Multiple Voices in Life of Pi

Consider Life of Pi as a fictional monster

Intellectual fun coupled with immense power of imagination makes the novel a real adventure of brutal, tender, expressive and dramatic force.  Life of Pi is an engrossing and beautifully written meditation on God, man and beast. The novel has a deceptively simple structure. Unravelling the structure of the novel is as adventurous as living with a wild animal for several days. The self-reflexive nature of the novel makes it more a meta narrative.  The story within a story and the blurring of fantasy and realism makes the novel complex nonetheless the narrative appears to be simple. The life of Pi, itself is adventurous. He follows multiple religions and also influenced by atheism. The narration moves from existence to survival and from survival to identity.

Life of Pi is a story that makes one believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction and its human creators. Even the most outrageous scenario can be presented with plausible life. The novel explores all the fictional possibilities from magic realism to a sea faring likes of Robinson Crusoe or Treasure Island. The novel has a range extending from Milan Kundera to Kafka and a Rushdie to Peter Carey. Yet, its amazing simplicity has made it above the previous stated ones.

From swimming pool ,to the depths of the Pacific Ocean and from Petit Seminair to St. Michael’s the novel has made a great bound in the narration. The flow of the narration is sustained throughout. Apart from all the campus life depicted in the novel with its elaborate details and more facts on subjects such as Zoology and religion is more astonishing.

The novel is a great study in human relationship along with animal, nature and God. All the cacophonic elements are yoked in to a harmonious one in the novel. Such act requires an extraordinary craftsmanship and ingenuity.

The novel begins in the Coffee House in Pondicherry. It is named Indian Coffee House and located in Nehru Street. It reminds of the Coffee House days of Queen Anne.  The coffee house had inspired great writers and it had become the meeting place of the literateurs. In the same way the author picks a conversation with an elderly man which results in the writing of Pi’s story.  Placing the novel, historically, politically, spiritually and socially Yann Martel has made a great fictional adventure.

Life of Pi - A chronology

Life of Pi - A Chronology

Boyhood of Pi in India

Learns swimming at the age of 7

Joins Petit Seminare

Takes to religions, Islam and Christianity.

Pi's family moves to Canada in 1977

A Shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean

Pi lives with a tiger for 227 days

Rescued in Mexico

Pi rehabilitated

He joins St. Michael's College in Toronto

Later marries Meena

Becomes father of two

Meets the anonymous author.

Note: The chronology is difficult to arrive at. I have tried to be accurate as far as possible. However, the inaccuracies are inevitable.

Life of Pi. List of Characters

List of Characters

Characters in Author’s Note

The Author- Anonymous author

Francis Adirubasamy – Bright eyed elderly man

Kazuhiko Oda – An official in Japanese Embassy in Ottawa

Hiroshi Watanbe -  An official ok Oika Shipping Company

Tomohiro Okamoto – An official in the Japanese Ministry of Transport,retired.

Moacyr Scliar – Merely a mention.

Characters in Part One

The Author – Anonymous author

Francis Adirubasamy – Pi’s swimming teacher

Pi- Piscine Molitor Patel

Ravi Patel – Brother of Pi

Santosh Patel – Father of Pi

Gita Patel – Mother of Pi

Satish Kumar 1 – Pi’s Biology teacher

Father Martin – A priest

Satish Kumar  2– Islam preacher

The Hindu Pandit

Meena Patel – Pi’s wife

Nikhil Patel - Pi’s son

Nike- Nikhil Patel’s nick name

Usha Patel – Pi’s daughter

Characters in Part Two

Richard Parker

The Hyena

The Zebra

Orange Juice – An orang-utan

A visually challenged Frenchman

Chapters in Part Three

Tomohiro Okamoto - An official in the Japanese Ministry of Transport,serving.

Atsuro Chiba - Assistant of Okamoto

The Cook

The Sailor

Life of Pi - A Note on the Text

Life o Pi - Yann Martel

The novel is written in 100 chapters distributed in three parts with  a fictitious author's note.

