Attitudes to Pi’s Psychological and Emotional Development in Life of Pi Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a vivid story about a young man who starts off as an irresponsible troublemaker, but is forced to slowly grow out of his ‘comfort zone’ as he faces a myriad of obstacles. These include a disastrous seastorm that kills his entire family, to being stranded out at sea on a lifeboat with a famished Bengal tiger. Various events like this throughout the novel cumulatively act as a catalyst for Pi’s self-improvement. In Life of Pi, Martel establishes Pi’s psychological and emotional development through the manifestation of Pi’s religious beliefs, his ability to overcome the negative aspects of isolation, and his interaction with Richard Parker.
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In the novel, it is well-known that Pi is born a Hindu, prays as a Muslim, and speaks on behalf of others as a Christian. The significance of his belief in all three gods is that it instills him with hope and courage to pass God’s test. The way in which religion helps him in specific situations is quite evident. For example, when Pi becomes shipwrecked and cries out to Vishnu to preserve him, Allah to protect him and Christ to save him, it is because what he is suddenly experiencing becomes unbearable. These troubling experiences that he faces at such a young age imbues him with a sense of hopelessness. Fortunately, this hopelessness does not last for a very long time, especially because Pi’s emotional and psychological resistance is strengthened by his religion. Pi describes his faith in God as a source of comfort, a beginning and an end, as well as trust and love; however, at the same time, it is hard to keep loving when one is left feeling despondent because they are stuck in an unbearable situation. Then again, he verbally reinforces his determination by saying, “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” (232). In other words, Pi shows that God is perhaps his only savior whom he can lean on and look up to for help during times of personal strife. Thus, Pi’s strong belief in three gods can guide him out of the storm (trouble), and when at the end of the path, there is light (hope) that emotionally encourages him to continue his
In the novel, it is well-known that Pi is born a Hindu, prays as a Muslim, and speaks on behalf of others as a Christian. The significance of his belief in all three gods is that it instills him with hope and courage to pass God’s test. The way in which religion helps him in specific situations is quite evident. For example, when Pi becomes shipwrecked and cries out to Vishnu to preserve him, Allah to protect him and Christ to save him, it is because what he is suddenly experiencing becomes unbearable. These troubling experiences that he faces at such a young age imbues him with a sense of hopelessness. Fortunately, this hopelessness does not last for a very long time, especially because Pi’s emotional and psychological resistance is strengthened by his religion. Pi describes his faith in God as a source of comfort, a beginning and an end, as well as trust and love; however, at the same time, it is hard to keep loving when one is left feeling despondent because they are stuck in an unbearable situation. Then again, he verbally reinforces his determination by saying, “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” (232). In other words, Pi shows that God is perhaps his only savior whom he can lean on and look up to for help during times of personal strife. Thus, Pi’s strong belief in three gods can guide him out of the storm (trouble), and when at the end of the path, there is light (hope) that emotionally encourages him to continue his