Motifs In Life Of Pi

Life of Pi is a fictional novel about a boy from India who, after a shipwreck, is lost at sea with a tiger. Dictionary.com defines a motif as “a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.” Three motifs found within the text of Life of Pi are the themes of coexistence, overcoming fear, and religion. The book by Yann Martel has a main idea of coincidence, predominantly between the beliefs of science and religion. One of the first settings of the book, a zoo, is a representation of this main theme.
The Patel family owns India’s famous Pondicherry Zoo before they try to move to Canada. The zoo is symbolic itself; hundreds of various kinds of animals live there together without conflict. Martel writes, in Chapter 32, about “surprising living arrangements” found among animals. “There are confirmed stories of drowning sailors being pushed up to the surface …show more content…
The motifs are meant to teach readers. Religion and science are in conflict everyday. Martel’s writing finds fault in the idea that the two beliefs cannot be codominant peacefully. These two ideas are not completely separate by any means; science and religion must coexist for the world to work efficiently and well. The point of the text and the themes within it is to show readers that harmony is simply a matter of acceptance or love, another motif utilized throughout the book. The theme of religion has a moral of love that should be taken from the novel. Martel shows the love between a boy and a tiger, demonstrating that it is always possible to be accepting. This motif also demonstrates that faith is empowering; the book is introduced by stating that it will “make you believe in God” (Martel x). The third motif of overcoming fear was utilized to strengthen the other motifs- the themes coincide. To overcome fear, use love. Pi felt no fear for Richard Parker after he realized that he cared for the tiger. When we coexist, love and bravery come