Blog Post 6: Manbooker Novel Essay

Life of Pi Essay: 1988 Prompt
Unconsciousness

In the awe-inspiring, famous novel, The Life of Pi, by Yann Mertel, the audience is displayed events that did not necessarily happen in the story.  They are mental allusions that the main character, Pi, faces throughout his journey of survival on his lifeboat.  These small instances of imagination occur throughout the story, making it more unfathomable to think that these events actually happened, eventually leading up to what some may say is the most powerful, blinding allusion there is: religion.

Pi oftentimes has allusions that are clear to the audience -- ones we know that for certain have not happened.  For example, on page 236, Mertel writes, "'I love you!' the words burst out pure and unfettered, infinite.  The feeling flooded my chest.  'Truly I do, I love you, Richard Parker.'"  The reader knows this love for a tiger cannot actually be true, considering all the times the two have plotted to kill each other.  The audience knows that Pi is having a crazed, weak moment.  He is so desperate for some sort of love and acceptance that he rampages a profession of love for a deadly tiger.  Usually, Pi can keep his ducks in a row, but in times of desperation for survival, even he can't stay completely put together, and bursts out a crazy thing or two.  We see a mad state of almost unconsciousness here, where Pi isn't precisely aware of what is going on.  Mertel builds this moment with surprise to the audience by making Pi exclaim this loudly, something he wouldn't normally do if he were alert.

In Pi's diction, we also see expansive amounts of figurative language.  From phrases like, "The passing of the day slowly did the job of unbending my smile," (Mertel. 123) to, "The pattering of the invisible rain got to be deafening," (Mertel. 157) to even, "Trying to put out the fire of fear blazing within me," (Mertel. 206.)  we see beautiful, allusive language that Pi uses.  Even though the audience fully realizes that this is not literal language, it makes you wonder what is happening for real.  Is there actually a tiger on board with him, or is this another allusion for something else as well?  What about the chimpanzee?  Was she real?  Figurative language really puts the audience at a state of confusion in this instance, making them wonder if Pi is actually awake or dreaming things out of his head.

The audience's sense of allusion they receive throughout the novel however, is nothing more than a prerequisite for what is truly to come.  The reader knows that Pi is a boy of many faiths, very devout to his God's.  But what the reader didn't see coming was Mertel's bold stance that religion too -- is the most powerful allusion at all.  In the final line of the novel, Pi displays two stories, one of the story we read and another where his mother was on board with him, and asks Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba which is better.  They answer, the story with the animals.  Pi replies, "Thank you.  And so it goes with God."  This is extremely powerful because it takes the stance that religion may not be real at all, but it makes people's lives better -- even with the allusion is sweeps upon us, similar to how Pi's allusions and state of unconsciousness has made the story we read better.  It makes it interesting to live and watch.