Sorrow And Tragedy In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

Grief, sorrow and tragedy occur ineluctably throughout every single person’s life. There is no way around it. This concept is exceptionally portrayed by a wisdom filled, sagacious teenager named Pi Patel in Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi. Pi’s theoretical take on the world along with the religions and hobbies he practices, showcase his unique personality and philosophical outlook on these hardships in someone’s life. When Pi states the line, “to choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation,” (36) he is explaining how this grief, sorrow and tragedy are all caused by doubt. Doubt is something that all humans give into when they do not believe nor have the confidence to complete a task. So,

Known to me and my sister as Mimi, our grandma was diagnosed with early stage lung cancer in October of 2016. When she first got the news, she was devastated and began to let doubt take over. With so many scary questions spinning around her mind, Mimi could not help but to think the worst. It was like she was frozen in the mindset that she was going to lose everything. My grandpa even shaved his own head so she would not have to go through the loss of her hair alone. Despite my grandpas effort, her dignity, her self confidence, and her strength were all put to the test. However, after some time and encouragement from her other family and friends, Mimi began to see the brighter side of things. I specifically remember the time we went to the boutique, Amazing Styles, to get her very first wig. She always loved her hair blonde, so it was no surprise when she chose a shoulder length, curly, blonde wig. It was the first step to her confidence and the first step away from the doubt that had been building inside her for so long. From here, it only got better for Mimi. Her chemo was coming to a close and her radiation therapy became less needed each week. Mimi was starting to feel like herself again, and before we knew it she was in remission. To this day she is cancer free, and I could not be more proud of the confident, optimistic person Mimi has become after she defeated