How the author created Life of Pi

Life Pi

Life of Pi: improving a Masterpiece?

Much of the English and specifically the British/Commonwealth literature of the latter half of the twentieth century has been classified as "postcolonial" literature, in that it explores the ramifications and implications of the end to overt colonial control of much of the world by European powers following the end of World War II. Understanding such literature requires at least a minimal understanding of the history of colonialism, but the greatest works of the postcolonial trend can also be read as compelling personal tales in and of their own right, without the larger historical context providing deeper understandings and symbolism to the reader despite their presence. These are the works that are already beginning to enter the canon of English literature, and that will continue to be recognized as an increasingly important record of the transitions of the twentieth century.

Life of Pi by Canadian author Yann Martel is one of the most critically acclaimed works of the postcolonial genre. Its author is an unusual representative of this specific type of writing, as Martel is a Canadian native and not a citizen from the developing and previously colonized world, but extensive time spent traveling in his youth led to a very multicultural and international perspective. Winner of the Man Booker Prize and many other awards for fiction, Life of Pi is Martel's first major success and a truly phenomenal work of literature, yet that does not mean it might not be improved. This review will explore what works and what doesn't work quite so well in one of the most respected novels of the past decade.

A Better Life of Pi

Pi, the central character of the novel, is native to India, where his father owns and operates a zoo that provides a nice life for his family. When political unrest leads to a decision to move to Canada, however, the ship carrying Pi, his family, and many of their animals sinks, and Pi is ultimately left alone on a lifeboat with an adult male tiger Richard Parker, whom he tames and trains along their journey. An encounter with a very strange island and an eventual arrival in Mexico end Pi's journey, though he cannot get the officials to believe his story as it actually happens and must make up an alternate explanation that they ultimately accept. At every step of his journey, both the cultural and the personal implications of Pi's life make for an incredibly compelling and interesting story.

Steve Street (2004) notes that there is an early emphasis on the multicultural and specifically the multi-religious perspective and background that Pi has, having been born Hindu but learning about and embracing Christianity and Islam by the time he is fourteen, trying to incorporate and serve all three religions. The effect that this has on Pi's overall perspective on life and God clearly resonates throughout the novel, yet it does not remain an explicit feature at all points in the novel and instead the multiculturalism that this initially implies seems to become a sort of non-culturalism, as Pi creates his own spirituality and perspective through the events of the story. A greater degree of consistency and explicit transition in this regard might help to make this novel even better than it already is (Street 2004).

One of the areas in the novel where this might be especially helpful is when Pi encounters the island, which is itself indicative of the manner in which Pi creates his own unique perspective on life and God. The island does not follow the rules of he way the world is supposed to work, with trees growing without soil and a piece of fruit that contains human teeth -- the sign that eventually convinces Pi to leave the island. While this is clearly a significant event and period in Pi's life, the connection between Pi's experiences here and his earlier religious pursuits is not made very clear, and the author could have used this earlier trajectory and trend to greater effect at this part of the novel. It is still an engaging and meaningful portion of the story that is heavy with symbolism and other implications on the text and its interpretation, but it could have been made stronger still.

Another reviewer of the book, The Guardian's Justine Jordan (2002) notes that the book breaks with convention in not simply foreshadowing events but outright telling the reader facts such as that the book has a happy ending. In some ways, this makes the book more of an enjoyable read than it might otherwise be, as it is essentially a light-hearted fable and action packed adventure rather than a tense exploration of cultural changes and coming-of-age, but in other ways the reduced tension is harmful to the impact of the story and the engagement of the reader. While Life of Pi is, in fact, a light-hearted fable and action-packed adventure, it is also much more than that, and the lessened tension that is created by the give-away that the book has a happy ending might lead some readers to become less engaged.