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Through the bildungsroman format of Life of Pi, Yann Martel demonstrates Pi’s journey to religious maturity, and conveys the theme that a strong faith reinforces the will to live, leading to a better outcome when it comes to survival in the face of adversity.

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Pi questions his own faith when Mr. Kumar speaks on his beliefs. 

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Pi questions his own faith when Mr. Kumar speaks on his beliefs. 

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“Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me?” (Martel 34).

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Pi emphasizes the paralyzing nature of agnosticism as religion. 

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Pi emphasizes the paralyzing nature of agnosticism as religion. 

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“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” (Martel 36).

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Pi grows religiously and develops toward maturity in a spiritual manner.

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Pi grows religiously and develops toward maturity in a spiritual manner.

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“Many people seem to lose God along life’s way. That was not my case. A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was sown in me and left to germinate. It has never stopped growing since that day” (Martel 59).

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Faced with near-death experiences on the lifeboat, Pi survives through his growing faith in God.

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Faced with near-death experiences on the lifeboat, Pi survives through his growing faith in God.

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“‘I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine…Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen’” (Martel 186).

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Pi faces religious hardships on the boat and realizes how difficult it is to be faithful. 

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Pi faces religious hardships on the boat and realizes how difficult it is to be faithful. 

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“They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love--but sometimes it was so hard to love” (Martel 263).

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Pi sees a divine lightning bolt and this godly miracle gives him hope to survive. 

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Pi sees a divine lightning bolt and this godly miracle gives him hope to survive. 

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“To Richard Parker I shouted, ‘Stop your trembling! This is miracle. This is an outbreak of divinity.’...The rain chilled me to the bone. But I was smiling” (Martel 295).

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Pi realizes that faith brings strength to survive whereas reason breeds hopelessness. 

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Pi realizes that faith brings strength to survive whereas reason breeds hopelessness. 

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“Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would’ve given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten… But I held on to the oar, I just held on, God only knows why” (Martel 134).

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Pi voices the importance of spirituality on one's will to live. 

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Pi voices the importance of spirituality on one's will to live. 

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“Don’t let your morale flag. Be daunted, but not defeated. Remember: the spirit, above all else, counts. If you have the will to live, you will” (Martel 211).

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Pi sees his insignificance in the world but is comforted by his Islamic faith. 

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Pi sees his insignificance in the world but is comforted by his Islamic faith. 

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“I noticed…that my suffering was taking place in a grand setting. I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still…I mumbled words of Muslim prayer and went back to sleep” (Martel 224).

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Pi uses prayer to honor the food that cures his starvation.

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Pi uses prayer to honor the food that cures his starvation.

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“All sentient life is sacred. I never forget to include this fish in my prayers. After that it was easier” (Martel 231).

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Pi recognizes Lord Vishnu's presence in his survival. 

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Pi recognizes Lord Vishnu's presence in his survival. 

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“‘Thank you, Lord Vishnu, thank you!’... ‘Once you saved the world by taking the form of a fish. Now you have saved me by taking the form of a fish’” (Martel 233).

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Pi learns that prayer helps to busy his miserable life, and aids in survival. 

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Pi learns that prayer helps to busy his miserable life, and aids in survival. 

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“I kept myself busy. That was one key to my survival…Sunrise to mid-morning: wake up/prayers…Mid-morning to late afternoon: prayers…Late afternoon to early evening:prayers” (Martel 240).

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Pi's religious development allows him to turn to God for hope in a despairing circumstance. 

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Pi's religious development allows him to turn to God for hope in a despairing circumstance. 

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”I grew weary of my situation…It was natural that, bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God” (Martel 358).

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Throughout this bildungsroman novel, Pi exhibits immense growth in moral, intellectual, physical, psychological, and spiritual areas of life. All of this growth leads him on a journey to maturity. Pi's spiritual, or religious, growth is a crucial form of development that steers Pi to survival. Just as many protagonists in bildungsroman novels, the formidable experiences thrown at him during his time stranded at sea shape Pi's growth. He fails many times to train Richard Parker, and he reaches a point of despair where he feels as if God isn't listening to his cries of anger, desolation and weariness. Even in the face of doubt, Pi's faith persists and his belief in God remains a dominant force in his life. Pi demonstrates his powerful faith in God when he says, “The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving” (Martel 264). God, a divine being full of hope and love (appositive), inspires Pi to continue along his journey to survival. The blackness that Pi mentions is brought upon by despair, but that despair is diminished by the presence of God. Religion shines a light on the blackness, and turns despair into hope. That aspiration is what breeds perseverance and reinforces Pi's will to live. This supports the important theme of Life of Pi that a strong faith strengthens the will to live, creating a better outcome for survival. Pi's faith is solidified through multiple experiences along the bildungsroman format of this novel. The challenges he faces cause him to doubt his religion at times, but eventually help him see that belief is a valuable aspect in his life. Pi's faith plants a seed of hope in himself, growing a more powerful will to live(participle). Pi would not survive without religion; (two independent clauses) his theological mindset is what pushed him towards perseverance in the face of adversity.