tough times, it seems that many people turn to their faith. In moments of weakness, when it seems that everything is lost, many people find that a certain hope remains in God. Others turn to God for a "why"; a reason that circumstances are the...

Religious Allegories in Life of Pi Patrick Cole McAndrew 10th Grade

Religious Allegories in Life of Pi

Religion is a subject that has always been prevalent in literature. The most popular book of all time, and the first ever printed, is the Bible, which is comprised of many stories of faith. In Life of Pi, Pi is...

The Issue of Mortality in the Life of Pi Jamie Sung College

In Life of Pi, Yann Martel juxtaposes issues of morality alongside the primitive necessity of survival. Pi’s life-threatening experiences while stranded on the Pacific Ocean threaten the integrity of his morals and beliefs. His pluralistic faith...

Life of Pi: Spiritual Survival under Physical Stress Anonymous 10th Grade

Throughout the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the protagonist, Pi Patel struggles with survival yet manages to maintain a level-headed outlook on his situation. He does not lose his belief in God, in whatever form He may take, although...

The Ambiguity of Sacrifice: Understanding Pi's Change of Character Dao Vu 12th Grade

Equivalent exchange, an absolute law in nature, dictates that one must give up something so that one may gain something that is equal in value. By this logic, sacrifice is, at its very core, a necessity in life; however, it is also a gray area...

Life of Pi: The Symbolism of the Color Orange Shrabonti Bhowmik 12th Grade

In Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, Piscine Molitor Patel, an Indian boy who is living in Pondicherry, is the main character of the story. From an early age, he is exposed to three different religions: Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Due to...

Performing Humans and Flesh Eating Boys: Deconstructing the Human/Non-Human Animal Divide in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi and Franz Kafka’s A Report to an Academy Anonymous College

The boundary between the human and the non-human animal is tested now more than ever with the prevailing field of Animal studies. Traditional theories in philosophical thinking from Aristotle to Descartes that regard the human and the non-human...

Semantics and Pragmatics: How the Writers of The Lost Continent and Life of Pi Portray the Theme of Exploration Georgiana Scott College

Throughout both novels, The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson and Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the protagonists are on a constant journey, throughout which they make many and continuing explorations. Their paths are lexically, semantically and...

Freudian Theory in Life of Pi Alyssa Wakefield 10th Grade

Many people are under the impression that humans have evolved past their origins, that they have risen above animalistic tendencies; however, mankind forever remains part of the animal kingdom, and such a truism is demonstrated within Yann Martel’...

what is life of pi about essay

Life of Pi: Key Characters, Plot, and Themes Essay

Introduction, key characters, plot summary, themes and personal opinion.

Life of Pi is a popular fantasy novel by Yann Martel, an author from Canada. It tells the story of Piscine, a boy who travels on a life raft with a tiger after surviving a shipwreck. After a series of hardships, the main character returns to civilization and manages to succeed in life. Martel raises several problems, ranging from the costs of survival to the details of religious self-expression.

The discussed novel is not short, but there are very few active characters that participate in the majority of critical events. Pi is a middle-aged Canadian of Indian descent, but he tells the story that happened when he was only sixteen (Palmer 2016). As a teenager, Pi believes in God, practices vegetarianism, and admires wildlife (Martel 2001). The author does not provide many details about Pi’s family. His father, Santosh, owns the Pondicherry Zoo and is skeptical about religion (Martel 2001). Gita, the main character’s mother, is a Hindu woman who implants the love of knowledge in Pi and supports him. Richard Parker also acts as a separate character – he is a three-year-old tiger named after a hunter by mistake. In this book, Richard serves as the symbol of physical power, beauty, and threat (Palmer 2016). Other characters, including Pi’s wife, brother, teacher, and children, are described in brief.

The book in question consists of three sections, each of which is devoted to the specific phase of the story. In the first part, the protagonist, known as Pi, reflects on his early life in Southern India and his relationships with parents and other family members (Martel 2001). In the first few chapters, some exciting details about Pi are revealed, including the origin of his full name, the experience of being bullied at school, and his father’s zoo and hotel businesses. Apart from these facts, Pi remembers the start of his spiritual journey when he wanted to practice three religions at the same time (Martel 2001). During the so-called Emergency period in India, Pi’s family decides to move to Canada to live in safety.

The next section is focused on Pi’s dangerous adventures during the trip to Canada. After a few days of overwater travel, “the Japanese cargo ship Tsimtsum” carrying the family and their animals runs into a gale and sinks (Martel 2001, 45). Serendipitously, Pi manages to survive and sails away with four animals on a life raft. The animals start killing each other, and Pi eventually finds himself left one on one with a “three-year-old adult Bengal tiger” named Richard Parker (Martel 2001, 47). He starts training the tiger with the help of food and tricks and becomes able to share the boat with Richard without obvious threats to life.

Different mental effects of lonely drifting with no hope of deliverance manifest themselves and make Pi approach the delirious state of mind. The tiger saves him from death a few times, and Pi wrongly assumes that they can communicate verbally. Pi and the tiger discover an island inhabited by suricates and other animals but return to the ocean due to dangerous plants. A few days after, they arrive at a Mexican beach, and the tiger runs away. In the final portion of the book, the narrator describes his communication with the Japanese authorities that investigate the case of Tsimtsum. He meets them in one of the hospitals in Mexico and tells his story, but the officials do not believe him. To avoid problems, he has to invent the second, a more realistic version of the tale by replacing animals with people.

The popularity of the novel is probably related to the number of essential ideas and issues that it raises. First of all, Life of Pi is about the need to change and the survival instinct and its manifestations in life-threatening conditions. In the first chapters, Pi is presented as a vegetarian and a person who never hurts animals. Still, as the story develops, he gradually becomes capable of hunting and eating anything to survive (Palmer 2016). Being alone with wild animals on the boat, Pi becomes an eyewitness of violence in nature when the hyena “plunges head and shoulders into the zebra’s guts” (Martel 2001, 58). This “ghastly, but natural, animal ferocity” urges Pi to challenge his ideals (Palmer 2016, 100). He has to choose between being guided by primal fear and death.

Another major theme is religion or, more specifically, Pi’s self-determination, understanding of God, and connections between religious movements. The reader is told that Pi has been raised as a Hindu but manages to understand the core ideas of the most practiced religions due to his clear-sightedness and love for God (Kuriakose 2018). Pi recognizes things that the adherents of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity have in common, thus demonstrating his “religious imagination” (Wagner 2016, 1). He believes the concept of God to be universal and describes Hindus as “hairless Christians,” Muslims as “bearded Hindus,” and Christians as “hat-wearing Muslims” (Martel 2001, 26).

In my opinion, the novel is unique since it makes totally different worlds coexist peacefully, and it does not refer only to religion. The author uses various writing techniques and proceeds from obviously fantastic scenes to naturalistic descriptions of what Pi observes during his long journey. To me, Life of Pi is among the books that can be understood in plenty of ways. It means that all people can learn more about themselves when going through a series of unexpected adversities with Pi and trying to imagine what they would do if they were him. From my perspective, Life of Pi encourages individuals to value life just like other shipwreck narratives do. It also teaches the readers that finding their inner strength in critical situations may require revising their views of life.

