Reading a review

Reading a review

Hello! Today I'm going to look through some reviews of this book to know what other people think of this book, whether they like it or not. And I saw the review appeared in the journal  "Canadian Literature" #177 (Summer 2003).
Yann Martel (Author)
Life of Pi.
Reviewed by Linda M. Morra

"The tripartite structure of Life of Pi, Yann Martel’s second novel and winner of the 2002 Booker Prize, corresponds to three major periods of the protagonist’s life: his adult life in Canada where he meets the narrator and divulges his life-story; his childhood in India followed by a traumatic experience at sea; and his rescue and recovery in Mexico. Initially, some cursory narrative details of the second and third of these parts suggest parallels with Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Pi—whose equally resonant birth name, Piscine Molitor, is derived from the "crowning aquatic glory of Paris"—is lost at sea after a shipwreck. Like Crusoe, he survives the cruelties of starvation, isolation, loneliness (if one disqualifies the presence of Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger), and the elements, as he also becomes preoccupied with making a raft and the tools and means upon which his survival depends.
Martel’s novel, however, is no simple variant of the Crusoe adventure story. In fact, Life of Pi seems designed to impugn the bourgeois Puritan ideology that underlies Robinson Crusoe. An examination of the protagonists and their respective circumstances demonstrates this significant difference. Crusoe, the son of a wealthy merchant, initiates a sea voyage of his own volition rather than entering into business, as his father desires. No such option is given to Pi, whose sea voyage is born of necessity, not whimsical inclination. Notwithstanding the series of misfortunes he encounters, Crusoe is adept at duplicating his father’s business practices: he not only survives the shipwreck, but also applies the work ethic he has inherited from his father and amasses a small fortune. In contrast, Pi is obliged to relocate to Canada from Pondicherry, India, with his family and their menagerie of animals (which were part of a zoo, the family business) because of the country’s economic instability and political turmoil. No amount of hard labour would have transformed the zoo into a lucrative business since, as the narrator observes, "the Greater Good and the Greater Profit are not compatible aims."
The shipwreck is purportedly caused by a combination of bad weather and a mechanical failure; however, the shipping company demonstrates an utter lack of concern for its missing passengers, including Pi’s family, "a lowly Indian family with a bothersome cargo," and for its ship, a "third-rate rustbucket," because both were deemed economically insignificant. Within the ship itself, a hierarchy exists: there are the offi cers, who had "little to do with us," and the passengers, whose physical containment at the bottom of the ship’s hold indicates their social position. If social rank, as Martel observes about the animal kingdom, "determines whom [one] associates with and how," then it also determines one’s significance and worth: not only are Pi’s parents obliged to relocate from India as the result of their dire financial situation, their disappearance is virtually overlooked because of their low social status.
Martel’s novel is a kind of fictional biography, and, as such, displays certain hagio-graphical tendencies: presumably, Pi’s life is meant to be regarded as an exemplar. In this respect, the book also seems to critique the confessional, instructional facet of Defoe’s book, which derives its moral orientation from its resemblance to Puritan moral tracts. The autonomy and economic rewards that Crusoe and an upwardly mobile middle class enjoyed may have been the result of a solid work ethic, but they were also the product of imperial exploitation. Martel’s choice of an impoverished Indian for his protagonist seems implicitly to make this point about Crusoe’s position in the world. Moreover, if Crusoe himself discovers religious belief and experiences a conversion because of his hardships, Pi demonstrates a kind of spiritual precocity since he has explored—even celebrated—three major religious belief systems in advance of his ordeal at sea. A religious conversion is not engendered by his sufferings; instead, religious beliefs and rituals sustain him throughout his perils. Narrative itself becomes a means of sheltering from the cruelties of survival. The two versions of Pi’s life conveyed to the Japanese investigators at the end indicate that narrative, like religion, renders the cruelties of survival more tolerable.
Still, the narrator’s claim at the opening of the book is somewhat overwrought: that this is a "a story that will make you believe in God" seems to suggest a level of profundity and sophistication that the novel does not quite attain. The expectation built into Martel’s fiction is that it will transform reality in order to effect a transformation in its readers, but that expectation overestimates the power of the story. While Life of Pi is, at turns, interesting, clever, and layered, it is also inconsistently compelling and occasionally contrived."


