少年派英文分析和总结人物分析作者背景相关问题.docx

少年派英文分析和总结人物分析作者背景相关问题.docx

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少年派英文分析和总结人物分析作者背景相关问题

Context

LifeofPiissetagainstthetumultuousperiodofIndianhistoryknownastheEmergency.In1975,PrimeMinisterIndiraGandhiwasfoundguiltyofchargesrelatedtoher1971electioncampaignandwasorderedtoresign.Instead—andinresponsetoarisingtideofstrikesandproteststhatwereparalyzingthegovernment—Gandhideclaredastateofemergency,suspendingconstitutionalrightsandgivingherselfthepowertorulebydecree.TheEmergencylastedforeighteenmonthsandwasofficiallyendedinMarch1977whenGandhicalledforanewroundofelections.ThehistoricallegacyoftheEmergencyhasbeenhighlycontroversial:

whilecivillibertiesinthisemergingdemocracywereseverelycurtailedandGandhi’spoliticalopponentsfoundthemselvesjailed,abused,andtortured,India’seconomyexperiencedamuch-neededstabilizationandgrowth.InLifeofPi,Piscine（Pi）MolitorPatel’sfather,azookeeperinPondicherry,India,growsnervousaboutthecurrentpoliticalsituation.SpeculatingthatGandhimighttrytotakeoverhiszooandfacedwithdepressingeconomicconditions,Pi’sfatherdecidestoselloffhiszooanimalsandmovehisfamilytoCanada,thussettingthemainactionofthenovelintomotion.

ThoughonlyarelativelybriefsectionofLifeofPiisactuallysetinIndia,thecountry’seclecticmakeupisreflectedthroughoutthenovel.PiisraisedasaHindubutasayoungboydiscoversbothChristianityandIslamanddecidestopracticeallthreereligionssimultaneously.IntheAuthor’sNote,anelderlyIndianmandescribesthestoryofPias“astorythatwillmakeyoubelieveinGod,”andLifeofPicontinuouslygrappleswithquestionsoffaith;asanadherenttothethreemostprominentreligionsinIndia,PiprovidesauniqueperspectiveonissuesofIndianspirituality.India’sdiversecultureisfurtherreflectedinMartel’schoiceofPondicherryasasetting.IndiawasaBritishcolonyfornearlytwohundredyears,andconsequentlymostofthenationhasbeendeeplyinfluencedbyBritishculture.However,Pondicherry,atinycityinsouthernIndia,wasoncethecapitalofFrenchIndiaandassuchhasretainedauniquelyFrenchflavorthatsetsitapartfromtherestofthenation.PerhapsreflectingYannMartel’sownnomadicchildhood,PiPatelpointedlybeginshislifeinadiverseculturalsettingbeforeencounteringFrench,Mexican,Japanese,andCanadiancharactersalonghisjourney.

LifeofPicanbecharacterizedasapostcolonialnovel,becauseofitspost-IndependenceIndiansettingaswellasitsCanadianauthorship.Likemanypostcolonialnovels,suchasthoseofSalmanRushdieandGabrielGarcíaMárquez,LifeofPicanalsobeclassifiedasaworkofmagicalrealism,aliterarygenreinwhichfantasticalelements—suchasanimalswithhumanpersonalitiesoranislandwithcannibalistictrees—appearinanotherwiserealisticsetting.Martel’snovelcouldequallybedescribedasabildungsroman（acoming-of-agetale）oranadventurestory.LifeofPievenflirtswithnonfictiongenres.TheAuthor’sNote,forexample,claimsthatthestoryofPiscineMolitorPatelisatruestorythattheauthor,YannMartel,heardwhilebackpackingthroughPondicherry,andthenovel,withitsfirst-personnarrator,isstructuredasamemoir.Attheendofthenovel,wearepresentedwithinterviewtranscripts,anothergenreofnonfictionwriting.Thismixingoffictionandnonfictionreflectsthetwistendingofthenovel,inwhichtheveracityofPi’sfantasticalstoryiscalledintodoubtandthereader,likePi’sJapaneseinterrogators,isforcedtoconfrontunsettlingquestionsaboutthenatureoftruthitself.

Manycriticshavenotedthebook’sresemblancetoErnestHemingway’snovelTheOldManandtheSea.Bothnovelsfeatureanepicstrugglebetweenmanandbeast.InTheOldManandtheSea,afishermanstrugglestopullinamightymarlin,whileinLifeofPi,PiandRichardParkerstrugglefordominanceonthelifeboat.BoththefishermanandPilearntorespecttheiranimalcounterparts;eachpairisconnectedintheirmutualsuffering,strength,andresolve.Althoughtheyareopponents,theyarealsopartners,allies,evendoubles.Furthermore,bothnovelsemphasizetheimportanceofendurance.Becausedeathanddestructionareinevitable,bothnovelspresentlifeasachoicebetweenonlytwooptions:

defeatorenduranceuntildestruction.Enduringagainstalloddselevatesbothhumancharacterstothestatusofheroes.

