Is this story real?

Da Rap Game's Response:

Our group consensus on whether or not Life of Pi is a true story is that the entire story, whether it is the animal version or the people version, is not true. The purpose of the novel is to cause the reader to question what they’ve read. It aims to argue the point of belief. It wants the reader to believe in anything, showing that if one can believe in something as illogical as this story, one can believe in God. On page 285, Pi says, “…that’s one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that a number runs on forever. It’s important in life to conclude things properly” (Martel 285). The nickname Pi expresses a lot about the character and the objective of the book. Pi is essentially an irrational number, a number that is never ending and without reason or clear judgment. The author says in the beginning of the novel, “this was, indeed, a story to make you believe in God” (Martel XI). Life of Pi is a completely irrational story. Its reality can be argued forever, which is exactly what the author wanted. If a story so far fetched can cause a reader to believe that a young man can survive for 227 days along side a Bengal Tiger, then the reader can easily believe in God. The point of Life of Pi is not to believe whether the story is true or not, but to realize that belief is more about believing in what you have not witnessed yourself then what is right in front of you. Pi also says in Chapter 99, “Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is the problem with hard to believe?” (Martel 297). The author shows is cards with this quote. He shows the reader that again, believing is more about faith. Having confidence or trust in a person or thing is truly believing. If one can love, one can believe this story, one can live life, one can believe in God. A direct quote from back of the novel states that, “Life of Pi could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life” (The New York Times Book Review). The novel sets one up to believe that the entire book is credible. It is up to the reader to decide what is true, but essentially, the story it self is completely untrue.