Part One

Toronto and Pondicherry 1-36 chapters

Part Two

The Pacific Ocean  37-94 chapters

Part Three

Benito Juarez Infirmary, Tomatlan, Mexico 94- 100 chapters

Life of Pi SETTING

Setting

Toronto

Pondicherry

Madras

Bay of Bengal

Strait of Malacca around Singapore

Manila

Pacific Ocean

An island

Mexico

Life of Pi- An Introduction

Life of Pi- An Introduction

Yann Martel wrote Life of Pi . In Life of Pi an anonymous writer plans to write a novel. In the novel of the anonymous writer, the central character Pi presents two stories and among the two one is real. At the time of writing the novel, Pi, the central character is in his advance age. In the story as narrated by the Pi the action moves back and forth in time. The character Pi is the real one as claimed by the anonymous author. The author presents the story in Pi’s perspective in first person narration. The story is the result of the anonymous author’s conversation with Francis Adirubasamy in a coffee house in Pondicherry. The anonymous author also meets Pi.

The story involves a shipwreck. The main action of the story involves the struggle of a young boy and a tiger for life in the lifeboat for 227 days in the deep waters of Pacific Ocean. Then, the boy was rescued in the Mexican waters. In the story the shipwreck is real but the authenticity of the existence of tiger is left to speculation.

The novel is divided in to three parts. The first part deals with the early life and belief of Pi. The second part deals with Pi’s adventure with Richard Parker, the royal Bengal Tiger. The third part deals with the rescue and rehabilitation of Pi in Mexico.

I MA CLASS 31.10. 2014, ICONOGRAPHY IN THE SPANISH TRAGEDY AND OTHER TOPICS

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of I MA V O C College.

Today I am here to present few more topics from, The Spanish Tragedy  by Thomas Kyd. Here I have used the term 'present' to mean introduce or identify the topic. I would like to highlight the topics which I have not discussed so for. I do not intend to present a lecture on a topic, but on the other hand I would mention in the existence of the topic and the topics that can be explored.

In literature material objects have played important roles. In Othello, the handkerchief plays a vital role. Similarly in  The Spanish Tragedy also handkerchief has got a role to play. Though this area failed to evoke more critical response a few papers have been published on its role. Andrew Sofer in his paper titled, "Absorbing Interests: Kyd's Bloody Handkerchief as Palimpsest" focuses on the handkerchief used in The Spanish Tragedy.

In The Spanish Tragedy the handkerchief[scarf] passes from Bel- imperia to Horatio to Hieronimo. Horatio finds the bloody handkerchief of Andrea in the battlefield. Horatio ties it in his hands. The scarf was actually given by Bel-imperia to Andrea. Later the scarf is found by Hieronimo at the dead spot of Horatio and it becomes a token of revenge as observed by Andrew Sofer. It acts as in turns as a, 'failed-love charm', 'martial memento', 'a bloody revenge token' as Andrew Sofer views.

Next, I shall introduce a topic regarding the structure of the play. Kyd's use of language and the dramatic situation is well synchronized in the play. "Kyd's method of composition says, Hattaway, "is based on analogy, on the creation of figurae, and the architectonic arrangement of t these gives the play its strong rhythm"(163). Hattaway also points out the characteristics of Kyd's style such as, 'rolling rhythyms' and 'surging moments' of the speeches. Another point Hattaway presents is the device of impersonation, i.e, 'a player acting one character has to impersonate another'. "With regard to the literary dimension of the play, Kyd was bringing to a popular audiences elements of the highest and most aristocratic genres, the epic and the romance" observes Hattaway.

Important points from Michael Hattaway's The Spanish Tragedy: Architectonic Design
1. Symmetrical stylization of the verse
2. Use of archiac formulae
3. Self-dramatization
4.Tthe player remains distinct from the character he lays
5.Introduction of the narrative in to the play

Other topics that can be explored are:
1. Justice and Revenge
2. Violence and Death
3. Politics and Subversion
4. Metadramatic Readings
5. Contemporary Reception

With these ideas I shall conclude this class as well as this semester. Greetings for coming out with flying colours in future. Thank You.

Works Cited
Sofer, Andrew. The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd. Ed. Michael Neil. "Absorbing Interests: Kyd's  
    Bloody Handkerchief as Palimpsest". New York: W. W. Norton, 2014. Print
Hattaway Michael. The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd. Ed. Michael Neil. "The Spanish 
    Tragedy:Architectonic Design". New York: W. W. Norton, 2014. Print

"Dimensions" - A Chronology

"Dimensions' - A Chronology

Doree's [a sixteen year old schoolgirl] mother gets hospitalized.

Lloyd works in the hospital as an orderly.

He is one of the friends of Doree's mother.

Doree is drawn towards Lloyd.

They meet.

Doree often lies to Laurie on meeting Lloyd.

Doree's mother dies of embolism.

