Anybody read "Life of Pi?"

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manualman

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WARNING: The following will ruin the story if you haven’t read it!

I’m not the type to refuse to read anything not explicitly catholic. Or even something from an opposed view. I really liked almost all of this book. Of course I reject the main character’s assertion that all religions are equally true and that you can be a Christian/Hindu/Muslim without contradiction.

But I absolutely HATED the last chapter of this book. I felt set-up. It seems to me that the entire enchanting story of survival at sea, animal phsycology and adventure was spun to try to make the point that all religion is a nice, useful way of making existence SEEM purposeful even though the reality is horrible, unjust and meaningless. That last chapter seems to send the message that yes, we are just a random collection of chemical reactions that combine in ways that produce selfish, awful, sinful behavior until we die and cease to exist. But it sure is much nicer while we last to pretend that there is a deeper, more noble meaning to it all. Seemed like the whole first 95% of the story was a setup for a cheap propaganda shot at religion (similar to movie Million Dollar Baby).

I finished the last chapter and threw the book across the room.

Anybody else have this reaction?
 
It was a letdown and insulting in a way. I recommend it for those that enjoy an ok book and our strong in the Faith. Otherwise…its a bad idea to read it…all in my opinion however.

dxu
 
This book was one that was not good, however, I was hooked and had to finish it - I was sooooo angry with the ending.
 
My son, who goes to Catholic high school, was assigned to read it for summer reading. I didn’t read the book, but now I’m going to ask him what he thought of it.
 
Well, I for one, (apparently) loved the book. I read it as the novel it is and certainly did not feel my faith threatened in any way.
I particularly enjoyed that it was different from anything I’d ever read and the premise of how the tiger and Pi survived together on the small boat was fascinating - to me.
 
catsrus,

I quite liked that part too. But don’t you think that the last chapter actually said that he cannibalized the dead crewman, was a coward and hid while the other crewman cannibalized his MOM, then murdered and ate the last guy? Then the author implies that reality is far too ghastly to live with so creative and lovely religious myths are useful. Making them up is to be encouraged. I got all this from “and so it is with God…” at the end.
 
“PI”??? Oh, I thought a math question and of course I did think Pi are round and not square. :whacky:

I really don’t see the justification in assigning students, especially Catholic School students, such a book to read. Heck, when I went to school Moby Dick and Kon Tiki were exciting enough for us and some of us even got sympathetic wooziness thinking of our days on the briny sea of nausea. :rolleyes:
Next thing the teachers will be making episodes of Linda Lovelace or the Enquirer mandatory reading. :eek:

Lynn-D
 
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