Life of Pi: Pt. IV

Chapter 95
“The story with animals is the better story.” “Thank you. And so it goes with God.” (Martel 317)

Ch. 95 Explanation:
This quote is important because it lets the reader know that it is the truth. When Pi says, “And so it goes with God.” he is saying that it’s the truth, and he and God are the only ones that will know for sure. It’s like the saying, “God only knows.”

Chapter 96
“Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” (Martel 297)

Ch. 96 Explanation:
The importance of this quote is that it establishes the concept of having faith. Everything in the world can be questioned and will be questioned, it’s just up to the person whether or not they choose to believe it. Pi knows that just because something is hard to believe, it doesn’t mean that it’s not real.

Chapter 97
“Solitude began. I turned to God. I survived.” (Martel 311)

Ch. 97 Explanation:
Once Pi is all alone, he puts his faith in God. Sometimes being alone is what is needed in order to get closer to God, and that’s exactly what happens to Pi. He survives because he puts his life in Gods hands. He gives everything up to God and in return he receives life.

Chapter 98
“That’s right. We believe what we see.” “So did Columbus. What do you do when you’re in the dark?” (Martel 294)

Ch. 98 Explanation:
Pi is trying to prove to the two officials that you can’t always just believe what you see. He uses Columbus as an example because Columbus thought he found India, but it turned out to be the Americas. This is important because Pi is trying to persuade the officials that his story is in fact true.

Chapter 99
“Your island is botanically impossible.” “Said the fly just before landing in the Venus flytrap.” (Martel 294)

Ch. 99 Explanation:
In these quotes Pi and the officials are discussing the island of algae that Pi encountered on his journey. Pi is trying to prove a point here, the point being that people don’t believe things unless they experience them. Pi uses the personification of a fly to describe people who have to see to believe.

Chapter 100
"'So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?' Mr. Okamoto: 'That's an interesting question?' Mr. Chiba: 'The story with animals.' Mr. Okamoto: 'Yes. The story with animals is the better story.' Pi Patel: 'Thank you. And so it goes with God.'"

Ch. 100 Explanation:
Pi is pointing out one of the main problems with society. He's showing how obsessed we are with money and other materialistic things. He's showing how we'd do anything for it even if it's wrong or a lie.

WORKS CITED:

• "Life of Pi: Themes, Motifs, & Symbols." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
• "Life of Pi Quotes." By Yann Martel. Good Reads Inc., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
• Shmoop Editorial Team. "Life of Pi Symbolism, Imagery, & Allegory." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.