We have heard many survival stories: People getting stranded in a dessert, fighting for life deep in the jungle, or being lost at sea. Some do it alone, some have to use team work in order to survive. In 2012, Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, came to life as a film of the same name. The film portrays Martel's story in a way that makes one "believe the unbelievable." It shows what happens when two creatures, one prey and one predator, have to use each other to survive in a situation that will prove to bend nature itself.
Once upon a time, young Pi Patel was born and raised in India with his mother, father, and brother Ravi. In Pondicherry, Pi's father owns a zoo. Pi does well in school, knowing many digits of the number Pi, even though his peers call him "Pissing Patel," because his first name is Piscine. Around 12 years old, Pi starts exploring the world around him. Raised in Hinduism, Pi comes to learn about Christianity and Islam, eventually following all three religions.
Now Pi is a teenager, and looking to put more meaning into his life. Just when he falls in love with a beautiful girl named Anandi, his parents decide to close the zoo and move to Canada. Taking a few of the zoo animals with them, Pi's father plans to sell them, using the money to start a new life and secure a good future for Pi and Ravi. But tragedy strikes as a storm arrives while Pi is on deck. Before he knows it, Pi finds himself unable to find his family before he is put on a lifeboat by himself. In the rough sea, Pi discovers that the storm has sunk the ship, taking his family and everyone on the ship down with it. Now he is alone...with the zoo's Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker, the ship's only other survivor. Will Pi and the tiger survive the Pacific Ocean? Or is Pi Patel going to be Richard Parker's last meal? There is an ongoing question of religion throughout Life of Pi: During Pi's childhood he experiences conflict in his life when it comes to religion. His father is not very religious, saying that "religion is darkness" because he had polio as a child. In turn Pi's mother tells him and his brother Ravi stories about the Hindu gods. When a priest tells Pi about Christ, Pi has difficulty understanding why God would send His only son to suffer for the guilty. But the more he hears, the more he comes to "like this Son of God." Then Pi observes Islamic people practicing their religion. Pi's father does not of approve of Pi following three religions, saying that, "believing in everything at once is the same thing as believing in nothing at all." The writer that Pi is telling the story to throughout the movie, has been told that the story of Pi's ordeal would make him believe in God. As for Pi, it is his belief in God, (besides Richard Parker,) that helps him survive.
In telling his story, Pi speaks many wise words. Life of Pi also has a specific theme of regret in not to saying proper goodbyes. Pi regrets never being able to thank his father for everything he taught him. On the other hand he was also heartbroken when Richard Parker left him "unceremoniously," by simply going into the jungle without looking back.
"I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go. But what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye."- Pi Patel. When we are moving on to something new in life, sometimes we need to pay homage to what we're leaving behind.
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