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Student 1 Mrs. Verenkoff English 2H, Period 2 9 September 2010
Seeing Beyond the Facts: Meditations on Life of Pi, by Yann Martel QUOTATION: While sitting in an Indian coffee shop, the author figure contemplates the difference between reality and fantasy. He elaborates on one of the novel’s core ideas, describing imagination as “a quickening of the moral sense, which strikes one as more important than an intellectual understanding of things” (63).
ANALYSIS: Life of Pi explores the intricate, conflicting worlds of imagination and reality. After leaving the piquant shores of India to start a new life in Canada, Pi Patel finds himself stranded in the Pacific when his ship sinks. Left on a lifeboat with barely any food or water, he concocts a fanciful tale to escape the dismal situation. In his fictional account, Pi braves rough storms, malnutrition, and a carnivorous island while in the company of four wild animals, including a 450 pound Bengal tiger. However, officials investigating the vessel’s disappearance regard the story with derision, calling it “far- fetched” and “impossible” (299). They would rather accept “the dry, yeastless factuality” than “the better story” filled with adventure and fantasy (63). As a result, Patel recounts a gruesome reality, where the beasts are replaced by human counterparts. His perilous encounters with his animal companions prove far more riveting than the tale of cannibalism and human savagery he later portrays. Pi’s world of dreams “strikes one as more important than an intellectual understanding of things” (63). His whimsical story shows triumph in the face of adversity while the objective account illustrates the depths of barbarianism and despair. Furthermore, Pi’s vivid imagination shields him from the grisly events unfolding in the lifeboat. Without the power of invention, he might have thrown himself into the ocean, preferring a watery grave to a hopeless existence. In the end, Pi’s fantasies keep him afloat in a sea of turbulence. Imagination also plays a key role in real life situations. Like Pi, actual people often create whimsical tales to distance themselves from traumatic events. For example, a group of Chilean miners were trapped under miles of rock after their mine collapsed. They spent seventeen long days in sweltering blackness with little food or water before they were discovered. As the miners are buried so far underground, it will take months for them to be rescued. Meanwhile, to pass the time and avert their minds from the tragedy, they tell stories, pray, and read the Bible. They have turned to fantasy for hope and survival just as Pi did. A healthy imagination also proves useful in milder circumstances. Most young children enjoy listening to fairy tales or dreaming up their own spectacular worlds. Even adults fashion little day dreams to cope with everyday life. Ultimately, the thrill of imagination allows the mind to soar far higher than cold facts ever could. |
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