So last night we have our first gathering of the Brew & Book Club. Marcia and I hosted.
The “new” beer last night was Petrus Old Brown Ale, which I have had before, but other’s had not.
You can read my POST about it. I really like it, considering that I like brown ales as well as beers with sweeter, fruitier tastes. One interesting comment came from Shannon. She said it had a hint of a whiskey taste to it, which I am sure came from the aging for two years in oak casks.
The book we all read and discussed was “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.
I really didn’t know what to say about this book when I reviewed it. It was hard to tell how it finished, given that there were two endings and it seems to be up to the reader to figure out which is the truth. For those of you that have any interest in reading the book, I suggest that you read no farther.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
It is about a boy that gets shipwrecked on the Pacific Ocean. He had four mates in his life boat: a zebra with a broken leg, a hyena, an orangutan, and a tiger named Richard Parker. Eventually over the course of a few days, the hyena finishes off the zebra, then kills the orangutan. Finally, the seasick Tiger does in the hyena, and Pi is left alone with the tiger, Richard Parker. He has an interesting trip for the 227 days at sea in his lifeboat, and he builds a little raft off the back end tied to the boat to stay away from Richard Parker. He does so much to try and survive, and keep Richard Parker alive, but train him that he, Pi, is the alpha male. Eventually they make land in Mexico, and just seconds later, Richard Parker goes running off.
After being found, Pi is interviewed by employees of the shipping company investigating the shipwreck. They don’t believe Pi’s story. So Pi then tells them another story. And in this story, the zebra is a Chinese sailor with a broken leg, the orangutan is Pi’s mother, and the hyena is the ship’s cook who is French. In the same amount of time, the cook kills the sailor and uses him as food, then does the same to Pi’s mother. Then finally Pi kills the cook.
It threw me, and others that read it for a total loop. My opinion is that the second story, the one where Pi kills the cook, is the true story. The tiger Richard Parker is a metaphor for his sin in killing the cook, and his changes in order to survive, and he is holding that primal instinct (the tiger) at bay throughout the trip, trying to keep himself sane. Now whether in fact that is supposed to be the ending, I have no clue. What was discussed at the meeting yesterday didn’t change my opinions of that, but it did open other views of what had happened.
One issue that was brought up though that struck a chord in me was the fact that Richard Parker just trots off after they make land. In the metaphor idea, yes that is a bit quick like David pointed out. There should have been more. There should have been more struggle. But if he really was stuck on that boat with a tiger, then I believe it was true to form. Richard Parker was somewhat grateful for Pi feeding him, and showed that by just walking away instead of attacking him. Given that he is just an animal, he trotted off because he was done with the horror. But the book never mentions a loose tiger threatening villages and such, one that may not usually be found in Mexico in the wild, since the tiger was a Bengal and coming from India. So that leads me to believe that it was indeed a metaphor.
It was an interesting book. Clever ending. One of the biggest disappointments though was the tag line of the book. “This is a story that will make you believe in God.” Well, it didn’t. And what I mean by that it the reader is terribly short-changed. Other then the fact that Pi gets involved in three religions before the shipwreck, there is no big theological premise that would lead anyone to question any religious ideals, or bring them into better focus.
Now weeks after, the shock of the ending has worn off and I find myself still thinking that the book was an entertaining read, but not one for the ages.
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