Life of Pi

Pi’s ruminations on ethology and the assigning of Greek letters to animals in the animal social hierarchy reflects his inherent preference for order over chaos. Unlike the alpha, beta, and omega, with their fixed numeral values, pi in mathematics is both an irrational and transcendental number. Pi’s non-algebraic nature means that it cannot be expressed as a common fraction. Pi, then, either represents chaos or transcendence. Pi’s religious syncretism is a reflection of chaos from the perspective of human worshippers. Yet, his embrace of all religions also implies a triumph over the restrictive boundaries of religion. Pi’s eclecticism is not necessarily a universal ideal, as boundaries and ritual, while porous, help provide order in the human and animal universe. As in animal behavior, humans adhere to individual religions for social survival. While Pi problematizes inter-religious divisions, those boundaries nonetheless provide stability in an otherwise chaotic universe.

We see Pi’s religious eclecticism in the mixed iconography and adornments at his house in Canada. While he collects devotional objects, Pi appears more drawn to the “sense impressions” of religion more than “rite and ritual” (47-48). In Pi’s thought, the spirit of religion supersedes ritual and doctrine and accepts a multiplicity of religious ontologies and epistemic paths. In some ways, Pi’s arguably incoherent religious identity also mirrors the rhetorical structure of Life of Pi in its narrative interludes. These interludes offer a glimpse into Pi’s life post-accident, but they also serve a stylistic purpose that undermines the traditional linear narrative. As with the credibility of Pi’s narrative, discernment of truth—religious, moral, or literary—is not straightforward.

Pi’s proclivity for perennialism, or the idea that all religions share a single metaphysical truth, is on display throughout the tale. For instance, when comparing the story of Jesus to Hindu mythology, Pi thanks Lord Krishna for introducing him to Christ. Pi’s emphasis on sensory experience over rite and ritual further demonstrates his pantheistic tendencies. However, Pi is also drawn to simplicity and the centrality of Love in Christian doctrine. When Pi announces he wants to convert, Father says that Pi is already a Christian in his heart. This universal, faith-based, and less dogmatic message resonates with Pi. Similarly, even though Pi is mesmerized by the ordered nature of Muslim prayer ritual, Satish Kumar says Islam is more about the “Beloved.” Thus, Pi finds truth behind dogma and ritual in the spirit of Islam.

That Pi refers to both versions of Satish Kumar—the atheist biology teacher and the Muslim baker—as “prophets” further symbolizes the intertwining of religion and science or zoology and theology. We see this intertwining again when Pi has a profound religious experience on a casual bike ride. He recalls an experience of ontological unity: “whereas before the road, the sea, the trees, the air, the sun all spoke differently to me, now they spoke one language of unity. Tree took account of road, which was aware of air, which was mindful of sea, which shared things with sun” (62). As in pantheism, there is harmony in nature. The only other time Pi felt intense cosmic bliss was when he saw the Virgin Mary amid falling snow in Canada. As with the portrayal of religion in William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience, religion for Pi is a feeling of spiritual unity that manifests in everyday life.