Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee, highlights the story of a 16-year-old boy who has survived in the ocean for 227 days. During this time, he is in the company of a tiger after a ship they were traveling in capsizes. The accident kills everyone and leaves only Pi, a tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra, who have moved to the lifeboat (McLean 00: 15:56). While on the boat, the animals kill each other, leaving only the tiger. Although Pi is a vegetarian and does not advocate killing any type of animal, he has to fish to sustain him and the tiger. This story makes me believe in God because extraordinary things could not have happened without his assistance. People eventually get help and breakthrough through God’s guidance if they remain steadfast in faith.
How the Movie Teaches Religion
Life of Pi presents religious matters in various areas, including when Pi begins by stating that the story will make people believe in God. By approaching God from different religious perspectives, Pi emphasizes the importance of tolerance and understanding for each other in life. Instead of criticizing or not believing what other religions teach, he decides to try the different religions he has encountered and follow all of them. Pi believes that Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism are effective because they all emphasize love and respect. Pi also believes that keeping the tiger alive and teaching him how to survive in the boat helps him stay alive. Upon reaching the Mexican coast, Parker disappears to the jungle without acknowledging Pi (McLean 00: 34: 42). Although Pi is sad, the Tiger’s presence has protected him throughout their journey and only left when Pi felt safe and would receive the assistance he needs. This shows how God uses unexpected ways to keep us safe and strengthen our hope and faith. Without Parker’s presence, Pi would probably have panicked or given up along the way.
The journey through the sea is comparable to believers’ life through the world. Sometimes, people encounter situations that make it difficult to sail through the storms of life, as it happened to Pi when his entire family died in the storm. However, a breakthrough occurs, and people manage to cope with the situations. In this case, God sends a helper like he did with Pi when a sailor threw him on the safety boat, and he managed to survive. Despite being in an unusual scene with animals that could kill him, God sent the tiger to eliminate Pi’s enemies (the dangerous animals) and leave Pi with a tiger that became his protector throughout the journey. Therefore, the movie teaches the importance of embracing people despite their different views and knowing that God never forsakes his loved ones.
My Feelings Towards the Movie’s Lessons about Religion
Life of Pi is a unique way of making people believe that God works in miraculous and unexpected ways. Despite facing difficult situations, Pi remains hopeful that he will survive and get help in the end. His faith keeps him moving towards reaching his destination. As religious people, we often encounter complex situations that make us question our faith, but through persistence, things get better. However, it is essential to avoid relations with people or things that may lead us astray. Pi’s father emphasizes this by letting the Tiger kill the goat Infront of Pi to enable him to understand that he can never be friends with animals (McLean 00: 04: 03). I also believe that people often question God’s power because when Pi explains his situation to the Japanese interviewers, they doubt that he could have survived with a tiger and come out unharmed. Therefore, he alters the story and replaces the animal characters with people to make it more believable. After listening to both versions, the interviewers decided to believe Pi’s initial version, indicating that they finally believe that God can perform miracles in people’s lives. Even after deciding to take a different path, people still want to cling to the past, which can be detrimental to their new faith. For instance, when Pi’s father informs them that the family will be leaving for Canada, his mother wants to carry some Indian cigarettes with her. This happens even though she does not smoke. However, she still wants to have the cigarettes because she is unsure what Canadian tobacco might be like. Similarly, people change their lives but are still afraid of what might happen in their new ventures; hence, the reason they want to maintain the old habits. In religion, it is crucial to accept and trust what God has in store for us.
Conclusion
The Life of PI has crucial religious lessons because it highlights issues that religious people encounter in their lives. For instance, Christians need to be steadfast in their faith and believe that God has better things in store. They should also be courageous and avoid losing their faith in the face of adversities. When faced with difficult situations, God sends guardian angels to help people sail through life like he did when he made the tiger accompany Pi throughout his journey. Impossibilities become possible, and others learn great lessons after witnessing what God has done to people’s lives. Individuals should also learn to embrace their new lives wholeheartedly and forget the things they did in the past.
References
McLean B. (2012). Life of Pi [Video]. Directed by Ang Lee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM9cSYrXBzo
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