what is the importance of religion in the life of pi by yann martel?

Question

life of pi by yann martel is the name of the book

Answer 1

Plot Summary

Life of Pi is a tale about survival, belief in God and coming of age, that unfolds while the protagonist is floating in a lifeboat on the Pacific Ocean. The main character, Pi Patel, is a loveable teenager with a lifelong curiosity for animals and religion. Pi grows up as the son of a zookeeper in Pondicherry, India.

He is intensely religious and practices Hinduism, Islam and Christianity with equal zeal. When Pi is about 16 years old, his father decides to relocate the family to Canada to escape the increasingly undesirable political developments in 1970's India. Pi's father arranges for the family to accompany some of the animals bound for North America on a cargo ship named Tsimtsum. "Midway to Midway" the ship suddenly and quickly sinks. Pi is instantly orphaned and left to survive in a lifeboat with a crippled zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger. The hyena dispatches the zebra and the orangutan and the tiger dispatch the hyena.

Part 1 Chapter 15 Summary

The author describes the man's home as a temple, full of religious symbols and artifacts. In the entryway is a picture of Ganesha, with an elephant head. This god represents one who overcomes obstacles and enjoys good luck, wisdom and learning. Scattered around the home are a cross, a picture of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe and other items.

Part 1 Chapter 16 Summary

Pi believes that we are born without religion and don't have any until we are introduced to it. Pi was introduced at a very early age by his mother's sister. His Aunti Rohini saw to it that she accompanied her sister and newborn nephew in the Hindu right of passage. From that day on Pi's interest in religion grew.

Part 1 Chapter 17 Summary

At the age of 14, Lord Krishna led Pi to meet Jesus Christ. The Patels took a rare family vacation to Munnar, famous for its tea estates and surrounded by hills. It began as a typical family vacation with tours of the tea estates and visits to the national park where they fed goats.

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