. Spinning .

Nice little twist at the end, something that satisfies a writer's soul. Martel brings up the notion of story, and what is fiction and what is truth as Pi retells his story briefly to a group who interviews him when he is washed up on shore and saved.

By changing the elements of his original tale to eliminate the magical realism of the animals, and an island that eats life, he is more readily believed. However, the tale is not quite so entrancing. The struggle of man against man is dramatic; the struggle of a single man against the natural enemies of beast and sea and sun is more exciting. 

Perhaps this is where Pi's religious faith comes in; the notion of choosing his god by the elements of power, strength, love, or whatever, knowing that the colorful beauty of Hinduism holds its appeal for him. We choose to believe in what can be seen many different ways, by our own needs.

And, spoilers; though I'm sure no one reads my reviews without realizing that I care not a whit for such things, particularly since I'm discussing rather than reviewing, and more in a non-usual manner.

But this: A man-eating island!

Too cute:

Okay, pi.

It is quite likely one of the least controversial of ethical questions: cannibalism. I say least controversial because most people agree that it certainly shouldn't be an accepted practice, and only if forced by threatened survival–and then, only if the eatee is already dead–would some resort to it. Pi has been faced with even this, and he, not surprisingly, succumbs.

How strong is the will to survive that we can overcome all beliefs–including religious–to adapt ourselves to the situation at hand? I just took a couple of tests online about ethics and moral questions focusing on making choices of sacrificing one person for the many (recalling, of course, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas). There was no scoring, no commenting on my answers, yet I was anxious to see how I would have done. My own gut feelings were based on not being willing to trade one life for several, particularly in an ambitious and purposeful manner, though I lessened my standards on those that were not clearly of my own decision but rather as a possibility. My basis for choice was that while I am being told that to not risk the life of one, I am surely allowing the others to die, I don't accept that. But then, I never aced the "assume that" questions on tests either.

One thing I find interesting is that although Pi mentions his gods or his religions, even claims at one point to pray several times a day, and even though he states that his family is never out of his mind, I find that the story conflicts with this. There is likely a purpose to Martel's playing up of the religious aspect in the beginning of the book, but I'm not quite catching it here unless it is to prove that man's own nature sets his own ethical beliefs and values, without the need for a religious influence.

This is nice:

Interesting pattern of both passage of time and changes in character:

In describing his method of killing for food, Pi displays a distinct change from the boy who loved animals, who was in fact a vegetarian to the practical human he has become. What this does bring back to mind is a very early episode in the book where his father, needing to teach his sons that the zoo animals were basically still instinctually wild and therefore dangerous, he feeds a goat to a lion and makes the boys watch.

This would also indicate to me that Martel plans his story out a lot more carefully than it would seem to read.