In part one of Life of Pi there are two themes. The first theme is Pi's belief in God. This belief is not a straight line, with hard facts and childish stories to prove those facts, but rather a winding road. Pi sees religion as light in the world and a path to follow.
"Religion will save us," I said. Since when I could remember, religions had always been close to my heart."Religion?" Mr. Kumar grinned broadly. "I don't believe in religion. Religion is darkness."Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me? Was he saying, "Religion is darkness," the way he sometimes said in class things like "Mammals lay eggs," to see if someone would correct him? ("Only platypuses, sir.") (1.7.9-11)
However he doesn't see one religion as the source of light but finds peace in several. For those in his life that question religion, who find it restrictive he says
I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. (1.4.14).
What Pi means is, you may find zoos and religion restrictive, but do the animals worry about being hunted when safely in a zoo? And do people fret about life and meaning when safely within a religion? There is peace in God.
The second theme in part one is innocence. He has yet to experience the true harshness the world has. His belief in God is not yet tested. Part two of this book will shift his thinking and take his innocence.
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