Personally, I am sure that the book also has a deep meaning when it comes to culture and religion. The author’s multicultural background enables him to make references to different traditions without raising conflicts (Kuriakose 2018). To some extent, the plot demonstrates that a person’s religious affiliation does not matter when his or her life hangs in the balance. From Pi’s inner dialogues, it becomes clear that religious rivalry stems from several artificial barriers between people. Conceivably, the book can make those believing in the superiority of their religion challenge their views, thus improving mutual understanding.

To sum it up, Martel’s novel raises many philosophical themes, including religious self-determination, God’s universality, and behavioral changes that people experience in the face of death. Being quite dynamic, the plot can be interpreted in a variety of ways and lead people to different conclusions. In my opinion, the book teaches the audience to build inner strength, value life, and avoid dividing people by religion.

Kuriakose, John. 2018. “Religious Pluralism in Yan Martel’s Life of Pi: A Case of Intertextual Correspondence with Swami Vivekananda’s Religious Philosophy.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies 9 (2): 138–145. Web.

Martel, Yann. 2001. Life of Pi . Toronto, Canada: Knopf Canada.

Palmer, Christopher. 2016. Castaway Tales: From Robinson Crusoe to Life of Pi. Middletown, NJ: Wesleyan University Press.

Wagner, Rachel. 2016. “Screening Belief: The Life of Pi, Computer Generated Imagery, and Religious Imagination.” Religions 7 (8): 1–22. Web.

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"Life of Pi: Key Characters, Plot, and Themes." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/life-of-pi-key-characters-plot-and-themes/.

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Life of Pi: Key Characters, Plot, and Themes." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life-of-pi-key-characters-plot-and-themes/.

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Essays on Life of Pi

Prompt examples for "life of pi" essays, the power of storytelling.

Discuss the role of storytelling in "Life of Pi." How does Pi's storytelling shape his survival and coping mechanisms, and what does it reveal about the human need for narrative and imagination in difficult circumstances?

Survival and Resilience

Analyze Pi's journey of survival and his resilience in the face of adversity. How does he adapt to life on the lifeboat, and what inner strengths and survival strategies does he employ?

Religion and Faith

Examine the theme of religion and faith in the novel. How does Pi's multi-faith background and spirituality play a role in his survival and outlook on life? Discuss the symbolism of the animals in Pi's story.

Reality vs. Fiction

Discuss the blurred lines between reality and fiction in the novel. How does the narrative structure challenge the reader's perception of truth? Explore the different interpretations of Pi's story and its impact on the characters and readers.

The Human-Animal Connection

Analyze Pi's relationship with Richard Parker and the broader theme of the human-animal connection. How do the interactions between Pi and the tiger symbolize the complexity of human nature and the animal instincts within us?

Isolation and Solitude

Explore the theme of isolation and solitude in the novel. How does Pi cope with the loneliness of being stranded at sea for an extended period? Discuss the psychological effects of isolation on the protagonist.

Hook Examples for "Life of Pi" Essays

Anecdotal hook.

Imagine being stranded in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, your only companions a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and your wits. This is the extraordinary journey of Pi Patel in "Life of Pi."

Question Hook

What does it mean to survive against all odds? How does faith shape our perception of reality? Yann Martel's novel "Life of Pi" poses profound questions about the human spirit and the power of storytelling.

Quotation Hook

"I have survived because I have remained sane through it all. I remain sane because I am a storyteller. A storyteller, in the beginning, is trying to be good. In the course of the trying, she'll become wise." These words from Yann Martel highlight the significance of storytelling and sanity in Pi's journey.

Survival and Resilience Hook

Explore the remarkable story of Pi Patel, a young boy who demonstrates incredible resilience and resourcefulness in the face of adversity. How does his will to survive shape the narrative of the novel?

Faith and Belief Hook

"Life of Pi" weaves a complex tapestry of faith, spirituality, and belief. Dive into the religious themes and philosophical questions raised by Pi's experiences on the lifeboat.

The Power of Storytelling Hook

As Pi tells his incredible tale, we're reminded of the transformative power of storytelling. Analyze how storytelling becomes a lifeline for Pi and a means of making sense of his ordeal.

Truth and Perception Hook

Is truth an absolute concept, or is it subject to individual perception? "Life of Pi" challenges us to consider how our beliefs and experiences shape our understanding of reality.

Richard Parker Character Analysis

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Self-perception in The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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Analysis of Life of Pi: Moral Lesson in The Novel

The theme of dissociation from reality in the life of pi, the character's development and controversial sacrifice in the life of pi, tiger as the best companion for pi in "life of pi", get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

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It is All About Perspective: How The Story is Invented in The Life of Pi

Allusions in the life of pi, reflection on the novel life of pi, coming of age in the "life of pi" by yann martel, physical and emotional survival in the life of pi, hope and understanding: comparing life of pi and bless me, ultima, life of pi: the contrast between words and visuals, comparative study of the films "life of pi" and "the great gatsby".

11 September 2001, Yann Martel

Philosophical fiction

Life of Pi tells the magical story of a young Indian, who finds himself shipwrecked and lost at sea in a large lifeboat. His companions are four wild animals: an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and, most notably, Richard Parker, a tiger. Soon there remains only Pi and the tiger, and Pi’s only purpose in the next 227 days is to survive the shipwreck and the hungry tiger, supported by his own curious brand of religion, an eclectic mixture of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

Within the story are themes of spirituality and religion, self-perception, the definition of family, and the nature of animals. Life of Pi is a rich and dynamic text full of discussion of morality, faith, and the ambivalence of what constitutes truth.

Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel (narrator and protagonist), Richard Parker (Bengal tiger)

The novel has sold more than ten million copies worldwide. It was rejected by at least five London publishing houses before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year. It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee. Martel’s novel was adapted as a 2012 film directed by Ang Lee.

“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.” “To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.” “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.”

1. Duncan, R. (2008). " Life of Pi" as Postmodern Survivor Narrative. Mosaic: A journal for the interdisciplinary study of literature, 167-183. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/44029501) 2. Karam Ally, H. (2020). ‘Which Story do you Prefer?’: The Limits of the Symbolic in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Literature and Theology, 34(1), 83-100. (https://academic.oup.com/litthe/article/34/1/83/5717397) 3. Stephens, G. (2010). Feeding tiger, finding God: science, religion, and" the better story" in Life of Pi. Intertexts, 14(1), 41-59. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/76/article/400842/summary) 4. Martel, Y. (2002). Life of Pi. 2001. Vintage Canada. (https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/scl/2004-v29-n2-scl29_2/scl29_2art01/) 5. Allen, T. E. (2014). Life of Pi and the moral wound. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 62(6), 965-982. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0003065114559834) 6. Mensch, J. (2007). The intertwining of incommensurables: Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Phenomenology and the non-human animal: At the limits of experience, 135-147. (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-6307-7_10) 7. Browning, H., & Veit, W. (2020). Confined freedom and free confinement: The ethics of captivity in Life of Pi. (https://philarchive.org/archive/BROCFA-9) 8. Ashdown, B. K. (2013). ‘Faith is a house with many rooms’: Religion and spirituality in Life of Pi. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brien-Ashdown/publication/256536875_Faith_Is_a_House_With_Many_Rooms_Religion_and_Spirituality_in_Life_of_Pi/links/00b7d52338f55637c9000000/Faith-Is-a-House-With-Many-Rooms-Religion-and-Spirituality-in-Life-of-Pi.pdf PsycCRITIQUES, 58(22).