Doree and Lloyd live together in Sechelt Peninsula.

Doree becomes pregnant at the age of seventeen.

Doree marries Lloyd.

Doree and Lloyd move to Mildmay.

Lloyd got a job  in an ice-cream factory.

Sasha is born.

Barbara Anne is born  one and a half year  after the birth of Sasha.

Dimitri is born two years after the birth of Barbara Ann.

Dimitri is weak.

Lloyd charges Doree of not breast feeding him.

They fight regarding feeding Dimitri.

Lloyd spies Doree.

Doree is acquainted to Mrs. Maggie.

Mrs. Maggie takes Doree's children along with hers to home schooling as she has got a mini van.

Lloyd finds fault with Doree for all her actions.

Doree's buying of dented tin of spaghetti sparks a row between Lloyd and Doree.

Lloyd accuses Doree of poisoning their children.

Lloyd suspects Doree's relationship with Maggie.

Doree goes to Maggie's house.

Lloyd calls Maggie over phone.

Maggie replies she will drop Doree in the morning.

Next morning Maggie drops Doree in latter's house.

Doree enters house despite Lloyd stopping her.

Doree comes out as holding her stomach as if someone had stabbed her.

Maggie enters Lloyd's house.

Maggie finds Sasha, Barbara Ann and Dimitri dead.

Maggie rings up the police.

Lloyd is branded criminally insane.

Lloyd is confined to a facility for the mentally disturbed.

Mrs. Sands is the counsellor for Doree.

Mrs. Sands helps Doree recover from the shock.

Doree changes her name and appearance in order to conceal her identity.

Doree gets a job of a chambermaid in a motel named Blue Spruce Inn.

Doree goes to the facility thrice to meet Lloyd but she was turned down twice.

Doree conceals her meeting with Lloyd to Mrs. Sands.

Doree receives letters from Lloyd.

Doree goes to meet Lloyd on a Sunday.

On the way the bus stops.

A boy is knocked down.

Doree resuscitate the boy after his heart has stopped beating.

Doree decides no to go to London, Ontario to meet Lloyd.

Doree waits for ambulance.

The bus leaves.

Psychological Realism in "Dimensions"

Psychological Realism in Alice Munro’s “Dimensions”

"Dimensions" - Alice Munro's short story deals with triple infanticide. Father's act of killing his offspring and the mother's sense of guilt over the act form the core of the short story. Killing and getting away with it is not uncommon but the way the father takes this act is beyond comprehension. In the garb of insanity one has put his ruthlessness on the innocent lives is unpalatable. Nonetheless there is no reason a sane person can act in such a way that too on innocent lives. The argument he puts in still baffles the readers. Rescuing his children from the grip of their mother's vicious plot of killing them is the argument put forth by the father as suggested in the story for the killing of his children.

The plot of this story is pivoted around Doree, who is at the receiving end. A woman of twenty three years old, she had undergone a traumatizing experience, however subdued by the narration. The psychological scattering of her embedded thoughts makes a sense by the way of bringing an unknown boy back to life.

Lloyd, Doree's husband has committed a criminal blunder of killing his children in the absence of Doree. It was Lloyd who had chided Doree for buying a dented tin of spaghetti. He accused Doree of poisoning his children by buying the dented spaghetti. Ironically he has killed his children without any profound reason. The act of his was categorized as, 'criminally insane' and he was confined to a rehabilitation facility. This incident got wide publicity in the print media with their family photograph. Doree got counselled by Mrs. Sands and gradually recovers from the disturbance caused by the incident.

The story begins with Doree's journey towards London to meet her husband. In between the journey, the act and its aftermath and its psychological repercussions on Doree is presented in a realistic manner by the author. 

Doree is very much drawn towards her husband. She is always under the grip of her husband. Lloyd is of a dominating personality. Lloyd acts as if he is the epitome of morality. Finding fault with others and the way world works is the top concern of Lloyd. His manner suggests so. Doree is always his victim. He blames Doree for not caring his children. He always spies her. Doree is totally under the hold of Lloyd. Despite Lloyd killing their children Doree still remains under the hold of Lloyd however traumatizing her experience is.  She goes to the facility thrice to meet him but turned down twice.

