Well, I'm half way to half way through Life of Pi and I'm really enjoying it. I was happily surprised that the author is from Canada and that there are many references to this great country.
I must say that until I hit Chapter 16, I sort of felt like I was reading a Zoology textbook, not that its a bad thing, but just wasn't what I was expecting. I loved the way each of the animals was described and the facts on some of them. It made me want to head straight to the zoo, or at the very least Wikipedia each one of them. That was until I realized that I had been to the Calgary Zoo just a month ago with my mom and my god siblings and hadn't felt the way that Pi felt. The author did such a good job describing the animals the way that an eight year old would have seen them, not a 27 year old babysitter who was more interested in getting to the cafeteria.
The book made me consider my own opinion of zoos, which until this point had been fairly wishy washy. I had always felt a tinge of guilt about how much I loved going to see all of the caged animals. Little did I know, these animals feel more comfort, security, and peacefulness in their new habitats than they could ever feel out in the wild unknown.
It took a little longer than I am comfortable to admit to figure out the the italicized chapters are the authors notes on hearing Pi's story. I loved reading about the shrine that the author observed at Pi's home. I spent a month living in an Ashram in Hawaii and spent many hours praying and meditating to shrines just like the one described in the book. I don't know why it feels so good to read something that feels familiar, it gives me such a cozy feeling. I feel very lucky that because of experiences I have had, I can visualize the beauty and importance of a shrine.
I'm not a very religious person, I basically just believe in love. This book talks quite a bit about different religions and its making me realize how little I know and I want to do some research on a few of them. The book says, "I challenge anyone to understand Islam, its spirit, and not to love it. It is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion." I will take that challenge because lately, the news coverage of this religion has not been positive. New York is dealing with the monumental debate of whether or not to build a Muslim center 2 blocks from Ground Zero. People are protesting, people are threatening to burn Qu'arans, people are spewing hate. Everyday I hear different politicians and religious leaders argue that Islam is a religion based on hate and violence since the beginning of time. I'm curious to see what Wiki thinks of this.
I have no idea what Chapter 21 is about. Totally lost despite having reread it 20 times.
One of my favorite quotes so far is, "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation"
I've always considered myself a great reader so I was taken a little off guard when I came across several (actually more like many) words that I had never read before. Rather than feeling like a huge dunce, I'm just going to look at it as an opportunity to expand my vocabulary. Here are some that I'm hoping will stick in my memory for a while:
1. INDOLENT (adjective) : having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful
2. HOVEL (noun) : a small, very humble dwelling house; a wretched hut, any dirty, disorganized dwelling
3. ANTHROPOMORPHIZE (verb) : to ascribe human form or attributes to and animal, plant, material object, etc. (I love this word because I do this to my dog Sophie all the time!)
4. IMPIOUS (adjective) : not pious or religious; lacking reverence for god, religious practices, etc.;ungodly; disrespectful
5. PETULANT (adjective) : moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance (a petulant toss of the head)
I'm excited to keep reading and get to the actual meat of the story, so far it just seems to be a lot of set up. Reading about this young boy who is so enthralled by religion and wanting to know and love God is making me think a lot about my own religion, or lack thereof. If the book pulls through on its promise though, there is a good chance that I will end up believing in God by the end of it.
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