Abstract
Yann Martel’s novel “Life of Pi” recounts the extraordinary survival story of Pi Patel, a young boy stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger as his companion. While the novel’s premise is grounded in a literal journey of survival against the ocean’s unpredictable elements, this paper explores how Pi’s oceanic voyage becomes a metaphorical and philosophical journey. The paper argues that the ocean functions as a dual symbol: it reflects both the external struggle for survival and an inner quest for meaning, faith, and transformation. Through his time at sea, Pi undergoes profound physical, mental, and spiritual transformations, facing the duality of reality and illusion, reason and belief, as represented by his two versions of the story. Drawing on theories of survival literature, postcolonialism, and the metaphysical, this paper examines how the oceanic setting in ‘Life of Pi” functions as a space for the exploration of human resilience, existential inquiry, and the interplay between narrative and truth. Ultimately, the ocean in “Life of Pi” becomes a symbolic arena where Pi confronts both the forces of nature and the profound depths of his own being.
Presenters
Alvin JosephAssistant Professor, English, St. George's College Aruvithura, Kerala, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
OCEANIC JOURNEYS, NOVEL, SURVIVAL, TRANSFORMATION, METAPHYSICAL