So, I've read the article by Linda M. Morra. She is an associate professor at Bishop’s University, specializes in Canadian studies and literature, with a particular focus on twentieth-century Canadian writers.
The author expressed her impressions of the book and she thinks that it is very attractive and interesting book. In her opinion it's not a simple variant of Crusoe adventure novel or something similar to it. It's more more thought-out story, full of deeper meaning than just survival in the ocean, in the absence of conditions for life. This novel is more psychologically filled with thoughts about the meaning of existence, the struggle against their own will. In spite of Crusoe, who discovered religious belief and experiences a conversion because of his hardships, Pi demonstrates a kind of spiritual precocity since he has explored—even celebrated—three major religious belief systems in advance of his ordeal at sea. So, these book are radically different and can not be compared.
Also the author shows her idea, that nowadays people became more selfish, nobody will care if you are lost, that proves the situation in the novel, as the shipping company demonstrates an utter lack of concern for its missing passengers, including Pi’s family, because they were deemed economically insignificant.
In the author's opinion the choice of an impoverished Indian for his protagonist seems not accidental. He shows the status of poor people in the world. I can prove the words of the other with thee frases from the book: "a lowly Indian family with a bothersome cargo,", a "third-rate rustbucket,", etc.
I agree with Linda, I think that the book is with a deep sense. Each reader could spend quite a bit of time pondering the spiritual implications of the deep relationship that develops between Pi and Richard Parker over the course of their confinement together. And each can find their own understanting of some thoughts of the author of the book. This novel can show how close can be animals and humans.
In conclusion, I can say that many people like this book, mostly everybody call it the best book ever, all the readers, who wrote their comments said that they could not give up reading and be away of this book.

Information gap.

There are many interestiong aspects in this story, but I would like to pay more attention to the food which Pi was eating to survive. So, what would we eat, if we were in this situation? It's rather difficult question, because we are not ready for this challenge, but he had to come up with it.
The survival course involves:
One of the most easy food - is turtle. You can eat their meat,because it is eaten both raw and cooked or fried. Also this meat is very nourishing, you will not be hungry for a long time. But meat is not the only thing which could be useful. You can drink turtle's blood, if there is only ocean around you and there is no fresh water.
Turtle meat is the main dish on Aboriginal traditional holidays of many Pacific islands.
However, you should be carefull, not all turtles' meat is eatable. One person died and 139 residents in one of the islands in West Sumatra were hospitalized with food poisoning after eating turtle meat.
Then, you should gather rain water using turtle shells. You need to  make bowls from them to collect rainwater.
Also, turtle eggs - very nutritious and rare product that relates to a particular delicacy. In eastern countries, however, this product is an everyday food. Turtle eggs are collected on the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. During the season, one turtle lays up to 200 eggs. They are nutritious and quite fatty. 100 g of egg contains 155 calories.
Then Pi was eating fish, which he caught using a net. Firstly, it wasn't pleasant to eat it in a raw form, but then dried in the sun fish was able to satisfy his hunger.

My questions and answers about the plot of the book.

Sometimes when you open a new book, there are some questions about a plot. Now I'll try to answer some of them.

1) Did Pi became mad, because of the mental diversion "escapism" by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life?
I think he wasn't mad, that was a normal reaction to the situation he had, because trying to remove themselves from the rigors of daily life and replace the harsh realities on fiction and fantasy was the only way out not to have a persistent feelings of depression or general sadness and to be aside from the problems.
2) Why does the tiger have such a strange name Richard Parker?
There are a number of strange coincidences with the name Richard Parker:in the book of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket," published in 1838,there is a sailor Parker who survived after the crash of his vehicle  with three other members of the team, but they ate him, not to die of hunger. In 1884, a ship called Mignorette has sunk in the ocean, and only four people were rescued, among them there was the cabin boy named Richard Parker, who was later killed and then who was eaten by the other three survivors. Yann Martel, the author of the novel "Life of Pi", named a Bengal tiger "Richard Parker", because of these events.
3) What was the the cause of shipwreck?
It's impossible to know the certain reason of the crash, but probably the ship could encounter with floating debris.
4) Why the main hero pulled out  the net and didn't take bananas?
He took the net mechanically but later it was useful for him for fishing.
5)Did Pi run wild in the absence of comfortable conditions?
In my opinion, this story makes us think if people differ from wild animals in such case when they don't have to wear clothes and when they are kept away from ready meals. After all, Pi realized that he became wild when he heard his  growl eating fish which was not very different from Richard Parker's growl and he was wild because the clothes after  a few months was completely torn.
6)Why Pi didn't kill the tiger to still hunger?
The compassion, responsibility which Pi expressed in relation to the tiger showed that he would never  kill him, and even on the contrary he  feeded him and took him to the shores of Mexico, as he had promised him that they would survive, the courage that he has shown in all that time without losing self-control gave us the understanding what noble-minded knightly nature he had.