Another,lessflatteringcomparisonhasbeendrawnbetweenLifeofPiandacclaimedBrazilianauthorMoacyrScliar’s1981novelMaxandtheCats.Ina2002interviewwithP,MarteldiscussesreadinganunfavorablereviewofScliar’snovelintheNewYorkTimesBookReviewpennedbyJohnUpdikeand,despiteUpdike’sdisparagement,beingentrancedbythepremise.Aswaslaterreported,nosuchreviewexisted,andJohnUpdikehimselfclaimednoknowledgeofScliar’snovel.Thesimilaritiesbetweenthetwonovelsareunmistakable:

inMaxandtheCats,afamilyofGermanzookeeperssetssailtoBrazil.Theshipgoesdownandonlyoneyoungmansurvives,strandedatseawithawildjaguar.MartelclaimsnevertohavereadMaxandtheCatsbeforebeginningtowriteLifeofPi.HehassinceblamedhisfaultymemoryforthePgaffeandhasdeclinedfurtherdiscussiononthetopic.ScliarconsideredalawsuitbutissaidtohavechangedhismindafteradiscussionwithMartel.Whatevertherealstory,MartelmentionsScliarinhisAuthor’sNote,thankinghimfor“thesparkoflife.”

PlotOverview

InanAuthor’sNote,ananonymousauthorfigureexplainsthathetraveledfromhishomeinCanadatoIndiabecausehewasfeelingrestless.There,whilesippingcoffeeinacaféinthetownofPondicherry,hemetanelderlymannamedFrancisAdirubasamywhoofferedtotellhimastoryfantasticenoughtogivehimfaithinGod.ThisstoryisthatofPiPatel.Theauthorthenshiftsintothestoryitself,butnotbeforetellinghisreaderthattheaccountwillcomeacrossmorenaturallyifhetellsitinPi’sownvoice.

PartOneisnarratedinthefirstpersonbyPi.Pinarratesfromanadvancedage,lookingbackathisearlierlifeasahighschoolandcollegestudentinToronto,thenevenfurtherbacktohisboyhoodinPondicherry.Heexplainsthathehassufferedintenselyandfoundsolaceinreligionandzoology.HedescribeshowFrancisAdirubasamy,aclosebusinessassociateofhisfather’sandacompetitiveswimmingchampion,taughthimtoswimandbestoweduponhimhisunusualname.PiisnamedafterthePiscineMolitor,aParisianswimmingclubwithtwopoolsthatAdirubasamyusedtofrequent.WelearnthatPi’sfatheronceranthePondicherryZoo,teachingPiandhisbrother,Ravi,aboutthedangerousnatureofanimalsbyfeedingalivegoattoatigerbeforetheiryoungeyes.Pi,broughtupasaHindu,discoversChristianity,thenIslam,choosingtopracticeallthreereligionssimultaneously.MotivatedbyIndia’spoliticalstrife,Pi’sparentsdecidetomovethefamilytoCanada;onJune21,1977,theysetsailinacargoship,alongwithacrewandmanycagesfullofzoocreatures.

AtthebeginningofPartTwo,theshipisbeginningtosink.Piclingstoalifeboatandencouragesatiger,RichardParker,tojoinhim.Then,realizinghismistakeinbringingawildanimalaboard,Pileapsintotheocean.ThenarrativejumpsbackintimeasPidescribestheexplosivenoiseandchaosofthesinking:

crewmembersthrowhimintoalifeboat,wherehesoonfindshimselfalonewithazebra,anorangutan,andahyena,allseeminglyinshock.Hisfamilyisgone.ThestormsubsidesandPicontemplateshisdifficultsituation.Thehyenakillsthezebraandtheorangutan,andthen—toPi’sintensesurprise—RichardParkerrevealshimself:

thetigerhasbeeninthebottomofthelifeboatallalong.Soonthetigerkillsthehyena,andPiandRichardParkerarealonetogetheratsea.Pisubsistsoncannedwaterandfilteredseawater,emergencyrations,andfreshlycaughtsealife.Healsoprovidesforthetiger,whomhemastersandtrains.

Thedayspassslowlyandthelifeboat’spassengerscoexistwarily.Duringaboutoftemporaryblindnessbroughtonbydehydration,Pihasarun-inwithanotherblindcastaway.Thetwodiscussfoodandtethertheirboatstooneanother.WhentheblindmanattacksPi,intendingtoeathim,RichardParkerkillshim.Notlongafter,theboatpullsuptoastrangeislandoftreesthatgrowdirectlyoutofvegetation,withoutanysoil.PiandRichardParkerstayhereforatime,sleepingintheirboatandexploringtheislandduringtheday.Pidiscoversahugecolonyofmeerkatswhosleepinthetreesandfreshwaterponds.Oneday,Pifindshumanteethinatree’sfruitandcomestotheconclusionthattheislandeatspeople.HeandRichardParkerheadbackouttosea,finallywashingashoreonaMexicanbeach.RichardParkerrunsoff,andvillagerstakePitoahospital.

InPartThree,twoofficialsfromtheJapaneseMinistryofTransportinterviewPiabouthistimeatsea,hopingtoshedlightonthefateofthedoomedship.Pitellsthestoryasabove,butitdoesnotfullysatisfytheskepticalmen.Sohetellsitagain,thistimereplacingtheanimalswithhumans:

aravenouscookinsteadofahyena,asailorinsteadofazebra,andhismotherinsteadoftheorangutan.Theofficialsnotethatthetwostoriesmatchandthatthesecondisfarlikelier.Intheirfinalreport,theycommendPiforlivingsolongwithanadulttiger.

PiscineMolitorPatel

PiscineMolitorPatelistheprotagonistand,formostofthenovel,thenarrator.Inthechaptersthatframethemainstory,Pi,asashy,graying,middle-agedman,tellstheauthorabouthisearlychildhoodandtheshipwreckthatchanged