On January 17, 2007, I posted about Yann Martel's Life of Pi - actually this was my third blog post ever, long before this became a book blog. Here is what I wrote then:
Religion: In the story, the narrator has this to say about agnosticism: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation." Agnosticism, in the religious sense, refers to the belief that knowledge of the existence of a god or gods is impossible. This belief allows people to answer one of the big questions - is there a god? - with the wonderfully noncommittal, "I don't know." On one hand, I think there are quite a few people in America who subscribe to this view, and yet on the other hand, I can see how this belief system seems like straddling the fence, aka covering your ass. And of course, Martel's view that doubt merely incapacitates a person is valid as well.
Madness: "All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in a strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive." Rejoice in the madness, and recognize that the path to insanity is short.
Death: "Oncoming death is terrible enough, but worse still is oncoming death with time to spare, time in which all the happiness that was yours and all the happiness that might have been yours becomes clear to you." Something about this idea really sticks with me. I would think that the second part is what must cause the most pain for someone on the edge of death. The happiness we have had is what, to my mind, would make death easier. If we have lived a good life, and we remember it, we can better accept our death. But the thought of everything we are losing out on because of death, that's the rub. It is the loss of the future rather than the past which pains.
The concept of death is brought up in this story in an entirely different way as well. Pi survives a boat wreck and is forced into a terrifying, physically and mentally exhausting, increasingly dangerous situation. Pi was always drawn out of his despair, however, by thinking of his family, not the memory of, but rather "of how they were spared this terrible agony." Would it have been better for Pi if he had died in the wreck? Was Pi's survival actually a curse?
Life: "A castaway's worst mistake is to hope too much and do too little." Castaway can be replaced with the nicely generic person. I immediately thought of religious people, and this wonderful joke about the lottery I was recently told.
"So this guy is really wanting to win the lottery. Every single day, he prays to God, PLEASE let me win the lottery, God. PLEASE. I'll give you half the money. Shoot, I'll give you MOST of the money! I just want to pay off my debt, maybe move into a new house, you know. Please God, let me win. And he prays like this daily, sometimes multiple times a day, for weeks....then months....Month after month the man is praying to win the lottery, still no results. The man was starting to lose faith, but he kept faithful. A year went by, 2 years...3 years went by and the man was still praying, but by not he was very frustrated. He prayed to God and said "Lord! I thought you said whatever we ask in your name would be granted to us! Why haven't I won the lottery!?"
And God thundered back...
"Buy a ticket."
The quote and the joke = absolutely perfect. People hope and pray and wish and do nothing. How does that help?
An excellent read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reading this "non-review" reminds me of how much my thoughts on this blog have changed. Honestly, I kind of miss this much more random and much less practical type of post. Anyway, back to the book itself.
I remember quite a bit of the story for this one, in part, I think, because I took a Barnes and Noble "class" on it. Barnes and Noble used to have - and maybe still has - a "university" where people could sign up for class and participate in online discussions about books. These discussions were typically guided and covered a diverse range of topics about the book. I only ended up participating in five or six of these classes, but I really enjoyed the ones I did take. Having a more scholarly experience with the book certainly seems to increase retention.
Life of Pi is also stuck in my memory because the story is very unique. Pi's tale begins in Pondicherry (that be India ladies and gents), but quickly moves to the Pacific Ocean where he is stranded after a shipwreck. Pi's companions on the life boat include a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a tiger. Seriously people, I even remember the exact animals which were on the boat with him. The image of these unlikely - and mutually dangerous - companions burned itself in my memory. Then, of course, there is a giant "twist" which aids the memory as well.
If you still haven't read this one, I definitely recommend it.
Those statements about agnosticism pissed me off so badly that I couldn't go on with this book. For some of us, agnosticism is the end of a long spiritual journey, not cowardice or the inability to choose. I *chose* agnosticism deliberately and carefully after rejecting various forms of both christianity and atheism.
ReplyDeleteI just read in Shelf Awareness that this book is going to be made into a movie. The adaptation is a writer interviewing Pi as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI listened to this on on audio, and think that I need to go back and reread it. It's an excellent piece of fiction and I thought that the twist was supremely imaginative and thought-provoking. It was great to read your early and later thoughts on this one. Fantastic review of a fantastic book!
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorites. I manage to foist it onto a few students every year. Once the story gets to the animals on the boat, they enjoy it. A few even list it as a favorite of their own.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea for a meme, too. We've all got large archives we should feature reviews from them.
Like James, I think this is a great meme. I would love to participate, but I have a big issue with CRS. And of course, I never took notes. Hence the blog. Anyway, I read Pi before blogging as well, and I loved it. Then I re-read it via audio about a year ago, and I didn't like it near as much. You'd think, now that I knew the twist, that I would get more out of it, but instead I was annoyed. I'm strange that way.
ReplyDeleteI found this book to be such a mix of fact and fantasy - it was a mixed reaction from me.
ReplyDeleteI remember loving this one when I read it a few years back. On another note, I had no idea that B&N did discussion classes. That sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love this book as well. I recently read his most recent novel, Breatrice and Virgil: A Novel. While although it was no Life of Pi, it was an interesting read though I've been shocked at the vitriolic reviews. It's like some literary writers now hate him simply because he "crossed over" and became popular with the masses!
ReplyDeleteI think you're so right with your thoughts on death. I feel that is often why people feel so sad when a young person dies- that potential will never be realized. It's a very sobering thought.
ReplyDeleteI really like your random thoughts reviews, too! I've noticed that I've gotten more structured in my reviews, too. In a way it's good as I can remember books and my reactions to them more clearly. But... it also takes a long time :-P
Isn't it a kick to read your old stuff? I loved Life of Pi and remember the basics because after that end, how could you forget?
ReplyDeleteI need to reread Life of Pi! I haven't reread it since the first time, even though I liked it a lot then.
ReplyDeleteThe part where the tiger is swimming for the lifeboat at the beginning is one of my most vivid scene memories from past reading. Such a wonderful book. I will definitely read this one again someday.
ReplyDeleteI read this book last semester for a philosophy of religion class and loved it! It's such a good book. We had some great discussions about Life of Pi. We never figured out what the algae island with the teeth meant.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book. It is truly one of my favorites. I'm really thinking about reading it again before the movie comes out. I read it way before my blogging days and I kind of wish I would have wrote down what I thought back then. It would be interesting to read those fresh thoughts. Back to the movie...I really hope they don't screw it up or, as Ru Paul would say, "and don't f*** it up!" Great post, Trisha!
ReplyDeleteIt might be time for me to revisit Life of Pie. I read it in early college, I think, and remember being rather unimpressed. It sounds like a book I'd enjoy more now. It's fun to read some of your "vintage" reviews!
ReplyDeleteI finally read this earlier this year and LOVED it - I wondered why I left it as long as I did. I think I thought it would be too much about religion for my taste but I actually loved how Martel treated the topic.
ReplyDelete