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what is life of pi about essay

Life of Pi Themes

Themes are overarching ideas and beliefs that the writers express in their texts, including poetry, fiction , and plays.  Themes make the story appealing and persuasive and help readers to understand the hidden messages in a story or poem . The themes in Life of Pi by Yann Martel are both controversial and mystical. Some of the major themes of Life of Pi have been discussed below.

Themes in Life of Pi

Religious Harmony

Religion or religious harmony is one of the major themes of the Life of Pi. Pi talks about multiple religions and disproves the idea of one religion’s superiority over the other. For example, while discussing religion with his parents he asks them for a prayer rug and wishes to be baptized at the same time. He doesn’t want to choose one religion to connect with God and looking down upon the followers of other religions. When he gets to know that his teacher, Mr. Kumar, is an atheist he listens to his point of view and considers it’s just another branch of faith. He views God as an epitome of love, having love and respect for all of his creatures.

Importance of Journey

Pi narrates his life-changing journey and all the experiences with the readers. During his journey, he learns many lessons such as the importance of companionship, faith in God and power of nature. He views the ups and downs of tidal waves, horrifying thunderstorms, hunger pangs, familial losses and attacks of the predators. Besides learning how to recover from grief and sorrow, he also puts unshakable faith in God’s plan for a man. He goes through a near-death experience and even drinks salty water for his survival. During these trials and tribulations, he learns the art of storytelling through this journey and defies the old logic about science and atheism.

Faith in God

Faith in God runs parallel to other themes. Throughout the novel , Pi talks about God as his sole savior and someone Who grants him salvation from worldly problems and miseries. When he loses his family amidst the sea storm, he keeps his faith alive. He thinks that “At moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thoughts, to entertain thoughts that span the universe, that capture both thunder and tinkle, thick and thin, the near and the far.” In his view, faith is the key to everything that occurs in the world. Therefore, a person should trust in God in every situation.

Wildlife and Nature

The novel shows the wildlife’s best and worst sides. There are various animals as ferocious lions and hyenas, including meek guinea pigs. The characters also experience natural calamity when the sea at its worst. Pi learns that life matters for both humans and animals. The writer tries to convey those wild beasts are not always ferocious. Richard Parker is as much afraid of Pi as Pi is afraid of Richard Parker. The animals add peace and beauty to this world and demand the same level of love and understanding from humans. That is why Richard Parker becomes calm when he sees no harm coming to him from Pi.

Survival Instinct

Pi’s father teaches the value of survival instinct for a man as well as for animals. When Richard Parker, the tiger, becomes a predator, he has to kill other animals as his prey for the sole purpose of survival. Pi has to share the journey with Richard Parker for survival and not for dying without a companion. It is also the survival instinct of Pi that forces him to drink salty water. He has to catch sharks to break his habit of being a vegetarian in order to satisfy his and Parker’s hunger. During his near-death experience, he comes to know how survival is instinctual and competes with other animals.

Diverse Culture

The diversity of culture is another significant theme of the story. The reader gets to know the Indian as well as Canadian cultural values. Pi’s full name, Piscine Molitor Patel, inspired by two different cultures. However, his last name comes from his Indian family name Patel. The mention of vast and spacious zoos in India and then the portrayal of the first world in Canada both draws upon the theme of cultural diversity present in the novel.

Storytelling

Storytelling is another significant theme occurring in the novel because it is through this art that Pi narrates the account of his life. He recollects his life he spent on land as well as in the ocean. He also explains the different cultural experiences he has had in India as well as in Canada. He draws attention toward the sentiments of religion, faith and regard for all species through this art of storytelling.

Subjective Experiences against Logic

Subjective experience without logic runs parallel to the major themes. When Mr. Kumar, Pi’s teacher, expresses his atheist beliefs, he bases them on scientific and logical reasoning. He says that there is no evidence of God and that everything that happens in the world is due to scientific principles. He also views religion as superstition because when he suffers from polio, he argues, he cried for help to God, but his ailment is still the same. Similarly, when Pi is rescued on the Mexican shores, the officials fail to believe his survival story because they believe only in logic.

The importance of the virtue of tolerance can be seen in various places. Firstly, when Pi’s biology teacher Mr. Kumar, supports atheist beliefs Pi accepts it as another faith. Secondly, he patiently suffers the hardships of the voyage, thinks about his family and spends time in hope of reunion with his family. During this time, he stays with the animals, trains Richard Parker, the tiger, with a whistle and politely tells his story to the officials. Lastly, throughout his religious training, he remains steadfast and trusts the process of living, staying tolerant.

Philosophy of Life

The novel also revolves around the theme of the philosophy of life since Pi experiences life through faith, miseries, and happiness. He learns that to live a life a person should be patient and faithful. He gets to know about life and its meaning through an adventurous voyage, keeping the curiosity alive and trusting in God.

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1. Pi describes freedom within the confines of the zoo, religion, and lack of chaos.

  • How does Pi define freedom? ( topic sentence )
  • Explain how Pi defines freedom in relation to the zoo and in relation to religion. Then explain how Pi justifies his assertion when animals choose to escape the confines of the zoo—and presumably, when people escape the confines of religion.
  • In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you agree with Pi’s definition of what it means to be free.

2. Ritual is an important aspect of Pi’s life as it manifests itself in multiple ways throughout his narrative.

  • How does ritual pervade the narrative of Life of Pi ? ( topic sentence )

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what is life of pi about essay

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Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery. Inspired by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties. It is also a moving spiritual achievement, a movie whose title could have been shortened to "life."

The story involves the 227 days that its teenage hero spends drifting across the Pacific in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. They find themselves in the same boat after an amusing and colorful prologue, which in itself could have been enlarged into an exciting family film. Then it expands into a parable of survival, acceptance and adaptation. I imagine even Yann Martel , the novel's French-Canadian author, must be delighted to see how the usual kind of Hollywood manhandling has been sidestepped by Lee's poetic idealism.

The story begins in a small family zoo in Pondichery, India, where the boy christened Piscine is raised. Piscine translates from French to English as "swimming pool," but in an India where many more speak English than French, his playmates of course nickname him "pee." Determined to put an end to this, he adopts the name " Pi ," demonstrating an uncanny ability to write down that mathematical constant that begins with 3.14 and never ends. If Pi is a limitless number, that is the perfect name for a boy who seems to accept no limitations.

