Wow! What a twist to the Life of Pi!

Okay, this post is going to have spoilers. That's the only way I get to ask you what you thought about the conclusion!

You may also get a better idea of why I was an English Major. Because I could easily write up a squeaky neat  analysis paper on this book. Nevertheless, you will get the informal layout of what I want to say!

(Click "read more" if you have finished Life of Pi.)

I love twists at the ends of books. Only if they're good ones. Or thought-provoking ones. And Life of Pi totally blew them out of the water! (Excuse the awful pun).

START OFF THE DISCUSSION
The question I want to ask is (well, there are many) - but did you find yourself relating to the Japanese investigators at the end of the book who wanted to know how the ship, the Tsimtsum, sank but didn't believe all the details of Pi's story of being at sea?

I was like the investigators, because even though I love to suspend my disbelief when reading stories (or watching movies) I, too, would have liked to know whether it was all true. Pi certainly tells the story as if it really happened.

But then he gives us a second, more realistic version, which is surprisingly metaphorical to the first version. Did you find yourself believing the second story more readily... but not wanting to?

If so, then the job of the Japanese investigators was truly done well. They exposed hard, cold realism without the warmth and richness that Pi gave them... then realized that they preferred Pi's first story.


THE CONSTRUCT OF NARRATION
Looking back on the entire novel, it becomes obvious how it was a constructed story of metaphors and symbols. The end of the book is where you get to appreciate the layers of narration. And in Life of Pi, there are several.


LAYER 1
Remember all those chapters talking about animal nature as it related to the zoo and human nature as it related to religion?  It turns out that those subjects become metaphors for each other in Pi's mind.

Telling the story to the Japanese investigators - you know, of all of those months at sea - was only 1 layer of narration that uses a story of animals to illuminate some fascinating points about human nature... especially when under duress.

Did you like that Pi was the tiger? I did. There's a whole world of analyzing there, if you want to go there.

LAYER 2
What about the telling of Pi's story to the Narrator whom we're introduced to at the beginning of the book? You know, the one who writes the "Author's Note" but isn't really Yann Martel, the author?

We have evidence along the way that this is a narrative layer as well. When "the author" meets with Pi, doesn't Pi cook up rich Indian dishes seasoned with spice and various sides?

Doesn't Pi have a natural tendency to embellish, or even just to appreciate details and revel in the richness of life as well as in his spicy Indian food?

LAYER 3
I truly admire anyone still reading this utterly English Major analysis at this point. Thanks a million!

Finally, what about Yann Martel himself? Isn't this Layer 3 of narration? Doesn't Yann Martel too like to "spice up" his story (the novel) and embellish it with elaborate descriptions? (Which I'm pretty sure I spent an entire post gushing over.) Doesn't he also discreetly present "the author" as if it were himself?

Before I read Life of Pi, I had actually spoken to someone who read it and thought that it was all a true story. That the author Yann Martel and "The Author" of Pi's story were one and the same.

It's not true. There are 3 storytellers in this novel. Yann Martel, The "Author", and Pi Patel.

So there you go. Suddenly the whole book turns into a neatly contrived story of 100 precise chapters that could be a metaphor for just about anything.

Well. :) I take that back. It's most likely about animals and humans. And storytellers.


STORYTELLING LOVE
Oh yes, I love the whole idea of storytelling and layers of narration. My overall assessment of Life of Pi is that it was expertly done. I was moved, at times I was convinced, the metaphors were subtle, but they were also unmistakable.

And I loved the descriptions! Contrived tool that they are!

Thanks for sticking it out with this post. I hope you appreciated Life of Pi as much as I did after analyzing just a few aspects. :)