Life of Pi, although released a decade ago, still lives on with the mysterious imprint it left in the viewers’ minds, and it will be talked about for at least another century for Ang Lee’s amazing take on the story.
While many may have already figured out Life of Pi’s story and how its ending is not what it actually seems, a large number of people didn’t quite understand it.
So, in simple terms, Life of Pi is about God and how one perceives life to cope with trauma, even going so far as to change the truth of the past. It is not certainly a hallucination or a made-up story (in the movie) because Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) tells the story with a genuine sense.
If you still didn’t get the gist of Life of Pi, its ending, and what it represents, keep reading to get a clear picture.
What Was the Meaning Behind Life of Pi?
Although Life of Pi describes the story of Pi Patel in a religious sense, it is not so much making you believe in God but in how people deal with their existence. While some prefer to embrace the dark meaning of life, others find comfort in religion because it presents the truth of the universe in a simple fashion.
There are two stories in Life of Pi, one where Pi Patel survives for 227 days with Richard Parker, the Tiger, and the other where each survivor kills the other to eat and survive. While the former story represents a religious sense where you don’t cross any boundaries, the latter is the harsh truth you don’t want to face.
Was the Tiger in Life of Pi His Imagination?
As we mentioned earlier, the viewer can perceive the film’s story from either of two perspectives. If you decide to abandon all the logic and human curiosity, you can go with the second story, that the Tiger is genuinely real.
However, in a logical sense, the Tiger is an imagination created by Pi in his head to cope with the fact that he had to kill the cook who murdered his mother on the boat to survive.
Also, the story of Tiger makes it a pleasant and meaningful experience and not a regretful one. Not to mention, it also feels interesting to the viewer when compared to the cannibalistic survival story on the other side.
Why Did Richard Parker Not Look Back?
If you come to understand the fact that Richard Parker is Pi’s imagination, you may want to consider another perspective. Tiger is the evil Pi, which will help him cope with the fact that he hasn’t done anything terrible to survive.
So, assuming he’s trying to let go of the things he has done to stay alive on the boat, it makes perfect sense. Because if Tiger looks back, that means he will carry the regret of killing the cook and other unspeakable things he did his entire life. It is a little beautiful lie that he created himself so as not to remember the past.
What Is the True Ending of the Lie of Pi?
From the way we see it, just as there were two stories to the film, there are also two perspectives to view the ending, but the overarching conclusion is the same: Pi Patel survives the predicament after witnessing the death of his family and other survivors.
It is up to you to decide which ending you prefer. Firstly, there is the bitter-sweet ending where Pi cries after parting with Richard Parker on the Mexican shore, which, although makes him sad for a limited amount of time, stays with him as a beautiful memory of a companion who has been with him through thick and thin.
From another point of view, the ending that we think makes more sense is that there is no Tiger, and as we said before, it is a coping mechanism created inside his mind. The movie leaves the ending ambiguous on purpose so that specific questions like this will arise among the viewers.
So, which one of the two perspectives are you choosing in Life of Pi? Is it the one with the Tiger or the one with harsh reality?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
