Reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel was a very interesting experience for me. Martel’s suggestions about religion and faith, while in contrast to many of my beliefs, opened many important questions. The way that Martel intricately intertwines the ideas of religion and fictional story-telling is at once beautiful and frightening. One of the first connections of this that stood out to me was when Martel described the difference between a dying atheist and a dying agnostic.
“I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: “White, white! L-L-Love! My God!”—and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, “Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,” and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.”
The same imagery is used as the book draws to an end. As Pi’s interviewers express their disbelief at his incredible story, his disappointment in their close-mindedness is evident.
“I know what you want. You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will
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In this way, Martel makes a direct connection between believing in religion and believing in a fictional story. While he thinks believing in these things to be virtuous, the implication of this connection is that religion really is not factual, but is merely the more interesting or rewarding story. It seems to me that all throughout Pi’s story, he is not searching for truth at all, but rather the best story for his life. This is a very post-modern idea about truth, and it is very evident in Martel’s writing. The issue that I have with this idea of abstract truth is that absolute truth is such an important part of Christianity. I believe that Truth is not an unattainable idea, but that God’s truth can be found in all areas of