What happens when an Indian boy, a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger are placed on a lifeboat? A very powerful and complex story develops. Recently, the Winthrop University Literary Society hosted its annual book panel discussion on the novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Life of Pi won the Man Booker Prize in 2002. Martel’s book depicts the story of Piscine “Pi” Patel, an Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat with zoo animals after his ship sinks. This book revived fiction on the Literary Society’s panel discussion. After reviewing the book completely, I do not think that Martel’s claim that a reader should believe in God works to his advantage. The book leaves questions rather than answers. The concept of there being a person able to conceive three different religions at the same time sounds preposterous.

Life of Pi touches on the sensitive subject of religion while leaving the issue of innocence to the reader for reflection. Pi, the protagonist, finds salvation in animals and believing in  three major world faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. How can someone be Christian, Muslim, and Hindu at the same time? Questions like these are given to readers to consider. Meshing these different systems of religion does not apparently fit, but the incredible journey Pi encounters pieces together his approach to religion’s place in the world around him.

One of the major points of contention with this book is a portion of the author’s note in which Martel secretively alludes to a man named Moacyr Scliar: “Also, I am indebted to Mr. Moacyr Scliar, for the spark of life” (xii). The statement seems awkward and out of place. He makes this dedication, but after doing some research on the reasons for the dedication, it becomes apparent that Moacyr Scliar wrote a book entitled Max and the Cats, which depicts the same story line Martel describes in Life of Pi. The story by Scliar portrays a German refugee who shares a boat with a jaguar across the Atlantic Ocean; ironically, the idea parallels fairly close. Incidentally, Martel denies ever reading Scliar’s book and asserts that Scliar’s claims about his story being a copy of his  own are unfounded. The idea still originated with Scliar and shamefully, the only rebuttal that Martel has is the fact he read a review some time before writing Life of Pi.

Pi, originally Piscine, was named after a famous swimming pool in Paris. He grows up in Pondicherry, which was French-Indian territory. Pi understands animals and how to take care of them as his family owns a zoo. Along with zoology, he develops an interest in religion. Pi is Hindu, but later adds Christianity and Islam as other faiths to pull strength and identity. Arguably, a claim can be made that zoology and religion redefine who Pi is and what he becomes.