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The island seems to be a utopia, a nirvana, a heaven at first. Then, after Pi examines the fruit of the tree, the island seems to be some kind of hell. How can this be explained? Is there symbolism at work here? If so, explain that symbolism as you understand it.
Why is it that most people seem to turn to God only as a last resort (in the heat of battle, after a car crash, etc.)?
Who botched the farewell -- Pi or Richard Parker? Why is it significant that Richard Parker just lunged into the jungle without looking back?
15 comments:
In greek mythology a chimera is fire-breathing monster composed of a lion, a serpant, and a goat. A chimera sighting was usualy an omen of a storm, ship wreck, or natural disastor. In the world of biology a chimera is an organism (usually an animal) containing two differnet sets of DNA. Chimera can also be defined as a fanciful mental illusion, or an imaginary grotesque monster constisting of differant parts.
When Pi appoaches the island he refers to it as a chimera "a play of the mind" because he believes it is a mirage that its too good to be true. Later, to Pi's horror, he discover it is too good to be true. Just like a chimera the carnivorous island is a grotesque monster consisting of many parts.
I personaly beleive that the island is symbolic of a false paradise or false hope.
The significance that a chimera might have to the story is that symbol of the chimera is the predicament that Pi has found himself in. The island also is an embodiment of what the chimera symbolizes. The chimera can be defined as a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination. The island was just that: horrible and unreal.
Most people turn to God as a last resort because for most people, it is a one-sided relationship. Generally, the mindset of people is that if they do someone a favor, they expect something in return eventually. That's not normally the way people think of a relationship with God. To most, it is something that you take your time to pray, and don't see an immediate return. That being said, people turn to God as a last resort because once they have exhausted all other options, then they go to the option that they believe is the most unreliable.
I think Richard Parker botched the farewell. Richard Parker saw land and freedom. What was he supposed to do? He didn't have to rely on Pi for everything essential to life anymore. If Pi was supposed to engage the farewell, what was he supposed to do? Yes, he was comfortable with Richard Parker seeing as he was on a lifeboat with him for 227 days, but really what was he going to do? Give Richard Parker a pat on the head? No matter how long I spent in close quarters with a 450 pound Bengal tiger, I would not feel comfortable to get close enough to him and touch him while risking my life, if he reacted poorly. Richard Parker lunged into the jungle without looking back because he didn't need Pi anymore. It just proved that Pi was not as vital to Richard Parker's survival as Richard Parker was to Pi's.
As Daniel said, the island symbolizes the false hope. The island has qualities (such as the large amount of green plants and algae) in which Pi saw was a place where he could be at peace until a ship could find him and save him from possible insanity or spiraling pessimism. If this were a situation like the people on Oceanic flight 815 in LOST, then I would say that the island could be purgetory, but of course it isn't for the most part. Given information and details about the island, it seemed to me that there was still an enigma of what it was before Pi appeared on the island and what it is after he leaves.
Richard Parker left Pi behind to venture more of the island and call it his home. Throughout the many days the two were on the island, Pi had hardly seen Richard Parker due to venturing the territory he could call his own and hunt all the meerkats which inhabited most of the island. It was rather upsetting to see the beast leave the poor boy behind, knowing that the two had been able to work together through all of their hardships out at sea, isolated from the rest of the world. It was then that Pi knew that he had to turn to God for guidance.
God is the last resort in the lives of many people because most of the time, we lose all hope spiritually. That's why many people turn to Him when they need Him the most; when one is in a situation where no one else can help them, he or she feels that they won't make it out alive or they won't be able to succeed. The thoughts and feelings of no help from anyone can be devastating, but knowing that there is a greater person, a greater being that is always there for everyone is a spark of hope in someone's heart, mind, and soul. That's what Pi needed after losing his family and having to keep himself alive.
Chimera is a thing that is hoped or wished for but it is impossible to achieve. So basically, false hope. It's significance in the story is to break Pi's idea that the journey is endless, though the island seems to make it worse. Just when Pi begins to trust the island at that he's safe it takes a terrifying turn.
To Pi, anything green is a utopia. It had food to eat, fresh water to drink, and a place to call home. It all turns to hell when the "fruit" of the tree encased human teeth. I believe this happens to just throw a twist into the novel partly, but also to ruin Pi's spirit. The symbolism of this I think is showing Pi what his life beholds since he lost his family, or just false hope.
Most people turn to God only as a last hope because they find it their only chance to survive and see those they love again. I think it's natural reaction to anyone who has been exposed to any type of religion.
I believe Pi botched the farewell when he slept in the tree on the island. It's important that Richard Parker ran to the jungle without looking back because he had the urge to be free, as he was confined his whole life. Maybe it is also a symbol of Pi's freedom...?
As others have stated, a chimera is a horrible creature or false idea that comes from the imagination, and is often times an omen of bad things to come. The significance of the chimera is the island, which was a last stitch effort at hope, even though it turned out to be false hope and a horrible experience.
I think people turn to God in a last resort because they feel helpless, and often times if they are religious believe that he will save them. People believe that God has a plan for everyone, and when they are faced with a crisis see him as the only chance for survival.
I think neither Pi nor Richard Parker botched the farewell in the end. To me, Richard Parker was more of a symbol of the animal Pi had become, struggling in primal ways to meet his biological needs. When he finally reached civilization, the primal part of Pi disappeared without a trace. Richard Parker was a tiger- while we'd all like to think he did, he had no feelings or complex human emotions. When Pi reached society, that inhumane part of him had to be gone from him in the same way it came about- very unwanted and unceremonious. Pi keeps mentioning the fact that without Richard Parker, he would not have survived, and this is very true- without Pi's primal instincts, his emotions would have gotten the best of him and he never would have lasted. Now that he is back in society, Pi needs his full range of emotions again and has no more practical use for the animal inside of him.
