The Life of Pi is a story full of adventure, animals and spiritual symbolism. It begins in the Indian city of Pondicherry. An anonymous author meets an elderly man named Francis Adirubasamy who tells him that he has a story that will make him believe in God. Although skeptical, the author is very intrigued. The subject of the story is Pi Patel, who now lives in Toronto and the author discovers him, willing to share his story. Pi is named after a swimming pool, Piscine Molitor in Paris, France. As a child, he was ridiculed because, at school, children changed the pronunciation to “piss”. Soon, teachers also inadvertently pronounce it. His salvation comes when he enters a new private school. When the teacher asks him to say his name, he goes to the board and writes his full name, underlining PI and comparing it to the mathematical symbol. The trick worked and from that day on, he was called Pi instead of “piss”. Pi's father opened a zoo in the local botanical gardens in 1954, and for Pi, it was paradise. He says that although people think it's best to leave animals in the wild, they're actually better cared for at the zoo. He says people no longer favor zoos, saying freedom issues affect both zoos and religion. Pi says he was born a Hindu and will always consider himself a Hindu. However, while on vacation at the age of fourteen, he came across a Catholic church and became intrigued by the image of Christ on the cross. He cannot understand the idea that God would sacrifice his own Son for the sins of ordinary humans. The priest, Father Martin, explains to him that Christianity is a question of love. Pi decides to become a Christian and the priest tells him that he is already...... middle of paper... At first, the author is told that it is a story that will make him believe in God. At first, one might conclude that the meaning of the story indicates that man fabricated the story of God because the true explanation of the universe was boring and uninteresting. However, I think it's quite the opposite. The stories of God and the Bible are somewhat elaborate and difficult for the human mind to imagine, which is why people are constantly searching for a more logical and reasonable explanation of the mysteries of the universe. When these answers are offered, they sound a lot like the second story Pi tells: dull and lifeless. Even if man sometimes wants to believe that there is a reasonable and scientific explanation for everything, he ultimately prefers the inexplicable mystery of God. Works cited Martel, Yann. The Life of Pi: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.