Life of Pi: Blog 4

I enjoyed this book far more after I read the last twenty or so pages. Before, I had a hard time making sense of Pi and his relationship with Richard Parker and the other animals, but now I am glad that I read the "better story" instead of the true story. In actuality, Pi had to struggle with far more than just becoming a carnivore. He had to witness the shocking death of the other survivors, including his beloved mother, in addition to becoming a meat eater. I was most certainly not expecting this plot twist: I was under the impression that Pi and Richard Parker would somehow be rescued, and then Pi would open a zoo and live happily ever after. At first when Richard Parker ran away, I was mainly just mad at the tiger, but now I realize that his departure symbolized the arrival of reality: Pi was no longer able to mask the true story with stories of animals. What amazes me, though, is that Pi retains the ability to distinguish the truth from his "better story". I would think that he would subconsciously forget what really happened and just stick with his story about the animals. Pi's religious beliefs also make more sense now. He was on the raft all alone, and his devout faith and his "better story" were all he had to hold on to what sanity he could keep.