Grief In Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

The way out of grief is through it. The loss of Pi’s family is big for him to go through and it is important to him that he makes himself not think about it too much. In the book Life of Pi, by Yann Martel gives the reader two stories of how Pi survives in the sea. Despite the two stories told by Pi in the book the reader can assume that one of the stories is true and one is not. Pi explains that the story with animals makes him feel better, since Pi went through this gruesome shipwreck and the death of his family. Pi chooses to tell the animal version of the the story. The animal version of Pi’s story helps Pi go through the loss of his family in the shipwreck. When Pi tells Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba the animal version of the story, they do not believe it and want Pi to tell what really happened. “Mr. Okamoto: “Now about the tiger, we’re not sure about it either.” “What do you mean?” “We have difficulty believing it.” “It’s an incredible story”(Martel 295-296). The story was too good for them to believe, it was was like a fantasy to Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba. Pi’s loss of his family is already too much for him so the telling of his animal story helps him not to break down and bring him back the terrifying memories.

Pi asks Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba which story they liked better, this relieves Pi making him feel better. “Which story do you prefer? Which is the better story with animals or the story without animals?.... Mr. Chiba: “The story with animals.” Mr. Okamoto: “Yes. The story with animals is the better story.” Pi Patel: “Thank you. And so it goes with God” (Martel 317). Pi wants them to choose the animal story rather than the real story. Pi tells the animal story as in an alternative of the real story because he did not want to bring the memories