Title: Life of Pi

Genre: Fiction

Characters:

Pi/ Piscine Patel-

The main character in the story. He is an enthusiastic boy, full of courage and faith with GOD. He has a great heart with animals around him, and has a respect to the nature because he was raised in a vegetarian family.  

Gita Patel-

Her compassionate mother, a pure Indian with beliefs of Hinduisms. She is passionate to her child, she even tell some stories to them before bed time that later become an inspiring words for Pi to live a righteous life.  She is the reason why Pi was named Piscine, because she likes so much the Piscine pool, which she believed the best pool in the world.

Santosh Patel

The father of Piscine, a man full of wisdom that teaches Pi the realities of life. Unlike her mother, Santosh wants his child to see what is real and what is proper in living. One thing he wants that Piscine to develop is the rational mind that not just accepting everything blindly. In the contrary, he don’t believe that Richard Parker has a soul, indeed he is stressing to Pi that Richard Parker is an animal, he don’t have a heart.

Richard parker the tiger

The tiger who journeyed with Pi along the sea. He is a beast in nature, a hungry ever animal, but in the middle of the film became a friend to Pi.  He served as one of the strength of Piscine, though it is hard for them to interact with each other. A tiger that proved the belief of Pi, that animal has souls.

Setting:

 Pondicherry, India; the Pacific Ocean; Mexico; Canada

Plot:

Exposition:

The story started with the narration of Pi in the origin of his name, his name was got from the Piscine pool from France, where they are partly living. His mother is a hindu believer and his father is an owner of a zoo. He was called Pi because in the different classes he has, he always finds way on how to illustrate his name “Pi”.

Conflict:

There was a great storm that passed during the travel of Piscine’s family, it spared Pi from his family, and he was left alone in a boat together with the animals. He struggled through survival, he fought with the storms that came and he hardly managed to keep the animals as his friends especially the tiger.

Climax:

There was a strong storm that raged Pi and Richard Parker; they were torn up and down the boat. Pi finds it hard to steady himself and Richard parker is getting weak because of too much waves that hurts him.

Falling action:

It was the moment that Richard parker is almost dying and Pi almost lost his will to live. He thought of giving up his life and just leaving everything to God. He is almost out of hope that he will be surviving.

Resolution:

It was then Pi woke up with a mystical carnivorous islands, he finds a hope. He rested their for a moment, and at night he found out the real characteristic of that place, that he is lucky enough to realize that he didn’t became a victim of a lotus rather of that carnivorous island. He found another day to live and as he continues his journey, and there was an island of Mexico where he landed off.  Richard Parker went off the shore and found a jungle, there he left Pi and they separately live with their own worlds.

Theme:

Spiritual life as the only means to the way of survival:

The movie has shown the real essence of having spiritual life during certain circumstances. For it will bring hope to every hopeless situation and will keep us alive despite hunger and thirst, this will never let us drown from the deep waters that seems to swallow us.

Symbolism:

Richard Parker/Tiger- an animal that when referred to a person is aggressive, audacious and fierce. His role is a representation of people who are sometimes hard to be reached out because of their strong personalities. But they also have soul, just what Pi believes what the tiger has. This symbolizes the inner heart of every person or animal; there will be no hard heart if a person shows goodness.

Mystical Island:

This Island is said to be carnivorous, which is the representation of the struggle for existence. Just like in some common situations we had, a person stabs people, for them to survive; they have to injure another species. Also it symbolizes that Life in the earth or in this world is full of deception that what we thought to be beautiful in our eyes could possibly harm us. If we will not be careful enough in sensing each danger that comes our way, we will not able to live long and exist in this world.

1. What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?

The movie was entitled as the life of Pi. The title life of Pi truly relates to the whole movie because it focuses on the struggles of Piscine from her young age, how he got his name, when he started to believe in God up to the stage of his life where he has that great struggle at sea and how he survived the circumstances together with his tiger- Richard Parker.  It is narrated by Piscine itself.

2. among the characters, to who can you relate to?

I can relate most to Piscine/ Pi’s character not because I have experienced also struggling alone at sea but the faith he has that makes him survive despite of hunger, thirst and hopelessness sometimes, is also the faith that keeps me intact as a person, keeping a strong hold to God even though everything that keeps you going was taken by the strong storms in life.  These characteristics of Pi, makes me see my inner strength in surpassing great challenges and making every bitter memories an aid to move on with a happy life.

3. Which part of the presentation struck you the most? Why?

The part of the movie that struck me the most is when Pi found that Richard Parker which is his only companion at sea is about to lose its life. He suddenly gives water to Richard Parker to make the animal survive; this makes me realize that even the man we have known to be courageous and hopeful has his weakest part where he would almost wanted to give up. And the part where he looked up the sky and called for his Mama and Papa has touched me so much because I felt fortunate enough to have my parents and family alive with me. But despite of this so much longing that he is fighting with; still he thanked God for giving a life to him and surrendered everything to his own creator. As a Christian, I have realized how important to always thank God for giving me a wonderful life, because not everyone could have it and most people today struggle so much to survive each day of their lives.

4. What is the movie’s message?

Generally, the writer of this story and the director of the movie want the audience to feel how hard it is to fight for your life. This movie wants us to appreciate what we have today, for we would not know what lays ahead our journey, like Pi, we could be alone or be left without our loved ones in an unexpected happening. It is also to teach us that in life, letting go is not easy for everyone, it make us cry so much, down to sorrow and depression, but no matter how painful to let go, we still have to continue living and face another journey. Each time that we learn to let go, we also learn to close another chapter of our lives and open another part with new experiences and new companions.

5. Did I like this in general? Why?

I really like the movie, because the story of Pi helped me gain more strength to pursue living with my dreams and I have learned various ways on how to deal with great storms in my journey and one way is by learning to appreciate those problems while conquering it all.

The lines are extraordinary that makes me listen more because I know I can get a lesson from it. The actor played his character in a very impressive way, how he cried makes me also want to cry. The settings are great, creative imagery, and the music got a very good timing to every scene, especially in the drama parts.

6. Did I agree with the main theme/purpose? Why or why not?

Yes I agree with the spiritual theme that I have seen on the movie. this gives me a reason to love God more and letting him direct my path.

7. What specifically did I like/dislike? Why?

I don’t like the part where hyena keeps on hurting the zebra...and making it as a food for its hungry stomach. I pity much the zebra, for it has no enough strength to fight the hyena. I can compare it to our society today, where strong forces always oppress those who can’t battle with them. The hyena reminds me of greed which hinders small people to go on.

8. Are there any aspects of theme which are left ambiguous at the end? Why?

The only thing that is unclear to me is the point that there is no rescue operation during the sink of the ship.  It appears to be exaggerated when a ship passed by and not recognizing Pi’s signal, I just find it awkward because this should has been shown to illustrate a realistic situation during accidents at sea.

9. How does this film relate to the things that are happening in your life?

I am a person who loves to deal with storm but gets weak sometimes. Recently, I am faced with great challenge on my part as a student and I feel so burdened that the person I expect to lift me up puts me down. I feel discouraged but I was retrieved when I reflected upon the dreams I want to pursue and to get myself a justice from what they thought me to be. This film is an exact description on how I struggle so much to attain life and build myself as a person. I am proud enough to say that like Pi, I am built with big faith that keeps me go on.