The zoo goes broke, and Pi's father puts his family and a few valuable animals on a ship bound for Canada. In a bruising series of falls, a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and the lion tumble into the boat with the boy, and are swept away by high seas. His family is never seen again, and the last we see of the ship is its lights disappearing into the deep — a haunting shot that reminds me of the sinking train in Bill Forsyth's " Housekeeping " (1987).

This is a hazardous situation for the boy ( Suraj Sharma ), because the film steadfastly refuses to sentimentalize the tiger (fancifully named "Richard Parker"). A crucial early scene at the zoo shows that wild animals are indeed wild and indeed animals, and it serves as a caution for children in the audience, who must not make the mistake of thinking this is a Disney tiger.

The heart of the film focuses on the sea journey, during which the human demonstrates that he can think with great ingenuity and the tiger shows that it can learn. I won't spoil for you how those things happen. The possibilities are surprising.

What astonishes me is how much I love the use of 3-D in "Life of Pi." I've never seen the medium better employed, not even in " Avatar ," and although I continue to have doubts about it in general, Lee never uses it for surprises or sensations, but only to deepen the film's sense of places and events.

Let me try to describe one point of view. The camera is placed in the sea, looking up at the lifeboat and beyond it. The surface of the sea is like the enchanted membrane upon which it floats. There is nothing in particular to define it; it is just … there. This is not a shot of a boat floating in the ocean. It is a shot of ocean, boat and sky as one glorious place.

Still trying not to spoil: Pi and the tiger Richard Parker share the same possible places in and near the boat. Although this point is not specifically made, Pi's ability to expand the use of space in the boat and nearby helps reinforce the tiger's respect for him. The tiger is accustomed to believing it can rule all space near him, and the human requires the animal to rethink that assumption.

Most of the footage of the tiger is of course CGI, although I learn that four real tigers are seen in some shots. The young actor Suraj Sharma contributes a remarkable performance, shot largely in sequence as his skin color deepens, his weight falls and deepness and wisdom grow in his eyes.

The writer W.G. Sebold once wrote, "Men and animals regard each other across a gulf of mutual incomprehension." This is the case here, but during the course of 227 days, they come to a form of recognition. The tiger, in particular, becomes aware that he sees the boy not merely as victim or prey, or even as master, but as another being.

The movie quietly combines various religious traditions to enfold its story in the wonder of life. How remarkable that these two mammals, and the fish beneath them and birds above them, are all here. And when they come to a floating island populated by countless meerkats, what an incredible sequence Lee creates there.

The island raises another question: Is it real? Is this whole story real? I refuse to ask that question. "Life of Pi" is all real, second by second and minute by minute, and what it finally amounts to is left for every viewer to decide. I have decided it is one of the best films of the year.

Read and make comments here .

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

Life of Pi movie poster

Life of Pi (2012)

Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril

127 minutes

Tabu as Gita

Suraj Sharma as Pi

Rafe Spall as Writer

Gerard Depardieu as Cook

Based on the novel by

  • Yann Martel

Directed by

  • David Magee

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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Books / Life of Pi

Allegory in Life of Pi

Essay details

Allegory in Literature , Life of Pi

  • Words: 1521 (3 pages)

Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student.

Works cited

  • Martel, Y. (2001). Life of Pi. Canongate Books.
  • Marriam, S. (2013). Survival and Disillusionment in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. International Journal of English and Literature, 4(4), 155-162.
  • Beiraghi, N. (2015). Postmodernist Features in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(5), 992-998.
  • Adhikary, P. (2017). The Power of Storytelling and Survival: A Reading of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Labyrinth: An International Refereed Journal of Postmodern Studies, 8(1), 119-131.
  • Taylor, J. A. (2017). Truth, Fiction, and Adventure in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. The Explicator, 75(1), 52-55.
  • Kouti, K. (2018). Life of Pi: Analysis of Narration and Metaphors. Language and Literature, 7(3), 73-78.
  • Singh, S. (2018). ‘The Life of Pi’ as a Postcolonial Text. Research Journal of English Language and Literature, 6(4), 527-529.
  • Hsu, Y. (2019). Multiple Religious Beliefs and Adaptation in Life of Pi. Religion & Literature, 51(1), 185-191.
  • Stolle, A. (2020). Humans and Animals in Yann Martel's Life of Pi. The Explicator, 78(3-4), 108-113.
  • Arivazhagan, V., & Sudha, T. (2021). Life of Pi: A Study on Isolation, Self-discovery, and Survival. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 10(2), 41-48.

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What Is Pi Day? Here's Why We Celebrate by Baking Pie

Read on for a slice of Pi Day history! 🥧

preview for German Chocolate Pie

If you can relate, don't worry because we have all the answers about Pi Day right here, and unlike many other mathematical concepts, it's easy as pie to understand! In short, Pi is one of the most important numbers to ever exist, and you've probably seen it rounded down to its commonly used approximation, 3.14. But those three digits are just a small piece of the pie, and there's so much more about the number that makes it worthy of having its own special day! So before you order that new pie pan , read on to find out more about Pi Day, including a brief history of the March holiday , when it is in 2024, and how to celebrate it. Here's a hint: you can bake a pie recipe or even make a pizza pie !

What is Pi?

Going back to the holiday's roots, the mathematical symbol Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The value of Pi is approximately 3.14, but it has infinite decimal places and expands to 3.14159265 (and beyond)!

Pi is often used to answer questions about circular or spherical things, like a cookie, pie, or planets in the sky—which is why it's commonly used in space exploration ! Although we now easily recognize the Greek letter π (Pi), it wasn't associated with the mathematical concept until 1706, when philologist William Jones began using the symbol.

What is Pi Day?

pi day history date

Now that you have a better understanding of what Pi is, it's time to learn what Pi Day is! The first unofficial Pi Day was initiated in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium, who wanted to celebrate the famous number on its corresponding day. From that day until his passing in 2017, Larry led annual Pi Day celebrations at the museum, complete with fruit pies and tea! While Pi Day was only officially instated as a national holiday in 2009, the mathematical symbol, Pi, has been around for 4,000 years.

When is Pi Day in 2024?

If you couldn't already tell by the number this mathematical symbol represents, Pi Day is on Thursday, March 14, 2024 . That's because the date is written as 3/14 (at least in the United States). If you want to get even more technical about it, the exact time to celebrate Pi Day would be 1:59 a.m. or p.m., as the first six digits of Pi are 3.14159. Coincidentally, March 14 is also the date of mathematician Albert Einstein's birthday!

How do you celebrate Pi Day?

Once Larry Shaw initiated the first Pi Day celebration in 1988, the quirky celebration of math and baked goods began to spread throughout America, especially in the science, math, and teaching communities. March 14 became the perfect day for math teachers to capture students' attention with promises of pie so they could teach them about Pi! So, if you're a student or work in space exploration, your Pi Day probably consists of solving math equations with Pi while eating a slice of pie.

Even if you're not in a math-adjacent field, people of all backgrounds celebrate this light-hearted holiday by making or eating pie, including those of the sweet, savory , and pizza varieties. Due to the popularity of the holiday, many businesses now offer Pi Day deals, such as whole pizzas or pies, for only $3.14!

Nitya Rao is the editorial assistant at The Pioneer Woman, covering stories ranging from food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, news, and more.