The marital life of Doree and Lloyd began normally and happily. But, Lloyd could not get in to the family as a result of his hippie outlook. Doree met Lloyd first in the hospital when her mother had been admitted there for undergoing a surgery. Lloyd was an orderly in the hospital. Later they got married and started their married life at Mildmay a country in Ontario province. Lloyd’s attitude towards life has undergone a change. He started believing in marriage, constancy and no birth control. They lived in Sechelt Peninsula for sometime before getting married.  Lloyd got employment in an ice cream factory. Later Lloyd starts suspecting every act of Doree without any valid reason. Mrs. Maggie, an acquaintance of Doree helps her taking to the home schooling in her minivan. One night she was detained in Maggie’s house and Maggie informs Lloyd that she would drop Doree the next morning. On Doree’s return the killing of her kids was discovered and Lloyd did not show any feeling. Maggie informs police. Lloyd termed insane and confined to the facility.

After Lloyd’s confinement a sense of emptiness prevailed in her mind coupled with utter sense of shock caused by the incident. Mrs. Sands helps her out of the trauma. Doree has hidden her identity by changing her name as Fleur. She gets a job of a chambermaid in a motel named Blue Spruce Inn.

On the way to London she comes across an accident in which a boy is knocked down. Her bus stops. She gets down with fellow passengers. She feels the pulse in the neck of the boy who is otherwise still. Doree gives the first aid. She tries to revive him. She attempts mouth to mouth resuscitation. The boy starts breathing. The life is saved. The bus leaves. But, Doree stays with the boy for further help as the ambulance will arrive shortly.

Finally, Doree has come out of the clutches of Lloyd totally as well as of her guilt. Doree is emancipated from all the drudgeries of the past. The story ends with the emancipation of Doree from her sense of guilt.

Thus “Dimensions” skillfully explores the mind of Doree. 

Setting

Set in the province of Ontario, Canada
Sechelt Peninsula
Mildmay in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada
Kincardine
London, Southwestern part of Ontario, Canada

List of Characters

Doree

Doree is the central character in the story. She is the mother of three children. She is twenty-three years old.

Fleur

Doree takes this name after the tragedy in order to hide her identity.

Lloyd

Doree's husband. A hippie.

Sasha

Sasha is the first son of  Doree and Lloyd.

Barbara Ann 

Barbara Ann is the daughter of Doree and Lloyd born next to Sasha.

Dimitri 

Dimitri is the son of Doree and Lloyd born next to Barbara Ann.

Mrs. Sands

Mrs. Sands is the counseller for Doree. She helps her recover from the tragedy.

Mrs. Maggie

Maggie is an acquaintance of Doree who helps her in taking her children to home schooling.

Maggie's Husband

Name is not mentioned. He is referred as Maggie's husband.

Maggie's two children

They are only mentioned. Their name is not given.

Mrs. Mitchell

She is the head nurse at the hospital where Doree's mother was admitted.

Doree's mother

The name is not mentioned. She is also a hippy.

Laurie

A friend of Doree's mother.

A Boy

Name is not mentioned. Victim of an accident.

Motorist

A person comes in a motorbike and helps the victim.

Driver

The driver of the bus.

Dimensions - A Synopsis

"Dimensions" - Alice Munro's short story deals with triple infanticide. Father's act of killing his offspring and mother's sense of guilt over the act form the core of the short story. Killing and getting away with it is not uncommon but the way the father takes this act is beyond comprehension. In the garb of insanity one has put his ruthlessness on the innocent lives is unpalatable.Nonetheless there is no reason a sane person can act in such a way that too on innocent lives. The argument he puts in still baffles the readers. Rescuing his children from the grip of their mother's vicious plot of killing them is the argument put forth by the father as suggested in the story for the killing of his children.

The plot of this story is pivoted around Doree, who is at the receiving end. A woman of twenty three years old, she had undergone a traumatising experience, however subdued by the narration. The psychological scattering of her embedded thoughts makes a sense by the way of bringing an unknown boy back to life.

Lloyd, Doree's husband has committed a criminal blunder of killing his children in the absence of Doree. It was Lloyd who had chided Doree for buying a dented tin of spaghetti. He accused Doree of poisoning his children by buying the dented spaghetti. Ironically he has killed his children without any profound reason. The act of his was categorized as, 'criminally insane' and he was confined to a rehabilitation facility. This incident got wide publicity in the print media with their family photograph. Doree got counselled by Mrs. Sands and gradually recovers from the disturbance caused by the incident.

The story begins with Doree's journey towards London to meet her husband. In between the journey,  the act and its aftermath and its psychological repercussions on Doree is presented in a realistic manner by the author. 

Essay

Yes to all.

Say something on Alice Munro's short story "Dimensions".