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    Commentary of Chapter 61

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    Linnea Freij
    This extract from Chapter 61 of Life of Pi describes Pi killing his first fish out of necessity for survival after being shipwrecked. Pi struggles against his nature as a Hindu who believes in non-violence. While the act allows Pi to live, he feels he has lost his innocence and purity after taking a life. The experience transforms Pi from an innocent boy into a hardened man willing to do what it takes to survive.

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    Commentary of Chapter 61

    Uploaded by

    Linnea Freij
    375 views2 pages
    This extract from Chapter 61 of Life of Pi describes Pi killing his first fish out of necessity for survival after being shipwrecked. Pi struggles against his nature as a Hindu who believes in non-violence. While the act allows Pi to live, he feels he has lost his innocence and purity after taking a life. The experience transforms Pi from an innocent boy into a hardened man willing to do what it takes to survive.

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    This extract from Chapter 61 of Life of Pi describes Pi killing his first fish out of necessity for survival after being shipwrecked. Pi struggles against his nature as a Hindu who believes in non-violence. While the act allows Pi to live, he feels he has lost his innocence and purity after taking a life. The experience transforms Pi from an innocent boy into a hardened man willing to do what it takes to survive.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    375 views2 pages

    Commentary of Chapter 61

    Uploaded by

    Linnea Freij
    This extract from Chapter 61 of Life of Pi describes Pi killing his first fish out of necessity for survival after being shipwrecked. Pi struggles against his nature as a Hindu who believes in non-violence. While the act allows Pi to live, he feels he has lost his innocence and purity after taking a life. The experience transforms Pi from an innocent boy into a hardened man willing to do what it takes to survive.

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    Commentary of Chapter 61, Life of Pi

    Canadian author Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963. He grew up in many different countries and had many different jobs before publishing his first book. Life of Pi was his breakthrough and he was awarded the Man Booker Prize for it in 2002. This is an extract from chapter 61, in which Pi retells the story of how he killed his first fish, which was a somewhat life changing experience for him and one may say that Pi loses his innocence. I. Pi goes from Dalai Lama to mindless brute or is he?

    Pi really needs fish ->fish arrives in a slightly unbelievable way Gift from God. Pi uses several humanizing expressions for the fish the fishs transformation in Pis eyes. Very difficult for pi to do it, very slow progress Pi forces himself to do something against his very nature Imagines himself in the fishes place Gives up but then finds reasons an unselfish goal to work towards (even though its mostly for himself) -(l.40) the longer I waited, the longer the fishs sufferings would go on. The killing mechanical, he doesnt want to think of what hes doing. Grief, over the fish as well as himself. Denial it looked like fish [] in the markets of Pondicherry feels better. Hinduism forbids killing any sentient life - Compares himself to Cain who murdered his brother fish ->brother-soul He is now stained for all future I had now blood on my hands. Something dies within Pi with the fish - he isnt the same person as before This first killing is somewhat symbolical - (l.49) I never forget to include this fish in my prayers.- No problem killing after that. Something dies within Pi with the fish - he isnt the same person as before Pis innocence and purity (fish a Christian symbol). Survival of the fittest, the need to change. Practical way of living.

    II. Pi the missing link between man and animal

    Pi learns how to fish out of necessity, learns new skills out of need No fish = dead Pi. Pi is both man and animal: He has the skills and technique of a human, but the energy of an animal. He has lost all angst about his actions - no remorse about killing for survival catching of the dorado brings him pride and joy, excitement. Pi has changed. Pi excitement and nervousness - The Old Man and the Sea: Struggle of the man vs. the sea

    Here in this chapter, we understand how strong Pi is, and how determined. He forces himself to go against his very nature in order to survive. So on might say that instead of taming Richard Parker, in this extract Pi takes control over himself.

    He changes from innocent, idealistic boy to skillful and hardened man. In this change Pi loses something of who he was and takes to him something new. The change was necessary in order to survive, but Pi can now never go back to being the pure boy of his childhood.

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