Yann Martel's Life Of Pi Vs. The Catcher In The R
Life of Pi
Vs.
The Catcher in the Rye
-A Comparative Essay
All literature contains a purpose behind it—an underlying message that the author is trying to convey. As a result of this, most novels typically tend to focus on several specific areas, leaving other areas less explored. Setting, main character, and conflict are arguably the three most important elements of a novel. Novels such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger demonstrate the importance of these three elements, yet highlight these areas to different degrees. Much of this variation is due to the different genres and styles of both books. Classic coming of age novels like The Catcher in the Rye typically focus on the …show more content…
Oftentimes, the setting is a key factor in determining the meaning of the story or the intentions of the author, since the context of a situation can determine the conflict or the plot. This is especially evident in Martel’s Life of Pi. In this novel, the setting is a very significant aspect of the book, because it is the reason and the source of all the suffering that the main character, Pi Patel, endures. For the most part of the book, Pi is retelling his story of surviving 227 days on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Although by the end of the book, two parallel stories are told, it is important to realize that the setting remains constant in both stories. As the stories are retold in first person, the reader is taken into the eyes of Pi Patel, in which he continuously describes his surroundings and what he is going through. The day after Pi’s ship sinks and he is thrown onto the lifeboat, he portrays the environment he is in. “The weather was changing rapidly. The sea, so immense, so breathtakingly immense, was settling into a smooth and steady motion, with the waves at heel; the wind was softening to a tuneful breeze; fluffy, radiantly white clouds were beginning to light up in a vast fathomless dome of delicate pale blue. It was the dawn of a beautiful day in the Pacific Ocean” (Martel 108). Pi uses rich, descriptive language to attract and allow the reader to experience the same things that he is. In this way, the reader can better imagine the situation that Pi is placed in. In addition to describing his serene surroundings, Pi also describes his stormy and violent surroundings with the same type of descriptive language. During one of the biggest storms, Pi says, “What I had seen up till now were mere hillocks of water. These swells were truly mountains. The valleys we found ourselves in were so deep they were gloomy. Their sides were so steep the lifeboat
Vs.
The Catcher in the Rye
-A Comparative Essay
All literature contains a purpose behind it—an underlying message that the author is trying to convey. As a result of this, most novels typically tend to focus on several specific areas, leaving other areas less explored. Setting, main character, and conflict are arguably the three most important elements of a novel. Novels such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger demonstrate the importance of these three elements, yet highlight these areas to different degrees. Much of this variation is due to the different genres and styles of both books. Classic coming of age novels like The Catcher in the Rye typically focus on the …show more content…
Oftentimes, the setting is a key factor in determining the meaning of the story or the intentions of the author, since the context of a situation can determine the conflict or the plot. This is especially evident in Martel’s Life of Pi. In this novel, the setting is a very significant aspect of the book, because it is the reason and the source of all the suffering that the main character, Pi Patel, endures. For the most part of the book, Pi is retelling his story of surviving 227 days on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Although by the end of the book, two parallel stories are told, it is important to realize that the setting remains constant in both stories. As the stories are retold in first person, the reader is taken into the eyes of Pi Patel, in which he continuously describes his surroundings and what he is going through. The day after Pi’s ship sinks and he is thrown onto the lifeboat, he portrays the environment he is in. “The weather was changing rapidly. The sea, so immense, so breathtakingly immense, was settling into a smooth and steady motion, with the waves at heel; the wind was softening to a tuneful breeze; fluffy, radiantly white clouds were beginning to light up in a vast fathomless dome of delicate pale blue. It was the dawn of a beautiful day in the Pacific Ocean” (Martel 108). Pi uses rich, descriptive language to attract and allow the reader to experience the same things that he is. In this way, the reader can better imagine the situation that Pi is placed in. In addition to describing his serene surroundings, Pi also describes his stormy and violent surroundings with the same type of descriptive language. During one of the biggest storms, Pi says, “What I had seen up till now were mere hillocks of water. These swells were truly mountains. The valleys we found ourselves in were so deep they were gloomy. Their sides were so steep the lifeboat