Does Pi's story make you believe in God?
I think
Life of Pi tests your ability to believe in a religion rather than actually convincing you to believe in God. As Pi mentioned, the difference between the agnostic and the atheist is agnostic's inability to believe in the better story. There are two versions of Pi's survival stories. One is an incredible story that involves many animals and a tiger named Richard Parker. The other is rather realistic yet depressing story that involves an insane cook. The more realistic version of the story is shocking and despicable. Without a doubt, the story with the animal is the better one. However, the parallel between the two stories are too great to ignore the other story.
The story with the tiger is by far the better story.The characters and the animals match up perfectly. Then, who does Richard Parker represent? In my opinion, Richard Parker is God. He is fearful of God at first, but in the end he relies on God and becomes familiar with God, just as he befriends Richard Parker. Hence, if you have the ability to believe in the story, you have the ability to believe in God. If you truly believe in the better story, you believe in God. When Mr. Okamoto agrees that "The story with animals is the better story," Pi replies, "Thank you. And so it goes with God" (Martel 317). Rather a mysterious remark, but it seems that Pi is implying that the story with animals is a story with God while the story with people is a story without God.
Possible God?I'm sorry, but I fail to see the resemblance between Dillard's essay and the floating island in Life of Pi. The only thing I find rather similar is that the author and Pi both are curious about what is going on: "...all because I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted in on a secret" (Anthology 25). They both find horrid things because of their curiosity. Pi finds out that the island is a carnivorous island made of algae, and the author from Dillard's essay sees something horrid that he wishes he hadn't seen.
I don't believe Pi is particularly sentimental. He becomes a bit emotional when he is telling the story and is still traumatized by the event, but he manages to lead a rather normal life otherwise.
