But ultimately, Pi sees that the dark side of this will eventually consume him and he must move on. The carnivorous island is the carnivorous (cannibalistic) cook. Can a story about a skinny vegetarian boy and a big Bengal Tiger teach us anything deeper? Haven't seen the movie yet but i've read the book. At the very least it lets the viewer decide for themselves in the end, though which is "preferable" is pretty heavily implied. So we could say: you know these people are faking. WHOA! And i want all of you to remember when you believed it too. Pi's faith is greater than anyone else, certainly in his family, and possibly in the world. But, it's true. I believe others have said it in this thread, but the author of the book meant to imply the fantasy story was real, and the whole point of the story was to convince people to consider that they don't know everything about the world. The book is divided into three parts: After the author’s note, part 1 tells about Pi’s young life and his love of animals and religion. Explain the various literary effects of each of the threads and how each is related to the theme. This leads me to believe that the Island, like the animals from the original story, is a symbol for something. Its about life….. the geometry of life which is known as PHI (the golden ratio)….. that is what his machine is doing with the stocks…. The island is literally his mother. 7 years ago. so: a scene where Pi tied a wrist band to the root (her body), same thing can be found when his girlfriend tie a band on his wrist which is a way of saying goodbye. Could you? His suffering left him “sad and gloomy,” but he continued his religious practices and zoological studies and slowly became happy again. Pi's embrace of his id and rejection of the superego is a survival instinct based on the complacent tendencies of the superego. The reality is Pi created a story for himself. What I haven't understood is the significance of the carnivorous island that Pi encounters on his journey. ._12xlue8dQ1odPw1J81FIGQ{display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle} I think you are meant to ask the same question about the rest of the story as well. This is because they invite a short response and we want to encourage in-depth discussion (plus the mods don't want to delete a bunch of single-sentence replies). The same image as the island appears in the clouds of the tea growing valley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SPrMbuVxbQ @ 1:22) and again where he thanks Vishnu for introducing him to Christ. Heres whats great about Life of Pi. One story explains Pi's internal struggles and the other explains his external ones. Why Meercats? This comment should be upvoted to the top. (perhaps the dark side of the island is the decaying, rotting flesh of the cook.) I think "Which story is true?" Overwhelmed by the circumstances and terrified of dying, Pi becomes distraught and unable to take action. For the benefit of those who haven't seen it, Life of Pi is a philosophical movie based on a book about an Indian boy whose family owns a zoo. In a way it's kind of like leading a witness in court. Life on the carnivorous island is basic survival which is a meaningless, unsatisfying life. In the end, we're told that the Zebra symbolizes the sailor, the Orangutan his mother, the Hyena is the brutish cook and Richard Parker the Bengal Tiger is Pi himself. Pi moves on to continue a spiritual journey because of this. These words are spoken by Pi early in Part One, at the end of chapter 4, after a long discussion of zoo enclosures. The theme is about struggling to survive against all odds. It's not clear which story is true, but the introduction to pi's tale "a story that will make you believe in God" implies the truth. The nighttime island would be contemplating the ethical consequences of his actions (his reflection of the human tooth). I recently rewatched. is the wrong question. If you don't want to make it about religion we can use another example, from what I believe is the core message, which is not "which do you believe to be more plausible". The first story was Pi's reality, or at least the one he created for himself, and it was through that reality he was able to remain sane when he arrived in Mexico. This is one of those movies in which I don't agree with the message, but I completely understand it. On that island, Pi also gives up the charm that Anandi ties around his wrist as he swims enjoying its temporary freshwater pools. How in the heck did I get THAT?! I think it might symbolize Pi's lack of faith. 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