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Alliteration
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Religious Figures:
Pi’s faith leads him to make many allusions to religious stories (he compares himself to Jesus’s disciples, for instance). These allusions make the reader aware of how Life of Pi functions as a religious allegory, and they also show how Pi’s worldview is informed by multiple religious allegiances. For example, he often compares his moments of suffering to various religious figures, such as in Chapter 5 when he is being bullied at school, and says:
I walked in last, wearing my crown of thorns.
In this passage, Pi is likening his emotional pain to the physical pain of Jesus, who was forced to wear a crown of thorns as part of the crucifixion in the Bible. This comparison is meant to elicit the reader's sympathy and view Pi as a maligned figure whose suffering is unjust.
This habit of alluding to religious figures also extends to small moments on the ship, such as Pi's comparison of being hit with flying fish to Saint Sebastian’s martyrdom by being impaled with arrows, or likening the vastness of the ocean to the sage Markandeya. These allusions elevate his moments of suffering to something spiritual, heightening the idea of Pi as a symbolic figure rather than a real boy experiencing suffering. To some degree, this may allow Pi to brush off the reality of his pain. However, he also uses allusions to enhance the weight of his negative actions as well. For example, in Chapter 61, when he kills his first fish, Pi says of himself:
I was now a killer. I was now as guilty as Cain. I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious, and now I had blood on my hands.
Comparing himself to Cain, the figure who committed the first murder in the Bible by killing his own brother, heightens Pi's guilt and also the severity of this act. As someone who was previously a vegetarian and values all life, killing this fish strikes him the same as killing one's brother. This comparison shows how Pi has made his life into a story as a way of creating an heightened version of reality, where he is a spiritual martyr who has been bettered by his journey. Really, though, Pi can’t escape the weight of his trauma even through the use of these allusions.
Related Themes:
Chapter 61
Explanation and Analysis—Religious Figures:
Pi’s faith leads him to make many allusions to religious stories (he compares himself to Jesus’s disciples, for instance). These allusions make the reader aware of how Life of Pi functions as a religious allegory, and they also show how Pi’s worldview is informed by multiple religious allegiances. For example, he often compares his moments of suffering to various religious figures, such as in Chapter 5 when he is being bullied at school, and says:
I walked in last, wearing my crown of thorns.
In this passage, Pi is likening his emotional pain to the physical pain of Jesus, who was forced to wear a crown of thorns as part of the crucifixion in the Bible. This comparison is meant to elicit the reader's sympathy and view Pi as a maligned figure whose suffering is unjust.
This habit of alluding to religious figures also extends to small moments on the ship, such as Pi's comparison of being hit with flying fish to Saint Sebastian’s martyrdom by being impaled with arrows, or likening the vastness of the ocean to the sage Markandeya. These allusions elevate his moments of suffering to something spiritual, heightening the idea of Pi as a symbolic figure rather than a real boy experiencing suffering. To some degree, this may allow Pi to brush off the reality of his pain. However, he also uses allusions to enhance the weight of his negative actions as well. For example, in Chapter 61, when he kills his first fish, Pi says of himself:
I was now a killer. I was now as guilty as Cain. I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious, and now I had blood on my hands.
Comparing himself to Cain, the figure who committed the first murder in the Bible by killing his own brother, heightens Pi's guilt and also the severity of this act. As someone who was previously a vegetarian and values all life, killing this fish strikes him the same as killing one's brother. This comparison shows how Pi has made his life into a story as a way of creating an heightened version of reality, where he is a spiritual martyr who has been bettered by his journey. Really, though, Pi can’t escape the weight of his trauma even through the use of these allusions.
Related Themes:
Chapter 63
Explanation and Analysis—Other Castaways:
Pi is a voracious reader and excellent storyteller, so he often makes allusions to various books and other castaway stories. In doing so, he likens his experiences to those of the characters in these stories. The most notable example of this occurs in Chapter 63:
The Robertson family survived thirty-eight days at sea. Captain Bligh of the celebrated mutinous Bounty and his fellow castaways survived forty-seven days. Steven Callahan survived seventy-six. Owen Chase, whose account of the sinking of the whaling ship Essex by a whale inspired Herman Melville, survived eighty-three days at sea with two mates, interrupted by a one-week stay on an inhospitable island. The Bailey family survived 118 days. I have heard of a Korean merchant sailor named Poon, I believe, who survived the Pacific for 173 days in the 1950s.
I survived 227 days.
These allusions to other castaway stories emphasize the great feat of Pi’s lengthy survival at sea. He has survived for much longer than other people on the boat, without any sailing experience. The knowledge of other castaways also provides comfort, since they serve as proof that even though Pi still has a long journey ahead of him, others have survived similar trauma. Furthermore, the mention that one of the castaway’s stories was the inspiration behind Moby Dick helps elevate Pi’s own story to the level of impactful literature. (This particular allusion also gives this passage a metafictional bent, since Life of Pi—a work of fiction—is meant to be the memorialization of Pi's castaway story.) Both Life of Pi and Moby Dick explore religion, morality, and the human condition through complex and often ambiguous symbolism. Thus, this section also points to the fact that everything Pi says is a fictionalized retelling of his experience rather than a factual account.
Related Themes:
