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Symbols for Pi’s Bildungsroman in Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi”1. The prayer rug:“I loved my prayer rug. Ordinary in quality though it was, it glowed with beauty in my eyes.” (Martel 76)Pi’s prayer rug symbolizes his personal growth in the religious sense. Pi wanted a prayer rug to pray to Allah because, in his own words, “Because I love God.” (Martel 72) This shows how his understanding of the world is growing, and symbolizes his quest to understand it through the lens of religion. The prayer rug ties into Pi’s growth by showing how his religious beliefs are evolving. 2. The sinking of the Tsimtsum: “I watched the ship as it disappeared with much burbling and belching. Lights flickered and went out. I looked about …show more content…
Richard Parker, real or imaginary, symbolizes Pi himself through his evil, bloodthirsty, murderous drive to go on living. It develops Pi’s personal journey as he fights with his own cruelty and finds the strength to survive the Pacific.4. The algae island:“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.” (Martel 282-283)The carnivorous algae island, with its fruit that bear teeth, is a symbol for Pi’s loss on innocence. Like the Garden of Eden, the island is a miracle of natural beauty and harmony. However, the “forbidden fruit” containing human teeth shatters this illusion, just as Adam and Eve lost Eden when they gave into the temptation of the apple. Pi’s innocence, like that of the world, is shattered. He sees the island and the world as it truly is: carnivorous and dangerous. This ties into Pi’s life journey and his knowledge of the world by breaking his innocence and testing his faith.5. The hoop tricks:“I trained him to jump through a hoop I made with thin branches. It was a simple routine of four jumps. Each jump earned him part of a meerkat.” (Martel 274)When Pi finally tames Richard Parker to the point where he will perform tricks with a hoop, it symbolizes Pi’s conquering of his doubts and fears. He defeats the voracious, massive, and deadly tiger’s will, and wins the psychological battle being waged on the lifeboat and within himself. If Richard Parker is truly a symbol for Pi himself, then this victory also symbolizes Pi’s victory over the evil hunger within him. This symbolic event contributes to Pi’s life journey by showing his triumph over doubt, fear, and hunger. It could also exemplify his successful reunion with God after feeling that God had forsaken him with the sinking of the
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Symbols for Pi’s Bildungsroman in Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi”1. The prayer rug:“I loved my prayer rug. Ordinary in quality though it was, it glowed with beauty in my eyes.” (Martel 76)Pi’s prayer rug symbolizes his personal growth in the religious sense. Pi wanted a prayer rug to pray to Allah because, in his own words, “Because I love God.” (Martel 72) This shows how his understanding of the world is growing, and symbolizes his quest to understand it through the lens of religion. The prayer rug ties into Pi’s growth by showing how his religious beliefs are evolving. 2. The sinking of the Tsimtsum: “I watched the ship as it disappeared with much burbling and belching. Lights flickered and went out. I looked about …show more content…
Richard Parker, real or imaginary, symbolizes Pi himself through his evil, bloodthirsty, murderous drive to go on living. It develops Pi’s personal journey as he fights with his own cruelty and finds the strength to survive the Pacific.4. The algae island:“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.” (Martel 282-283)The carnivorous algae island, with its fruit that bear teeth, is a symbol for Pi’s loss on innocence. Like the Garden of Eden, the island is a miracle of natural beauty and harmony. However, the “forbidden fruit” containing human teeth shatters this illusion, just as Adam and Eve lost Eden when they gave into the temptation of the apple. Pi’s innocence, like that of the world, is shattered. He sees the island and the world as it truly is: carnivorous and dangerous. This ties into Pi’s life journey and his knowledge of the world by breaking his innocence and testing his faith.5. The hoop tricks:“I trained him to jump through a hoop I made with thin branches. It was a simple routine of four jumps. Each jump earned him part of a meerkat.” (Martel 274)When Pi finally tames Richard Parker to the point where he will perform tricks with a hoop, it symbolizes Pi’s conquering of his doubts and fears. He defeats the voracious, massive, and deadly tiger’s will, and wins the psychological battle being waged on the lifeboat and within himself. If Richard Parker is truly a symbol for Pi himself, then this victory also symbolizes Pi’s victory over the evil hunger within him. This symbolic event contributes to Pi’s life journey by showing his triumph over doubt, fear, and hunger. It could also exemplify his successful reunion with God after feeling that God had forsaken him with the sinking of the