Dear readers! Today I'm going to comment some the most meaningful passages or sentenses from the book.
1. "Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn’t be more simple, nor the stakes higher."
The life on the boat isn't simple, it is deprived of everything. The stakes are too significant - either life or death.  The life in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has no luxury, faced with numerous physical dangers. And Pi compare it with the endgame in chess, when the most of the game has been played out and the majority of the chess pieces knocked off the board. Similarly, it that time some animals were alredy died, someone remained alive, still ready to try to survive, because the game isn't finished yet.
2. "The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar."
Pi said these words when his hardships were on the verge of despair. In that moment he understood that difficulties make his character even stronger. His mind is desperately trying to save the physical reality of the continued existence of the lifeboat, and so he soars into the realm of fantasy. The worse situation, the more the imagination harder to achive the goal. The only possibility to survive is the  faith and imagination. And he proved that it was effective.
3. “Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love. Such is the strangeness of the human heart.” 
It's hard to stay calm when you think of the people who are not alive anymore. But thoughts can show that people whom you still love unconsciously, in dreams. Even if you firstly think that it makes hurt you, then you understand that your heart feels happy, it's such a contradiction.
4. “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” 
Everybody has troubles sometimes, but you musn't dwell on it. You should remember that it's such a happiness to see, to hear, to feel, to breath. And it's rediculous to waste it on grumbling that the life isn't ideal. You need just try to do the best and enjoy the life whatever it is.
5. “The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no?
Doesn't that make life a story?” 
All of us see the life as what to see. Some people pay attention to the troubles, but somebody see only bright and exciting moments. Everything depends on the person and the same situation can be treated completely different by different people.
6. “You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better.” 
This quote shows the power Pi's mind has on how he perceives his situation. Life in general is determined more by a persons psyche than anything else. And sometimes strong emotions helps to understand it.
7. “These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.” 
Firstly you should be honest with yourself inside, you should care your inside world. There are some people who are seems like religious, who go to church,and so on and so forth, but only for show, but they are empty inside, evil and selfish. 

A Character Sketch 

Piscine Molitor Patel, known to all as just "Pi", is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He was named after a swimming pool in Paris, despite the fact that neither his mother nor his father particularly liked swimming. The story is told as a narrative from the perspective of a middle-aged Pi, now married with his own family, and living in Canada. At the time of main events of the story, he is sixteen years old. He recounts the story of his life and his 227-day journey on a lifeboat when his ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a voyage to North America.
Pi is the youngest son of the director of the zoo. he is the expert on the habits of animals and three world religions. Since childhood, Pi felt a tendency to religion, but simultaneously to Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. This caused the other people sincere surprise, bewilderment and hostility. Different aspects of these religiouns  have helped him in his own experience to feel the beauty of the world. He has never forgotten about the prayer - the daily prayer, supporting undamped spark of hope in the heart. He has a very strong character, he never gives up, he fights to the end. He was still optimistic when there was nowhere to wait for help, when every day was another test, when a neighbour and even the weather was against him. But he still continued to fight, it's the thirst for life, when the main threat, the tiger, proved a lifesaver  for whom it was necessary to get food and water, with whom he can talk to, so who became a partner in misfortune.
Also Pi is a vegetarian since birth, he loves animals very much. Pi hs a very extraordinary thinking,  unusual view of the world which has already appeared in his childhood and helped him survive in an extreme situation in the middle of the open ocean in a boat with a wild beast that though he lived most of his life in the zoo, being caught still young, but still has not lost the grafted nature of instincts.
I respect the strength of his character, his will to live. His attitude to the world makes me think about it.

( The actor ( Suraj Sharma) who played the role of Pi in the screen version).

About the plot.

Dear readers! Today I'm going to share with you my guess-work what the book might be about. For me it's always interesting to predict what can happen in a book. So, the main character is a simple Indian guy, born in amazing and ancient India. As the story is the adventure, I can guess, that the boy was growing curious, he sought to learn the life, listen to his feelings and sensations. I think he is a strong, brave, courageous man, who likes to learn new things and who is not afraid of dangers, but instead tried to overcome any difficulties.
When his family decided to have a distant, overseas voyage with their own zoo, during the way the ship got into the strongest storm. But only he and some animals managed to survive, they were hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger. I can predict that in the books can be a lot of pages in the stream of consciousness, because he stayed alone, he was thinking much, he could panicing sometimes, his thoughts could change very often from the positive to the negative side, he could belive that he would be saved one day. As he had to live in such situation I think he became very religious person.  An I can guess it could help him to survive.
So, that was my assumptions about the book and I hope I was right!

About the author.

Yann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi. He has won a number of literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2001-2003 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. He is also the first Canadian to represent the Washington Arts Commission.
Martel, the son of Nicole Perron and Émile Martel, was born in Salamanca  in 1963, Spain. His parents were French-speaking Quebecers. Although his first language is French, Yann Martel writes in English.
His father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government at the time of his birth. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. As an adolescent he attended high school at Trinity College School, a boarding school in Port Hope, Ontario.

As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Martel spent 13 months in India visiting mosques, churches, temples and zoos, and spent two years reading religious texts and castaway stories. He now lives in Saskatoon, Canada. His first published fictional work, Seven Stories, appeared in 1993.