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The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of Christian life. What does that really mean?

what is life of pi about essay

This essay is a  Cover Story  selection, a weekly feature highlighting the top picks from the editors of America Media.

The call for Eucharistic revival we have heard in the church is particularly important to priests. Why? Because we are responsible for presiding and offering the Mass, which priests do in persona Christi . This configuration to Christ as head and shepherd of the church that takes place at our ordination as priests comes to its full expression gradually through our devoted pastoral ministry and care for God’s people. This expression is centered upon Christ present in the sacrifice and offering of the Eucharist that then is extended through the other sacraments and apostolic works that we celebrate and administer to the faithful.

The development and fruition of this configuration is entirely owed to grace. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that “the Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ All sacraments, ministries, and works of the apostolate are bound up and oriented to the Eucharist” (No. 1324).

I would offer, however, that we currently might be placing a disproportionate emphasis upon the Eucharist as the summit of Christian life through our intense focus on the form of liturgical celebration and its accompanying emotional consolation—one strictly identified with interior healing—while overlooking or even ignoring the Eucharist offered and received in its sacrificial character as the source of Christian life.

In praying the Mass, we are reminded that Christ is not the instrument of evangelization: We are his instruments. Similarly, we are not the primary agents of evangelization: Christ is.

This disproportionate emphasis soon leads us to value the Mass only as the object of our desires and priorities, to the point that its celebration becomes something functional that we do for ourselves, to which we invite God. When we approach Mass this way, we begin to subordinate the Eucharist into an instrument for evangelization, instead of the other way around. We confuse ends and means, cause and effect; the Eucharist soon becomes reduced to spectacle, whether at Mass or in procession and adoration.

The contemporary challenge of evangelization for the church should be at the heart of our pastoral ministry and mission as priests, configured to Christ as head and shepherd of the church, entrusted by him to offer the sacred mysteries and preach his Gospel. In praying the Mass, we are reminded that Christ is not the instrument of evangelization: We are his instruments. Similarly, we are not the primary agents of evangelization: Christ is.

When we priests offer the elements of bread and wine, unworthy as we are to do so, we also place our entire selves upon the altar as an oblation. To place our entire selves upon the altar means that we surrender to the might and love of God the three powers of our soul: memory, understanding and will. Do we remember what Christ has done for us in forgiving us, healing us and teaching us? Do we remember what he has done for us in calling us to follow him as priests? Do we understand the mystery of our vocation: that he must increase and that we must decrease? Are we willing to be conformed to his real example in every aspect of our human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation, so that people might encounter Christ the Good Shepherd when they encounter us?

At Mass, the priest enters the mystery of the incarnate Word through his preaching and presiding by giving his human voice and hands to the divine work of the eternal sacrifice of the Mass for the sanctification and salvation of the people of God. The sacrifice of Christ that we offer as priests is not a type of conditional giving. It requires on our part the entire (albeit imperfect) offering of ourselves in persona Christi to be presented and sacrificed to God. While we offer bread and wine, we also offer ourselves in persona Christi as one with the offering.

“This is my body; this is my blood.” If we hold back, if we compromise, if we choose to withhold our powers and capacities and keep them to ourselves in a refusal to be converted, then what we do not offer to God does not remain our own but is stolen and corrupted by the evil one. Similarly, when we make worship a personal project—which is the temptation when we disproportionately emphasize the Eucharist as the summit of the Christian life while ignoring the Eucharist as the source of Christian life—we forget the necessary truth that worship is the human and divine response to an exclusively divine initiative.

Worship cannot start with us, because we cannot give God what he deserves without the aid of God’s grace. We need a mediator, who is Jesus Christ the priest, who is at once fully human and divine. God initiates worship. It is this sacred mediation that Christ shares with his priests, which, if it is truly to benefit the priest, requires ongoing conversion by the priest to imitate the mysteries that he celebrates.

For the Eucharistic revival to be effective in the life of the church in the United States, it cannot simply be a large event and a spectacle.

Our choice is stark and clear. It is a choice between conversion to Christ or inversion of Christ. Inversion of Christ brands Christ as a mascot for our own agenda instead of offering our entire selves to him for his purposes and priorities at the altar of sacrifice. If we invert Christ, the Eucharist soon becomes mistreated as a spectacle instead of being embraced as a mystery to be received that requires our full and active response and participation.

As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in “Deus Caritas Est”:

We have come to believe in God’s love : in these words, the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction [No. 1].

Perhaps we would be more effective at evangelization if instead of inviting a non-Catholic or an inactive Catholic friend to Mass, we would instead invite these friends into our lives. From that invitation, flowing from the perfect sacrifice of Christ offered and received at Mass, people might be introduced to the Mass, not as something to be observed, analyzed and criticized but rather as that which is to be encountered as the living fount of true Christian life and virtue.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus instructed his disciples to listen to the scribes and Pharisees but not to do as they do. Why not? Because “they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen” (Mt 23:3-4).

For us as priests and bishops to be spared the same admonition that Jesus gives to his disciples about the scribes and Pharisees, we must speak, act and love as Jesus does, as he shares with us his seat upon the throne of humble greatness, the cross. As the church in the United States answers the call to Eucharistic revival, priests and bishops cannot overlook the necessity for sacramental confession in their own lives. Their own conversion will be impeded if they are not the first penitents to become compassionate and generous confessors.

For the Eucharistic revival to be effective in the life of the church in the United States, it cannot simply be a large event and a spectacle. The revival must be an occasion for conversion, initiated and sustained by God’s grace. This requires that we recognize the Eucharist as both the source and summit of our lives. We run the risk of underestimating the heights of the summit of Christian life if we underestimate the depths of Christian life; we also need to keep in our thoughts the pierced side of Christ, from which water and blood flowed forth on the cross at Calvary.

One of the forms of dismissal from Mass in the current translation of the Roman Missal requires the deacon or priest to direct the gathered assembly to “go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your lives.” It is this glory—made manifest through ministry, witness and discipleship in the daily lives of faithful Catholics—that serves as a chief conduit for evangelization. These are the most ordinary means by which people are introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose gift of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as Christians.

what is life of pi about essay

The Most Reverend Michael F. Olson is the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Tex.

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Francis Adirubasamy first presents Pi ’s tale to the fictional author as “a story to make you believe in God,” immediately introducing religion as a crucial theme. Pi is raised in a secular, culturally Hindu family, but as a boy he becomes more devoutly Hindu and then also converts to Christianity and Islam. He practices all of these religions at once despite the protests of his three religious leaders, who each assert that their religion contains the whole and exclusive truth. Instead of dwelling on divisive dogma, Pi focuses on the stories of his different faiths and their different pathways to God, and he reads a story of universal love in all three religions. In fact, it seems that faith and belief is more important to Pi than religious truth, as he also admires atheists for taking a stand in believing that the universe is a certain way. It is only agnostics that Pi dislikes, as they choose doubt as a way of life and never choose a “better story.”

