CARNIVOROUS ALGAE TREES D:

[Singing Seraph]

Life of Pi, anyone? :3

I am almost finished with it, and there is something fraying on the nerves about reading about stuff like that right before you go to bed. (It's after midnight for me now)

So I was wondering if anyone could help me out here: Is this story completely fiction? Like, did the author fabricate the man that told him this story? Or was it real? Or maybe it was real and he added a few things to make the book more interesting? I'm still slightly confused on this aspect.

I find the book utterly mortifying, disgusting, appalling, intriguing, amazing, hilarious, enlightening, and downright absurd. Any thoughts?
:3

[Duragraha]

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

[Singing Seraph]

Duragraha

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

You did not spoil it~ I finished it this morning.
Actually, I after I put it down, I sat there for ten minutes contemplating which story I would actually believe. To tell you the truth, I find it more likely that he managed to tame a tiger on board than a cook who would be so brutal and stupid as to eat all of their rations and bits of the passengers. That is my conclusion, anyway. The carnivorous tree bit still gets me--actually, no. Even that I would believe with much mind straining. It's the meerkats that got me. Lol.

[Duragraha]

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

You did not spoil it~ I finished it this morning.
Actually, I after I put it down, I sat there for ten minutes contemplating which story I would actually believe. To tell you the truth, I find it more likely that he managed to tame a tiger on board than a cook who would be so brutal and stupid as to eat all of their rations and bits of the passengers. That is my conclusion, anyway. The carnivorous tree bit still gets me--actually, no. Even that I would believe with much mind straining. It's the meerkats that got me. Lol.

Haha. The spoiler warning wasn't really intended for you. I just didn't want to spoil any other users that might still be reading the book.

I think that it was the point of the book, in a way, to force the reader to choose which reality they preferred. Personally, I'm with you. I'd rather believe in Pi.

(Although, sadly, I will have to disagree with you about it being unlikely that any individual could be so brutal and stupid as to eat the other passengers. I once stumbled across an article that commented upon the similarities between Poe's only novel and a criminal case from the 1800's. I looked it up, and R v Dudley and Stephens was an extremely influential English trial in which a group of shipwrecked sailors were accused of drawing lots in order to ascertain which of them would be killed and eaten. The lot had apparently fallen upon the unfortunate cabin boy.

[Singing Seraph]

Duragraha

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

You did not spoil it~ I finished it this morning.
Actually, I after I put it down, I sat there for ten minutes contemplating which story I would actually believe. To tell you the truth, I find it more likely that he managed to tame a tiger on board than a cook who would be so brutal and stupid as to eat all of their rations and bits of the passengers. That is my conclusion, anyway. The carnivorous tree bit still gets me--actually, no. Even that I would believe with much mind straining. It's the meerkats that got me. Lol.

Haha. The spoiler warning wasn't really intended for you. I just didn't want to spoil any other users that might still be reading the book.

I think that it was the point of the book, in a way, to force the reader to choose which reality they preferred. Personally, I'm with you. I'd rather believe in Pi.

(Although, sadly, I will have to disagree with you about it being unlikely that any individual could be so brutal and stupid as to eat the other passengers. I once stumbled across an article that commented upon the similarities between Poe's only novel and a criminal case from the 1800's. I looked it up, and R v Dudley and Stephens was an extremely influential English trial in which a group of shipwrecked sailors were accused of drawing lots in order to ascertain which of them would be killed and eaten. The lot had apparently fallen upon the unfortunate cabin boy.

Well, I know of another case in the Andes mountains where a plane crashed and they ate those that died in order to survive. See, this is...horrible, but believable. I know there are brutal people out there that would kill and eat people in order to survive, but so quickly after a mere week? I am not so sure. surprised

[Duragraha]

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

You did not spoil it~ I finished it this morning.
Actually, I after I put it down, I sat there for ten minutes contemplating which story I would actually believe. To tell you the truth, I find it more likely that he managed to tame a tiger on board than a cook who would be so brutal and stupid as to eat all of their rations and bits of the passengers. That is my conclusion, anyway. The carnivorous tree bit still gets me--actually, no. Even that I would believe with much mind straining. It's the meerkats that got me. Lol.

Haha. The spoiler warning wasn't really intended for you. I just didn't want to spoil any other users that might still be reading the book.

I think that it was the point of the book, in a way, to force the reader to choose which reality they preferred. Personally, I'm with you. I'd rather believe in Pi.

