SYMBOLS:

SYMBOLS

In this story, there are three big categories from which I can extract the most relevant symbols: Catholicism, Hinduism and Islam. Besides, there is one symbol that is apart from these three categories I consider relevant. However, it is important to start with the main character of the story.

PI

“My name is Piscine Molitor Patel, known to all as Pi Patel. For good measure I added p = 3,14.” (Life of Pi, page 22-23.)

·         Pi is the main character of the story and this name has many different meanings. In other words, Pi, has many different connotations. First of all, as the quote says, Pi means p = 3,14. Another thing that comes to my mind when I seep, are the letters of the Greek alphabet, that also contains Alpha ( ) and Omega ( ).

CATHOLICISM

This first category is completely based on the following quote:

“Academic study and the steady, mindful practice of religion slowly brought me back to life” (Life of Pi, Page 3)

Catholicism is the second religion Pi was taught to follow, so I consider from here, I can extract some relevant symbols that are related to the book.

·         Alpha ( ) and Omega ( ): Two of the main symbols of Catholicism are the alpha and omega. This is interesting because Pi, as I said before, is one of the letters of the Greek alphabet together with alpha and omega. The latter, for Catholicism, represents God. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last one. According to this, God is the beginning and the end of everything.

This is related to the book, because we’re talking about religion. Pi believed in God, the thing is that he started to be into other religions.

·         The cross: The cross is the symbol of Catholicism. In ancient times, it was a symbol of torture and humiliation, but nowadays it is a symbol of Jesus’ death and his resurrection as well.

This is related to the book, as Catholicism was the first religion Pi was taught to follow. In addition, I can relate this to the  baptism, because when we get a sacrament, the priest crosses us in those kinds of sacraments.

“My baptism was a slightly awkward affair.” (Life of Pi, Page 77).

·         The sacred heart: This is a symbol of the love of Jesus for us. This heart has thorns and a cross in it , symbolizing that he was willing to suffer just because he loved us.

This is related to the book in one specific quote that I liked a lot: “[…] many people seem to lose God along life’s way. That was not my case.” (Life of Pi, Page 47). Pi loved God, and he was aware that although he was going through difficult situations and he even doubted many things, God would always be there for him, being his greatest support.

HINDUISM

Hinduism was the first  religion Pi seemed to be interested in. The way in which everything started is shown in this quote:

“[…] The figure in question for me was an older sister of Mother’s, of a more traditional mind who brought me to a temple when I was a small baby. […] “It’s a samskara!” symbolic indeed. […] I am a Hindu, because […]” (Life of Pi, Page 47).

According to this, the most three relevant symbols that I found in the book are:

·         Vishnu: Originally related to the sun, this God is the universe conservative and the incarnation of love. This God is considered as the supreme God. This God has come to earth in many different shapes, human, animal, and the last one is a horse that has not arrived yet.

“I felt like the sage Markandeya, who fell out of Vishnu’s mouth while Vishnu was sleeping and so beheld the entire universe, everything that there is.” (Life of Pi, Page 177).

This is clearly related to the book, as Pi remembered all those stories when he was feeling afraid. He couldn’t even sleep just by the fear he was feeling, when just thinking that Richard Parker could eat him.

·         Krishna: It is an incarnation of Vishnu. It represents the divine love and its adventures are represented or told in the Bhagavad Gita. This is an other relevant symbol in Hinduism. This is related to the book, because Pi names it right after describing Brahman. He remembers a Krishna story.

“I am reminded of a story of Lord Krishna when he was a cowherd.[…]” (Life of Pi, page 49).

·         Brahman: It´s four heads symbolize the four rooms, the four religious texts, and the four castes of Hinduism. This symbol relates to the book, because Pi starts describing why “he is Hindu.” In this part, he describes Brahman.

“There is Brahman, the world soul, the sustaining frame in which upon which is woven, warped and weft the cloth of being, with all its decorative elements of space and time.” (Life of Pi, Page 48).

ISLAM

Islam is the third religion Pi is interested in. And the main symbols that are described, named or represented in the book are based on the following quote:

“Islam followed right behind, hardly a year later. I was fifteen years old and I was exploring my hometown. The Muslim quarter wasn’t far from the zoo. A small, quiet neighborhood with Arabic writing and crescent moons inscribed on the façades of the houses.” (Life of Pi, Page 58).

·         The Koran: This is the great symbol of Islam. They guide their lives according to this book. As in the book we talk about  Islam, it is important to take the Koran as a symbol. As a symbol of Allah perfection, some Islamic countries reject the fact of having living beings represented in art. Koran texts represent the authority and the truth of God’s words.

·         The Night Journey: This is a really representative story for Islam. In one of Mahammed deams, the archangel Gabriel appeared and took him to heaven. This symbol is important, as in the book Pi’s journey was at night and he was there, when he admired everything that surrounded him.

·         Muslim Prayers: Another important thing is the way in which Muslims pray. They usually go to the mosque and they kneel towards Mecca repeating the words “Allah is great”. These words symbolize and reflect their submission to God.

This is important when talking about the book, because Pi prayed a lot. That was his way out of all the suffering, problems and loneliness he go through.