When he is stranded at sea, Pi’s faith is tested by his extreme struggles, but he also experiences the sublime in the grandiosity of his surroundings. All external obstacles are stripped away, leaving only an endless circle of sea and sky, and one day he rejoices over a powerful lightning storm as a “miracle.” After his rescue Pi returns to the concept of faith again. He tells his interviewers two versions of his survival story (one with animals and one without) and then asks which one they prefer. The officials disbelieve the animal story, but they agree that it is the more compelling and memorable of the two. Pi responds with “so it goes with God,” basically saying that he chooses to have religious faith because he finds a religious worldview more beautiful. The “facts” are unknowable concerning God’s existence, so Pi chooses the story he likes better, which is the one involving God.

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Religion and Faith Quotes in Life of Pi

He took in my line of work with a widening of the eyes and a nodding of the head. It was time to go. I had my hand up, trying to catch my waiter’s eye to get the bill. Then the elderly man said, “I have a story that will make you believe in God.”

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Sometimes I got my majors mixed up. A number of my fellow religious-studies students – muddled agnostics who didn’t know which way was up, who were in the thrall of reason, that fool’s gold for the bright – reminded me of the three-toed sloth; and the three-toed sloth, such a beautiful example of the miracle of life, reminded me of God.

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In the literature can be found legions of examples of animals that could escape but did not, or did and returned… But I don’t insist. I don’t mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. The Pondicherry Zoo doesn’t exist any more. Its pits are filled in, the cages torn down. I explore it now in the only place left for it, my memory.

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It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them – and then they leap. I’ll be honest about. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane… But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

I can well imagine an atheist’s last words… and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, “Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,” and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.

The pandit spoke first. “Mr. Patel, Piscine’s piety is admirable. In these troubled times it’s good to see a boy so keen on God. We all agree on that.” The imam and the priest nodded. “But he can’t be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It’s impossible. He must choose…” “Hmmm, Piscine?” Mother nudged me. “How do you feel about the question?” “Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God,” I blurted out, and looked down, red in the face.

I didn’t have pity to spare for long for the zebra. When your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival. It was sad that it was suffering so much… but there was nothing I could do about it. I felt pity and then I moved on. This is not something I am proud of. I am sorry I was so callous about the matter. I have not forgotten that poor zebra and what it went through. Not a prayer goes by that I don’t think of it.

I was giving up. I would have given up – if a voice hadn’t made itself heard in my heart. The voice said, “I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen.”

Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed. A school of fish appeared around the net or a knot cried out to be reknotted. Or I thought of my family, of how they were spared this terrible agony. The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving.

Life on a 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 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 you feel you’re the luckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish.

I was dazed, thunderstruck – nearly in the true sense of the word. But not afraid. “Praise be to Allah, Lord of All Worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgment Day!” I muttered. To Richard Parker I shouted, “Stop your trembling! This is miracle. This is an outbreak of divinity. This is… this is…” I could not find what it was, this thing so vast and fantastic… I remember that close encounter with electrocution and third-degree burns as one of the few times during my ordeal when I felt genuine happiness.

By the time morning came, my grim decision was taken. I preferred to set off and perish in search of my own kind than to live a lonely half-life of physical comfort and spiritual death on this murderous island.

High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate your thoughts. The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. It was natural that, bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God.

“If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for? Isn’t love hard to believe?... Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” “We’re just being reasonable.” “So am I! I applied my reason at every moment… Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.”

“So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?” Mr. Okamoto: “That’s an interesting question…” Mr. Chiba: “The story with animals.” Mr. Okamoto: “Yes. The story with animals is the better story.” Pi Patel: “Thank you. And so it goes with God.”

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The death of my neighbor forced me to reflect on my own grief and that was a parting gift

In the same way we cannot regrow limbs, naturally replace a failing heart, or erase physical scars, the grave loss that comes with deep love cannot truly heal. It is love’s reminder, not a curse.

When I walked through the door, I recognized the wailing scream immediately. The sound of souls being ripped from each other has haunted me for years. I’d hoped I would never hear it again.

A lump formed in my throat as I quietly dropped off the bags, walked out the door, and headed home. Losing Michelle Schrodt helped me understand one of life’s most critical lessons about love and loss that I missed for far too long.

The Schrodts are family. A few years ago, Martin, Michelle, and Bree built a house next to us. Their initial interest in my family was likely due to several boys in their underwear activating the Schrodt’s driveway security cameras. Smith family chaos notwithstanding, their lives have become intertwined with ours. We grow a vegetable garden together, we’re regularly in each other’s homes, and our wonderful cul-de-sac often gathers for cocktails and conversation.

The Schrodts embodied the essence of neighborliness

Our relationships are based on more than our frequent interactions. My family is a therapeutic foster family . I cannot count the times the Schrodts have taken in our other sons as my wife and I helped young men in our care work through the darkness that threatens to claim them.

In a nice suburban neighborhood, many homeowners wouldn’t take kindly to outbursts that attract police attention. They might not want their children interacting with young men society has already written off.

“Whatever you need.”

That’s what Martin told me as my family was at a breaking point. At the time, he didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear that. Michelle showed a kindness that my sons, at times given to savagery, struggled to comprehend. With boys who are learning to be patient and gentle, Michelle was both.

Even Bree, who I am convinced continues to view our family as an insane sociology experiment, engages our boys in a tremendously humanizing manner.

Another column by Cameron Smith: Finding 'drive-thru redemption' at a burger joint with the man behind the counter

Final moments of life were heartbreaking

At the end of 2023, Martin let me know his wife Michelle didn’t have much time left after a surprising cancer diagnosis. It all happened so fast. Within a matter of weeks, she went from bright and bubbly to a bedridden shell of the woman I knew. Even then, she was gracious and warm as my family visited with her and chatted about life outside the confines of her bedroom.

At school in Vermont, Bree needed to return and say her goodbyes. I understood Martin’s reluctance to call her home. Bree lost her biological mother to cancer a few years ago, and Michelle occupies a special place in her heart as a second mother. I can’t imagine such grief for a young woman in such a short period of time.

Martin asked me to pick Bree up at the Nashville airport. I have never driven the route home to Nolensville as fast as I did that night. I wanted Bree to speak with Michelle before she passed. As I pulled into the drive, I told Bree to run inside, and I’d bring in her bags.

When I heard the howling cries from Bree and Martin as their family huddled together for one of the last times, I knew what it meant. It wasn’t mere sadness. Souls knit together with love and time were suddenly being ripped apart. The pain is no less severe than being torn limb from limb. For the first time in decades, I remembered those cries coming from my own family as we mourned the loss of my brother.

As I retreated from the Schrodt’s house, I wept bitterly in my car. For months since Michelle’s passing, I haven’t been able to write or speak about the profundity of that moment.

You are never the same after you lose someone you love

I was Bree’s age when my brother, Tyler, took his own life. While I’ve publicly articulated the impact of his suicide on my family, Michelle’s death helped me understand why the wound of loss has never healed.

For years, I have wondered what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I move on? Some nights, my mind wanders to the life Tyler could have had. I so desperately want him to meet his nephews. Awake in bed, I want to simultaneously knock out his teeth and hug him one last time. The loss remains a fresh emotional wrecking ball decades after Tyler’s death.

