Religion in Life of Pi

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                Religion is a fundamental set of beliefs generally agreed upon by a number of people. People pray to and praise the gods and figures of their religion. Religion helps people get through struggles and problems in their lives. Religion has always been a fundamental part of the world. This importance is stressed in the novel  Life of Pi by Yann Martel. In this novel there are many underlying tones that emphasize religion, like making the story more believable and a deeper meaning, by Pi's belief in a "leap of faith", and by Pi's ability o survive.

        Martel shows in this novel that religion makes stories more believable and gives them deeper truth. He uses two contrasting stories in Life of Pi to show the importance of religion. One story describes a trial of struggle and determination to survive, involving human-like animals, while the other describes a horrific tale of death and cannibalism between people. The second story is a story of “dry, yeastless factuality” (Martel 64). He shows that people who have faith will choose the fanciful story. By using the two different stories it becomes apparent that the fantastical version makes a better and more beautiful story. Pi tells the story of the animals so he can cope with the reality of the horrific truth. Martel asks, “…which story do you prefer?”(Martel 317). Martel wants there to be a choice between the two stories.

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        Martel explains the importance of a “leap of faith” or a decision about what one believes, through Pi. In this novel, Pi is critical of agnostics because they do not choose to believe in anything. Pi said that, “to choose doubt as a philosophy is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”(Martel 28). Martel is saying that because agnostics do not choose to believe in anything, they have no purpose. Also, Pi said that agnostics, “…lack imagination and miss the better story.”(Martel 64). Martel includes this because he believes that religion makes the world beautiful and makes for ...

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This is a very well written essay which uses sophisticated vocabulary. It shows real understanding of the complex theme of religion and there are detailed explanations of the differences between agnostics and atheists and Pi's reaction to them. The quotes are well selected but need to be more closely analysed. Including critical comments from two writers shows excellent research but again they need to be discussed more. **** 4 stars.