‘Life of Pi explores the importance of believing in the better story.’

“the better story” “Words of divine consciousness: moral exaltation; lasting feelings of elevation, elation, joy; a quickening of the moral sense, which strikes one as more important than an intellectual understanding of things; an alignment of the universe along moral lines, not intellectual ones; a realisation that the founding principle of existence is what we call love, which works itself out sometimes not clearly, not cleanly, not immediately, nonetheless ineluctably.” 63

“the better story” “…lack imagination and miss the better story.” 64 “Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?” 317 The “better story” is the story which opens up the audience’s mind; the story which provides them with a new way of seeing the world. Being able to see the better story is an act of interpretation and creation. It is about how we see the world and create meaning from it.

A better story gives meaning to the world For Pi, his better story comes from his understanding of religion and the ability it gives him to see the world as part of a higher purpose. “The universe makes sense through the eyes of a Hindu…That which sustains the universe beyond though and language, and that which is at the core of us and struggles for expression, is the same thing. The finite within the infinite, the infinite within the finite.” 48 Re. Christianity: “Their religion had one Story, and to it they came back again and again…It was story enough for them.” 53 Re. Islam: “I gazed into this brook for long spells of time. It was not wide, just one man’s voice, but it was as deep as the universe…The spot was in fact no different from when I had passed it not long before, but my way of seeing it had changed…I knelt a mortal; I rose and immortal.” 62

Belief allows you to see purpose Religion is not the only way; what is important is a belief in a higher purpose. Belief, faith and imagination combine in a much broader manner. This is seen in the two Kumars: one a devout Muslim, the other an ardent atheist. “In all this there are messages indeed for a people who use their reason.” “The Rolls-Royce of equids…Equus burchelli boehmi.” “…a wondrous creature…Allahu ackbar.” The message is open to interpretation; the meaning is constructed by the individual. What both share is a belief in something beyond themselves – that there is a purpose to life. Science and religion are equal in this instance.

Adherence to facts limits imagination Without imagination, a person’s understanding of the world becomes limited to mere facts, and they miss the enormity of existence. They are shut out of the “better story”, and they lose the ability to find a higher purpose, appreciation and meaning. Agnosticism: “…the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self…stays beholden to dry, yeastless…and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.” 64 The Japanese investigators: “You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won’t make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality.” 302

Imagination allows a person to find purpose Beyond the day to day needs of food and water, Pi’s journey on the raft is extraordinary because of his outlook and his view of the world. His mental fortitude, fed by his faith and a belief in a higher purpose, is what keeps him human, and allows him to accept his existence. “Reason is the very best tool kit…But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.” 298 “I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this….Life is a peephole, a singly tiny entry onto a vastness – how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view of things?” 177

Imagination allows a person to live Being able to create a “better story”, with this greater purpose, also allows Pi to overcome his hardships. The creation of the “story with animals” allows Pi to deal with the horrific aspects of his journey, but giving him a greater purpose to work towards (caring for Richard Parker) and by allowing him to leave behind some of his guilt: The killing of his first fish, his slaughter of the dorado and sea turtles, and turning his back on his vegetarian beliefs. (“a person can get used to anything, even to killing.” 185) The murder of the French cook. (“Something died in me then that never came back to life.” 255) Imagination allows him to survive, understand his actions and live on, rather than being consumed by his experiences. “Words scratched on a page trying to capture a reality that overwhelmed me.” 208

Other ideas: “If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for?...Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God it hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” 297 “Remember: the spirit, above all else, counts. If you have the will to live, you will.” 167 “If we citizens do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.” Author’s Note xii