For most of my adult life, I’ve considered love to be one of life’s greatest cruelties because the magnitude of love is mirrored by the devastation of its loss. I have held many of my relationships at arm’s length because I never wanted to feel that way again.

Watching and hearing others experience the same helped me understand my error.

When our lives truly intertwine and connect, we are never the same. Some of us are privileged enough to find people who shape our very existence. Whether it’s a spouse, parent, sibling, mentor, or simply a friend closer than a brother, genuine connection, support, and sacrifice is love of the highest order.

We, quite literally, are never the same again.

Michelle's passing left me an understanding of my own pain

There is no life where we will not age, break down, and eventually shuffle off our mortal coils. When people gather to say words over our remains, have we loved them in such a manner that they weep because we have been pulled away from them on this side of eternity?

In truth, that may be the only metric of a life well lived.

Tyler’s life was like that. Michelle’s was too. Her parting kindness to me was a peaceful understanding of the pain I still carry. It is a powerful testament to the honor of sharing my life with so many who have loved me and my family so well.

USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney who worked for conservative Republicans. He and his wife Justine are raising three boys in Nolensville, Tennessee. Direct outrage or agreement to  [email protected]  or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly known as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to  [email protected] .

what is life of pi about essay

Media Center 3/8/2024 1:00:00 PM Corbin McGuire

Rhodes Scholar Isabella Sullivan credits student-athlete experience at Army West Point for life-changing opportunities

Second-highest-ranking cadet reflects on development of leadership, resilience.

Before Isabella Sullivan could imagine penning an essay on how she wanted to change the world, she had to transform herself and learn what she was capable of. 

Her experience as a volleyball student-athlete at Army West Point was the perfect conduit to this development and realization, leading to incredible experiences and honors. Most notably, Sullivan was selected as one of 32 American Rhodes Scholars in the 2024 class. Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford. 

As part of the rigorous selection process, applicants must write a 750-word personal statement on their life story and how they want to impact the world through the program. Sullivan's statement focused on her passion to converge two fields of study — early childhood education and public policy — to help de-escalate the rise in polarization around diversity issues. 

"I think education is a huge asset," Sullivan said. "It's so hard to try to make this intervention later in life. It's really lofty, but Rhodes is supposed to be lofty. I'm really hopeful to be able to contribute in some way to this de-escalation of this polarized conflict that we see in so many global communities today."

Sullivan contributed in similar ways to the Army West Point community, with a focus on holistic development of her fellow cadets and teammates. She developed a cultural competency training program that was ultimately adopted into Cadet Basic Training for the class of 2025. As a two-year volleyball captain, Sullivan also facilitated team character education sessions and led the development of the team values: grace, grit and growth.

None of those contributions, Sullivan emphasized, compare with what Army West Point provided her, especially as a student-athlete. 

"Being a student-athlete at West Point has had a heavy hand on fostering me into the person I am today, the leader I want to be and the values I hold," said Sullivan, whose father was an Army West Point graduate and whose mother also served in the Army. "Playing a Division I sport here at West Point, being a part of the athletics program is so cool because so much of what you learn as an athlete … really translates over into being in the Army, like the value of being on a team, how to take care of your teammates, how attentive you are, this pursuit of excellence, the resilience required." 

Sullivan credits her volleyball team's support for the honors and accomplishments she's achieved at Army West Point.

Sullivan's examples of learned resilience at Army West Point are endless. One that stands out, however, is cadet leadership development training, which serves as a capstone exercise for cadets and can include field missions that last more than a week. 

"It's very physically demanding," she said. "Obviously as a college athlete, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, but that was the most I pushed myself physically, and that was a huge moment of physical resilience."

On the volleyball side, Sullivan said she developed resilience through her role as a captain. She was appointed a team captain the spring of her sophomore year, which was her first real leadership opportunity at Army West Point. The experience presented a unique challenge in that Sullivan saw little playing time. Sullivan said navigating the process taught her a lot about the holistic nature of leadership. 

"I was trying to step into this new leadership role, and I was very young and thinking, 'How do I gain people's respect? What does my authority come from, if it's not coming from this very traditional sense of playing time?'" Sullivan recalled thinking. "Having to lead through a difficult position like that, gaining my teammates' respect, their trust when I was never really leading on the court … that was really difficult at first, but it honestly ended up being so cool and rewarding." 

Sullivan credited her volleyball coach, Alma Kovaci Lee, for helping her gain a more mature perspective as a leader and a student-athlete. Sullivan specifically recalled a period during her sophomore year when she struggled with her playing time, and Lee helped her view her contributions through a wider lens. 

"The way she just helped me reframe what it means to be a successful athlete was so pivotal for me," Sullivan said. "I learned a lot about how to find value in myself outside of the amount of minutes that I played, and all the ways that someone can contribute to a team. Obviously, everybody wants to contribute to the team in a game. But you're just as important if you contribute to the team in practice, if you're a leader from the sidelines, if you lead by example and not just through words. There's just so many different ways that you can impact a program, and I think she really helped me see that so early on.

"Because I got that advice from her and that one-on-one mentorship, it really helped me separate who I was as an athlete and who I am as a student, as a partner, as a daughter … to be the best performer I can be in all those different areas." 

This mentality paid off in the form of several opportunities. 

In the summer of 2023, Sullivan served as the regimental commander for Cadet Basic Training, overseeing cadet cadre and the training and development of 1,250 new cadets as they entered Army West Point. She also provided leadership through a historic flood that devastated West Point, ensuring the safety of all personnel under her command. Currently, she serves as the deputy brigade commander, the second-highest-ranking cadet in the corps .

Again, Sullivan credited these leadership opportunities to what she learned as a volleyball captain. 

"It was a huge learning curve, but it just taught me so much. And I think it set me up so well to be able to accept the leadership positions that I had later on in the Corps of Cadets," she said. "It's just really cool to see that what I was learning and practicing as a team captain who was in charge of 20 women in this very athletics-dominated space translated when I was in charge of 1,250 new cadets in cadet cadre over basic training this past summer." 

As she approaches the end of her time as a cadet, Sullivan said it's hard to believe some of the accomplishments and experiences she's enjoyed She remembers early on admiring cadets like Tyrese Bender, a Rhodes Scholar and former track and field athlete, and Simone Askew, the first African American female to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar from Army West Point. Sullivan never thought something like that was possible for her, though. She's learned that self-limitations at Army West Point can be quickly erased. 

"The support we receive here at West Point is just kind of immense. You're surrounded by people who not only pursue excellence themselves, but they also really encourage you to do the same, and they want to pull you along with them," she said. "My teammates are absolutely amazing. Without their support, I wouldn't really be able to have the success that I do today."

Isabella Sullivan currently serves as the deputy brigade commander, the second-highest-ranking cadet in the corps.

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Guest Essay

How ‘Past Lives’ Changed My Mind About My Relationship

what is life of pi about essay

By Euny Hong

Ms. Hong is a cultural critic.

