Life Of Pi And Religion Essay

Pi Patel was a boy of many beliefs and values that he continued to hold onto throughout the book, some of which were a huge part of his survival. Out of all the people to get stuck on a lifeboat in the pacific ocean, with a royal bengal tiger for 227 days, Pi was the one to fit that role. His in depth beliefs in religion which he always held onto dearly, traveled from his childhood in India to a huge part of his life on the life boat. Another thing was his constant beliefs in rituals he had from prayers, school work, and attending temples or churches in India to his time surviving on a lifeboat, including things like prayers, catching food, cleaning up and doing what was needed. Lastly, having grown up living in a zoo and being very knowledgeable in animals (say a bengal tiger) in India which gave him the belief to respect animals, saved his life as he was stuck with a hungry tiger in the powerful, unpredictable, beautiful, but dangerous ocean.
Religion interested him like many people are interested in, say, ice cream. Unlike most people, Pi developed 3 ‘main’ religions during his time in India and on the lifeboat. Hinduism, which he was born too which exposes him to a more diverse, lively religion. Something he’d been raised into, giving him his prime source of his curiosity in religion. He then had stumbled across a christian church, in there he met the priest who he clicked with and had taught him much about the religion and its values. Those of which involved many stories being told which mainly stimulate love and good over evil. The third religion, Islam, a religion of brotherhood and devotion which Pi learned to love disregarding all of the nasty rumors about it. All of this basically stumbles down to, Pi’s ongoing belief in god. His beliefs were in forms of any god and his spirit entwined in it. ““Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just wanted to love God,” I blurted out, and looked down, red in the face.”” (Martel