Life of Pi

[Wij]

Anyone read this ?

Is there an actual explanation for it ? I'm happy if there isn't but it's gnawing away at me that I may have missed something :/

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Yeah I read this.

And no there ain't. It's one of them make your own minds up I think. I haven't re-read it to prove that though. Two or three major ways you can take it, all are probably well off the mark

 

[Wij]

What was the bit with the teeth about ?

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Jog my memory some more

 

[Sar]

Yeah cos it's fat and lazy and needs it.

 

[ECA]

I liked it. ~)(~ zen master says good book!

 

[Wij]

Jog my memory some more

Wrapped up in leaves in the tree on the carnivorous island

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Oooo right yeah!

They're not teeth.

 

[Wij]

Oooo right yeah!

They're not teeth.

What be they then ?

 

[Wazzerphuk]

I'm not entirely sure, my memory isn't too great on it.

I know there's a couple of clues in there somewhere; that is of course, you are believing the island existed: there's a case to argue he never landed on that island and it was a very vivid figment of his imagination.

The other way to look at it, in a very plain and simple way is that they are bone fragments from meals that the island has taken. Given as it eats animals whole, and bone takes a long while to fully break down, it is viable that they are remnants of snacks.

There's some other ideas too. Damn you, you're reminding me of how many times you can read the book and get something totally different out of it.

 

[Xtro]

I recently attempted to read this but found it far too laid back and erm...pleasant...for me.

Its well written and seemed a good book but just didn't grab me. gave it away to a yank mate after only getting a third of the way through

 

[Doh_boy]

Same here, it's nice and well written but I've been trying to read it for ages and keep putting it down. I've started reading fiest books now so it's going to be ages before I get back to reading it. :s

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Damn you Xtro, that's where it all starts.

 

[Furr]

Intereasting read indeed ,
trying not to give away to much from what i think i got( in case im completly wrong ), the idea of belief and to what extent we trust or devalue something. It can be taken in few ways one is its relation to religion . I enjoyed the book quite a lot but im probably missing out a few things personally and didnt notice some stuff as well , might have to go and do a re-read as well , though thats no bad thing .

 

[DaGaffer]

Mmmmm....Pi

 

[Escape]

It was slow going at the start, but the end makes up for it!


About the teeth:

Spoiler

They were real human teeth, as he identified them individually as a full set of 32. Think of it as a carnivorous tree coughing up a hairball! or wrapping up the parts it couldn't digest.

If he didn't visit the "island", where did the mongoose-like skeletal remains come from? Which were definately in his boat at the end

 

[Chilly]

That book is very messe dup, i read it while in france last year drinking fuck loads of cider, got to the end and didnt really know what to make of it, I really enjoyed the insurance blokes though, was extremely funny - and the biscuits

 

[TdC]

I just finished it yesterday. Bought it to read in NZ, but ended up being too busy so I read it during the past week.

regarding the teeth,

Spoiler

well, they are positive-id'd by Pi as a full set of human teeth. he takes great pains to describe them exactly, and then comes up with an explaination for them. usually he does this the other way around, so this is why I trust the teeth to actually exist. it's not entirely clear where they come from, but Pi himself says that he cracks bones and licks out the marrow, also that he opens skulls to get at the contents. imo it's entirely possible that the teeth get mentioned because they are the only parts of the body he can not eat or use in some other fashion. regarding the island, it may well be that Pi indeed comes apon an island inhabited by mongoose-esque creatures but his traumatized, starved and dehydrated brain makes something entirely different of it. he has to encounter the little creatures at some point, or their bones can't end up in the lifeboat.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

*brings back fuzzy memories*

Anyone know of any books in similar to this kind of writing style? Wanna read more stuff like this but don't know where to look....