A Chimera is a creature from Greek mythology that is a female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. However, it also means a thing that is hoped or wished for but is impossible to achieve.
Because Pi is spriritual, some part of him, even if it is sublimial, believes in a proper burial. Being digested by an acidic algae island is not in any religious books.
Unfortunately, God is not on everyone's minds all the time. When we despair, it makes us feel better to have some sort of higher being out there that might help us.
Personally, I didn't think there really was going to be a farewell. Richard Parker is an animal. Animals don't know the meaning of goodbye. Richard Parker saw the jungle- not an algae island, but an actual jungle- and made a bid for freedom.
a chimera is a beast made of a lion, goat, and a snake. a Chimera breathes fire and is a bad omen. When things get bad most people do look for thier spirtual side to try and help the connect to a God to help them through the hard times. Most people do not hold a God in thier heart untill a time of need because we humans forget or things are good and we hold no need for a God. Richard Parke does not understand a goodbye, he may figure that he willse Pi again. Parker does see Pi after his adventre into the "jungle". Parker came back so he may have figured that there ws no need for a goodbye.
I think that the uneventful goodbye between Richard Parker and Pi is niether ones fault because when it comes down to it, Richard Parker is an animal and probably doesn't feel the same way about Pi. Even though Pi supplied him with most of his food, he was most likely glad to be on land,so he just left. Pi was thankful for Richard Parker because Pi proabably would have gone insane without some kind of company on the boat. I feel that there wasn't muchmore Pi ould have done. Really, he just wanted to talk at Richard Parker and hewouldn't have understood.
At this point in the novel, Pi is reluctant to believe that he has found something so perfect. He now has an endless supply of food, fresh water, and meerkats to keep him company. But not too long after he settles in, he comes to the understanding how the island actually works. I think that the big picture in this scene is Pi's decision to leave it behind. The island is only harmful at night, whereas in the day it is ideal. Pi could have continued to use it for supplies in the day and spend his nights on the boat, but instead he leaves all of it behind. This is one of many examples of Pi's outstandingly good morals. He would rather die of hunger and thirst, than associate with this deceiving, evil place.
As for the botched farewell, I feel very sorry for Pi once the tiger leaves him. He needed Richard Parker in order to survive. It was a faithful companion throughout the whole catastrophe, and Pi explains to the reader on more than one occasion how grateful he is of Richard Parker's presence when they are stranded in the ocean. When the tiger runs away without even looking back at Pi, he is hurt. Even though it isn't very realistic for a tiger to be emotionally attached to a human, Pi still expects some sort of closure after everything they have been though. When his expectations are not even close to being met, Pi is left with only a great feeling of betrayal.
Chimera, which can be defined as an unreal horrible creature of the imagination, is symbolic of pi's initial and final thoughts of the island. At first pi believed the island to be a mirage which is a horrible trick your imagination plays on you. After pi investigated the trees fruit he realized the island was indeed a horrible creature that ate a human.
The island going from a paradise to hell symbolizes the irony of pi's situation. He wanted nothing more than to find land and get away from the tiger-infested lifeboat. When he finally found land he realized it was safer to be in the boat with Richard Parker and brave the open ocean again than to stay on the island.
I think the unexpected dark side of the island exists to show both Pi's hallucinations and as a sort of symbolism. Pi has been adrift at sea for many months; he is suffering from both malnutrition and exhaustion, along with the mental agony created by such an experience. His hallucinations take the form of some of the most horrible things he can imagine, like a tree with human teeth for fruit.
The teeth tree also symbolizes Pi's experience, though. Pi started off the book considering himself a civilized and principled individual. He was well educated and from a well-off family. A pacifist and vegetarian, Pi has a strong moral code.
The experience on the life boat, however, is peeling back the layers of his character. He is no longer a pacifist, killing the fish. Eating them means he is no longer a vegetarian. He even notices that his own behavior is becoming more animal-like. Pi fears that he has peeled back all his layers, down to the savage monster he feels is inside himself.
Religion and gods, in my opinion, fulfill some of the most basic human impulses: the desire to see the good rewarded and the bad punished, a reason for life, purpose for suffering, ultimate safety in the form of a caring higher power, and some sort of life after death.
In a highly stressful or traumatic situation, people revert back to these basic instincts. Religion seems to fill these the most completely, so it seems natural to me that many people seek it in times of crisis.
I would say that the fruit incident could be symbolic of the Adam and Eve story, where Earth seems so great until they eat the forbidden fruit and are thrown into a terrible world.
People turn to God in desperate situations because they feel that they need someone to take control of what is going on. Without any way out, there has to be a way to adapt. The easiest way is to trust in something other than oneself. In normal situations, people tend not to want to turn to God because they want control when they do not feel they need him.
Some people turn to God in times of need because that is when all hope is gone for them. However, when they don't need anything they don't even acknowledge God. There is a song by Regina Spektor called "Laughing With", and the verse is " No one laughs at God in a hospital, no one laughs at God in a war, no ones laughing at God when their starving or freezing or so very poor", and that's a very sad truth.
a chimera is a flying goat dragon lion monster, and the island is probably like the best thing you could ever hope for when it comes to being stranded on a lifeboat for a long time, and when he gets there he is so happy until he realizes the island is actually trying to eat him at night time. People turn to god when something bad happens to them because when your really upset i feel like its more relieving to pray and beleive that things will get better then to do nothing. And pi should never have expected richard parker to give him a former farewell, hes a tiger after all and pi is probably lucky that he wasnt dinner.
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