(Although, sadly, I will have to disagree with you about it being unlikely that any individual could be so brutal and stupid as to eat the other passengers. I once stumbled across an article that commented upon the similarities between Poe's only novel and a criminal case from the 1800's. I looked it up, and R v Dudley and Stephens was an extremely influential English trial in which a group of shipwrecked sailors were accused of drawing lots in order to ascertain which of them would be killed and eaten. The lot had apparently fallen upon the unfortunate cabin boy.

Well, I know of another case in the Andes mountains where a plane crashed and they ate those that died in order to survive. See, this is...horrible, but believable. I know there are brutal people out there that would kill and eat people in order to survive, but so quickly after a mere week? I am not so sure. surprised

Haha. You never know. I think we might be surprised at how quickly morality degenerates as soon as people believe that they've strayed outside the boundaries of civilization. One of the things that surprised me about the rise of the Internet age was the swiftness with which people could shed the trappings of basic courtesy when they thought that they could no longer be penalized for their actions. It was something that I had always assumed was...habit, I suppose.

[Singing Seraph]

Duragraha

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

Singing Seraph

Duragraha

WARNING: SPOILERS.

From what I understand, the narrator's story about the tiger and the carnivorous forest is, in fact, a fiction--the attempt of a child to cope with his trauma by mythologizing it, transforming his harrowing experience into what is essentially an adventure story.

Towards the end, the investigators receive alternative information that reveals what really happened. Pi and his mother are trapped in a lifeboat with a man who is willing to cannibalize the dead; his mother is murdered and decapitated in defense of her child; Pi is forced to live on the same boat as the murderer for several days, although he eventually gets revenge when the killer finally loses the will to live; Pi drifts, starving, in the ocean, and is almost killed by the first human being he meets. The suffering that Pi has endured is unimaginable, and the men who have been sent to investigate the shipwreck realize that it is only this fragile fantasy of tigers and carnivorous forests that has preserved Pi's sanity from being consumed by the horror of what he has experienced. Even though it puts their jobs at risk, they decide to accept Pi's story as the official account, because--honestly--what is the point of causing him any more anguish? And anyway, in the the end, who can really say which is better? The horrible truth, or the beautiful fiction?

END SPOILERS.

To be honest, I almost put Life of Pi down and never picked it up again. However, I soldiered through, and I'm glad---the end simply blew me away.

You did not spoil it~ I finished it this morning.
Actually, I after I put it down, I sat there for ten minutes contemplating which story I would actually believe. To tell you the truth, I find it more likely that he managed to tame a tiger on board than a cook who would be so brutal and stupid as to eat all of their rations and bits of the passengers. That is my conclusion, anyway. The carnivorous tree bit still gets me--actually, no. Even that I would believe with much mind straining. It's the meerkats that got me. Lol.

Haha. The spoiler warning wasn't really intended for you. I just didn't want to spoil any other users that might still be reading the book.

I think that it was the point of the book, in a way, to force the reader to choose which reality they preferred. Personally, I'm with you. I'd rather believe in Pi.

(Although, sadly, I will have to disagree with you about it being unlikely that any individual could be so brutal and stupid as to eat the other passengers. I once stumbled across an article that commented upon the similarities between Poe's only novel and a criminal case from the 1800's. I looked it up, and R v Dudley and Stephens was an extremely influential English trial in which a group of shipwrecked sailors were accused of drawing lots in order to ascertain which of them would be killed and eaten. The lot had apparently fallen upon the unfortunate cabin boy.

Well, I know of another case in the Andes mountains where a plane crashed and they ate those that died in order to survive. See, this is...horrible, but believable. I know there are brutal people out there that would kill and eat people in order to survive, but so quickly after a mere week? I am not so sure. surprised

Haha. You never know. I think we might be surprised at how quickly morality degenerates as soon as people believe that they've strayed outside the boundaries of civilization. One of the things that surprised me about the rise of the Internet age was the swiftness with which people could shed the trappings of basic courtesy when they thought that they could no longer be penalized for their actions. It was something that I had always assumed was...habit, I suppose.

Hmm, good point.
HOWEVER. Another thing hit me that provides me with more evidence~
Pi was a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Christian--and all three of these religions (if followed correctly) prohibit any form of violence. Plus, he's a vegetarian and he openly sobbed over a little fish after breaking it's neck. EVEN IF THIS GUYS MURDERED HIS MOTHER, I seriously doubt he would be so quick to stab him so brutally the way he described. I am not even a pacifist, and I don't htink I would be able to rage that hardcore and stab someone to death, no matter how much I adore my mom.