My most stressful moviegoing experience last year was not the mushroom cloud in “Oppenheimer” or the murder trial scenes in “Anatomy of a Fall,” but watching the story of a love triangle among a Korean American woman, a Korean guy and a white guy in the Oscar-nominated “Past Lives.” In the film, Nora, our 30-something heroine, and Arthur, her white husband, are living happily in New York when Nora is contacted by Hae Sung, her childhood sweetheart in South Korea, with whom she had reconnected online as a young adult.

He tells her he’s planning to visit the city. Upon arriving, it’s clear he still has feelings for her. Given this situation, I knew at least one person would be very upset by the end of the movie. For most of the film, I felt like that person was going to be me.

On the one hand, as a Korean woman, I really wanted Nora to pick the Korean guy. As Arthur says to Nora, “If this was a story someone was telling, I’d be the evil white American husband keeping you two apart!” Every Asian American woman is aware of a longstanding Hollywood trope: The white male savior who sweeps in to save an “exotic” Asian woman, a scenario that goes back at least as far as Anna May Wong’s roles in the 1920s.

The maddening corollary to the white savior trope is that the Asian guy never gets the girl. I still recall the incredulity my friends and I felt coming out of a theater in 1998 having just watched “The Replacement Killers,” a movie in which the dreamy Chow Yun-fat saves the gorgeous Mira Sorvino, yet it doesn’t even occur to them to hook up.

On the other hand, I was having these thoughts while watching “Past Lives” in a movie theater sitting next to my boyfriend, who is white.

As an Asian woman living in the West, I learned long ago that every dating choice I make becomes a referendum: on race, on feminism — you know, just some of the most explosive issues of our day. If you happen to be dating a white guy, well, your relationship feels as if it’s being policed by loved ones and strangers alike. Some of them will accuse you of being psychologically damaged, or of plotting to extinguish your people. You may even internalize some of these beliefs.

Before I was old enough to know how babies were made, I was taught by my whole extended family that marrying a white guy would damn my descendants, and that an Asian couple was the correct, harmonious order of things. (It also made for a tidier Christmas card photo, or so I was told.)

The first time I watched “Past Lives,” I had this kind of policing in mind. I was fixated on Hollywood’s historical depictions of Asian women, and recalling how the very first time I ever saw two Asian characters kissing in a Hollywood film wasn’t until 2018, with “Crazy Rich Asians.” (I think I audibly gasped.)

Of course I hoped for Nora to get together with Hae Sung: I could only view the love triangle story line through a lens that presumed that one outcome was necessarily good, while the other was necessarily bad. I dutifully rooted for the good one, although it contradicted my own real-life experience, as personified by the man sitting in the theater next to me.

But when I rewatched the film, which is up for best picture on Sunday, I realized it’s a smarter movie than that, and truer to life as well. The broad premise of “Past Lives” may be “who will she choose?” but the reason it’s an affecting experience is not that it’s concerned with abolishing tropes or righting representational wrongs. Instead, it’s a story about three good people, trying to do right by one another, fumbling, faltering but finding their way through.

For Nora, the only fitting choice in the end is her husband, Arthur, not because he is (or isn’t) white but because he is the right choice for her. To run off with Hae Sung — whether he’s Asian or not — would not have made any sense given what we learn about her character and relationship. Reflexively rooting for that to happen made no sense for me, either.

I have my own “Past Lives” moment, sort of. I first met my boyfriend in 1996 at a party thrown by mutual friends from college. We went on one horrible date — I take responsibility; being dense, I didn’t realize it was a date and kept whining about some clown who had just dumped me — and both decided we wanted nothing more to do with each other. Unexpectedly, 26 years later, in late 2022, I had to interview him in my role as a journalist. Reacquainted, we hit it off.

Why did things click this time and not previously? As Heraclitus wrote, you can’t step in the same river twice. To me, that’s the real lesson of “Past Lives”: We have to move forward, not back. As Nora ends up saying to Hae Sung, referencing her Korean name, Na Young, and her new home, New York: “The Na Young you remember doesn’t exist here.” When she chooses to stay with Arthur, she explains it by saying, “This is where I ended up.”

It might sound like a blowoff, but, in the film, it’s a deep and moving declaration of commitment. It’s also a moment that felt deeply authentic to me. The first time I watched the film, I worried that someone’s feelings would be crushed, maybe mine. But when I left the theater with my boyfriend, I didn’t feel heartbroken at all.

Euny Hong is a cultural critic.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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    Most of Life of Pi takes place at sea, but the novel's initial setting is Pondicherry, India, during a period of Indian history called "The Emergency," which lasted from 1975 to 1977. The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been found guilty of misconduct in her recent election campaign, but instead of resigning she declared a state of ...

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    Overview. Life of Pi by Canadian author Yann Martel, published in 2001, is a mesmerizing novel that blends adventure, spirituality, and the power of storytelling. The story unfolds as Pi, a young Indian boy, survives a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean, finding himself on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and other zoo animals.

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    Directed by. Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery. Inspired by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties. It is also a moving spiritual achievement, a movie whose title could have been shortened to "life."

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    Words: 1521 (3 pages) Download. Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student. Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, is a story that tackles the topics of human nature and necessity. This story demonstrates that when one is faced with conflict and isolation, it forces one to make decisions.

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  21. What Flaco the Owl Can Teach Us About Risk

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    This essay is a Cover Story selection, a weekly feature highlighting the top picks from the editors of America Media. The call for Eucharistic revival we have heard in the church is particularly ...

  23. Religion and Faith Theme in Life of Pi

    Francis Adirubasamy first presents Pi 's tale to the fictional author as "a story to make you believe in God," immediately introducing religion as a crucial theme. Pi is raised in a secular, culturally Hindu family, but as a boy he becomes more devoutly Hindu and then also converts to Christianity and Islam. He practices all of these ...

  24. Death changes loved one's survivors forever and pain does not recede

    Essay by Cameron Smith on Michelle Schrodt's death: The grave loss that comes with deep love cannot truly heal. It is love's reminder, not a curse.

  25. Rhodes Scholar Isabella Sullivan credits student-athlete experience at

    Before Isabella Sullivan could imagine penning an essay on how she wanted to change the world, she had to transform herself and learn what she was capable of. Her experience as a volleyball student-athlete at Army West Point was the perfect conduit to this development and realization, leading to incredible experiences and honors.

  26. Life of Pi: Full Book Summary

    Motivated by India's political strife, Pi's parents decide to move the family to Canada; on June 21, 1977, they set sail in a cargo ship, along with a crew and many cages full of zoo creatures. At the beginning of Part Two, the ship is beginning to sink. Pi clings to a lifeboat and encourages a tiger, Richard Parker, to join him.

  27. Opinion

    If the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision were a country, life expectancy in its prisons would rank in the bottom 20 worldwide. In 2021, 96 of the 137 deaths in New ...

  28. Life of Pi Author's Note Summary & Analysis

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  29. Opinion

    Ms. Hong is a cultural critic. My most stressful moviegoing experience last year was not the mushroom cloud in "Oppenheimer" or the murder trial scenes in "Anatomy of a Fall," but watching ...