tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8987878661178693781.post8280079576332366392..comments2023-10-02T07:58:05.303-07:00Comments on Molten Mercy: Review of Life of Pi by Yann Martelleliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322159218521168878noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8987878661178693781.post-24038121948084672052013-01-08T15:43:04.512-08:002013-01-08T15:43:04.512-08:00gcotharn:....really?.......must think this over.gcotharn:....really?.......must think this over.leliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322159218521168878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8987878661178693781.post-36995338076767830722013-01-08T14:05:34.649-08:002013-01-08T14:05:34.649-08:00My opinion:
the issue is materialism vs spirituali...My opinion:<br />the issue is materialism vs spirituality.<br /><br />Pi's second story, to the insurance executives, is a true story which is strictly materialistic, and which ignores spirituality. <br /><br />Pi's first story is also a true story: a true story which honors the spiritual dimension of existence. <br /><br />Pi's adventure is said to "make you believe in God". At the end, Pi asks the journalist which story he prefers. The journalist says: "The one with the lion." Pi smiles: maybe without knowing it, the journalist has said that he prefers an existence which includes a spiritual dimension (as opposed to a strictly materialistic existence: i.e. an existence which recognizes no spiritual dimension).<br /><br />Some examples of how the first story was a true story about spirituality:<br /><br />-- the lion represented Pi's survival instinct. The lion killed the cook; ate meat; fiercely fought for survival. Much of this was abhorrent to Pi's sensibilities about himself. Yet, Pi did this to survive. <br /><br />-- Pi represented himself, and also conscience. Pi's conscience tamed the lion; learned to co-exist, in harmony, with Pi's survival instinct. Learned to work together, for ultimate good. <br /><br />-- the raft represented faith. The physical structure of the raft represented an abstract artistic amalgamation of symbols for Christianity (the cross), Islam (the crescent) and Hinduism. In crisis: Pi's faith sustained. He could always depend on his raft, i.e. on his faith. His faith/raft only let him down when he failed to account for the laws of physics, and the raft dumped his food stock into the ocean. Even faith must be in harmony with the laws of physics. <br /><br />I will only add that there are signs, in the story, that the animal story is not a materialistic story, but rather is a true story about the spiritual aspect of existence. Some of those signs would include the fact that captive animals escaped the sinking ship, and behavior of the animals - on the water and during the storm - which could not happen in reality. These were early signals that the animal story was not a literal, materialistic story.gcotharnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10912428161978690599noreply@blogger.com