The Life of Pi

The Life of Pi – Yann Mantel 319 pgs.

So I finally took a crack at this book after hearing so much about it from various people, the first being my mom I believe. Modern fiction is certainly not my preferred choice when it comes to something to read; in fact fiction in general usually takes a backseat to nonfiction for me. I am conscious however that limiting oneself to only one area of interest only serves to narrow the field of vision and perspective. In light of this I try to dabble in various areas, fiction and non-, new and old, technical and general in pursuit of the universal ideal of knowledge expressed by some of the great ancients of the past as well as some more recent adherents, particularly Hermann Hesse.

The Life of Pi first and foremost was a quick read, it took me about 2 days. This is a surefire sign of at least an engaging book, one that draws the reader into it and almost forces them to keep reading. Secondly the topic of the book dealt with, mainly religious synthesis, reason, and ever-changing conceptions of thought systems employed throughout time, is an extremely interesting topic to me. The study of religion has always been intriguing, if not for the insight it provides into so many contemporary issues today then it is for the rich history that comes hand in hand with almost all religions. Mantel makes the case that reason should be included in the category of religion, for although it has no godhead at its apex, it is an attempt to explain life and the world around us in absolute terms, something that unfortunately has continually escaped human grasp. Armed with the thought system of reason to explain the world around them, rationalists are necessarily putting their faith in reason as the means to explain everything, which it does not. In this view reason is just a substitute for religion in answering the questions that humans have pondered over for thousands of years.

The story is an intriguing one. Pi Pental has grown up around animals, water, and religion all his life. His father is a zookeeper in a part of southern India that used to be a French colony. His whole family has been involved with zoo and the upkeep of the animals as long as he can remember. A friend of the family, a former champion swimmer, has taught Pi to swim, something Pi takes to with pride as no one else in his family can do. From a few early chance encounters with Christianity and Islam, Pi becomes incredibly interested and invested in the religions, as well as his own native Hinduism.

All seems to be going well for Pi in life when his parents decide they have had enough of the life and government in India. Pi and his brother are informed that the decision has been made to move with all the animals to Canada where zoos are more appreciated and life holds more opportunities. The family makes their preparations to leave and sets off on the voyage that will change Pi’s life forever. Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific the cargo ship Pi and his family are riding on with the animals sinks in a storm leaving Pi stranded on a lifeboat together with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger. It is at this point the struggle between faith and reason emerges. The allegorical potential is certainly abounds in such a situation with such a topic, but as with any good allegory the surface story is entertaining in its own right.
So, does Mantle believe in the supremacy of reason over religion? Well the main character of his book is an adherent of three different and seemingly conflicting faiths, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. The fact that Pi draws on his faith continually throughout his many ordeals and uses it to overcome situations at which reason balks says a lot about what Mantel thinks. I don’t think abandoning reason is ever suggested, simply the point that reason is a good and useful tool for understanding the world, but that it can only take one so far.

The book is definitely worth the read and provokes some interesting thoughts. On top of that it is a pretty good story to boot. The only knock I can give it is that the plot is reminiscent of a similar story involving a lone soul on a boat in the middle of the ocean tackling spiritual questions. Did you guess it? The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. I would say there is a pretty good chance that Mantel has read this book once or twice before coming up with his own story. The footsteps of Hemingway aren’t bad ones to be following in though.