Christopher Siewering
Final Essay
Course 2400, Section O552 (Prof. Scanlan)
December 8th, 2020
Life of Pi
Empathy is a trait many of us are very familiar with. It is a feeling that comes to us quite easily but it is not so easy for most of us to define. It can be defined as the capacity to feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. The key phrase here is “from within their frame of reference.” Without this subjectivity, one is merely sympathetic, capable of understanding another but perhaps not necessarily feeling what they do. On the contrary, showing compassion is a result of one experiencing empathic feelings to the point of being moved by them. Life of Pi is a story of empathy but also ethics. The depth of the empathy and ethics is lessened by the movie. The book explores these themes more thoroughly by going into more detail about Pi’s religious teachings as a child and his connection to the heavens as he ordeals on Earth. The exemption of these elements serves to maintain a narrative flow in the film, which has less space than the text. While it seems that empathy is simply in Pi’s nature, this trait was reinforced during his childhood through the deities he worshipped and the animals he admired.
In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi is a man who, from a young age, has feelings of empathy and grows to hone them through his religious teachings and ultimately, a 227-day ordeal at sea. However, in Life of Pi directed by Ang Lee, Pi only very occasionally displays empathy. Martel’s Pi enjoys reading, praying and questioning. In a sense, he is following a sort of virtue ethics where he is discovering what sort of person he should be. While his family and religious teachers tell him to choose a religion, his heart’s curiosity pulls him towards an interfaith belief system of his own. After the event on the esplanade, Pi touches on the ethics by which he chooses to live, “For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.” The virtue ethics are apparent by the fact that Pi believes one’s focus should be to better themselves. However, there is some overlap with other types of ethics as well. It is a sort of utilitarianism because this is for the outcome of a greater good, that being more faith in his community and a closer connection to God. Finally, we can assume Pi to be a sort of deontologist as he is certainly following rules laid out by these religions, even if he is not following all of them. During his journey of discovery, Pi rushes to the Hindu temple in Munnar to thank Lord Krishna for introducing him to “Jesus of Nazareth, whose humanity [he] found so compelling.” Humanity is another term that is closely related to empathy, so it is clear that these are traits that Pi values in others and himself.
The omission of this scene — and others like it — with dialogue like, “I just want to love God,” are a disservice to Pi’s character. In the film, he is less unique. He is dared into the church by his brother instead of curiously inspecting it. He has a crush on a girl, which did not seem like a relevant inclusion, and he is defended by his mother instead of defending himself when confronted about his faiths. This all adds up to a, while very expressive, somewhat predictable character, with much less on his mind. A good example of Pi’s lessened empathy in the film is the scene when he is first in the life boat and attempts to save Richard Parker with the lifebuoy. In the film, he doesn’t realize who it is until the distance closes and upon identifying Richard Parker, he changes his mind and tries to shoo him away. In the text, his initial instinct is to save the tiger, and only after reconsidering being on lifeboat with a large cat does he change his mind.
On the other hand, in the text, Pi’s empathy is in your face and obvious. In chapter 61, after being assaulted by a school of flying fish, Pi struggles to take one’s life and remarks, “I imagined what it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. I was appalled. I gave up a number of times. Yet I knew it had to be done, and the longer I waited, the longer the fish’s suffering would go on.” In this pivotal moment, Pi is forced not only to eat meat but to take its life himself, and though his ethical code is challenged by his need for sustenance, his empathy is unwavering. At the end of chapter 78, he laments about this saying, “Physically it is extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing. You must make adjustments if you want to survive.” Here Pi explains his awareness that he has been forced into making these changes, and furthermore, that it pains him to do so.
The text is punctuated by Pi recanting his stories to the Japanese officials, which ends with Pi posing a series of questions, the final one asking which story they prefer. I think he is asking the audience this question at this point too, after we have heard the second story and are now deciding which one to accept as true. His question about preference takes the decision of truth away from logic, and lends it to fantasy and appeal. While the second story seems earthlier and credible, I think Martel very intentionally set us up to say, I want to believe the animal-less story, but I choose to believe the magical one. In Lee’s film, Pi concludes his tale by saying, “I guess life is one big act of letting go.” While this is certainly a relatable lesson for many viewers, I also find it to inspire much less inquiry, something upheld throughout the film. This lends itself to keeping the viewer engaged with what is on screen without getting lost in thought. The text on the other hand provides many moments to pause and reflect on Pi’s inner workings and perception. This is exemplified at the end of chapter 91, “They slipped into my mouth nearly unnoticed. You must understand, my suffering was unremitting and he was already dead. I stopped as soon as I caught a fish. I pray for his soul every day.” Here Pi commits an act deemed truly unethical by almost everyone, cannibalism. He tries to explain why he would do such a thing; he says it was done out of necessity. He believes it was wrong and he feels sorry and we feel sorry that he had to do it. These moments are the main suppliers of the tale’s depth of empathy and ethics, especially as even we, as the audience, begin to feel empathy towards Pi and question the ethics of his decisions.
