When authors set out to impact the lives of readers, a diverse utilization of literary aspects is often required. It is easy to come across many differences and similarities between literary aspects when one delves into a plethora of works. In the book Life of Pi author Yann Martel harnesses the use of a varied first person point of view in order to accurately portray the sense of panic and urgency in given situations; adversely, in the short story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, a detached third person point of view is taken into account in order to drag the reader along on the drawn-out, suspenseful journey that the families involved had to endure. Despite the difference in narrators amongst Life of Pi and “The Lottery,” the …show more content…
Throughout various trials and tribulations, Pi finds himself bonding with Richard Parker (the name Pi’s late father had given to the tiger.) Richard Parker’s life was in debt to Pi upon Pi allowing him onto his lifeboat. The powerful tiger more than once repaid this aforementioned debt. Pi often found himself in tense situations, be it up against a wild hyena or a cannibal shipwreck survivor. Despite these multiple life and death situations, Pi would prevail with the help of his unfortunate companion because without him “[Pi] would not be alive today to tell you [his] story.” (Martel 247) These successes continue until both Pi and Richard Parker get rescued. The pain that Pi is in due to the time he has spent stranded in the ocean is forgotten as a feeling of relief overcomes the sickly boy. The narration of this piece shifts once again to present day as Pi looks back on his time at sea with Richard Parker. A shift in narration like this acts as the resolution for Life of Pi. The reader learns that Pi has prevailed to live a happy and healthy life despite the loss of his parents all while making an unlikely friend. The sense of joy that the reader experiences upon the ending of this piece can be credited to the first person point of view that Martel uses so effectively. However, when authors wish …show more content…
This piece begins at the square of a quaint little village. Children are frolicking around collecting stones on a warm midsummer day in preparation for the annual lottery. Questions begin to surface as this piece transpires. The reader learns of what is happening, but not why. Jackson’s use of a third person point of view allows for the reader to be shut out of the true meaning behind this town’s lottery. Families continue to gather on the square as slips of paper are being placed in a black wooden box. The events that are soon to take place are that of great importance because all three hundred of the village residents are in attendance at this unclear
In Shirley Jackson’s short story the Lottery and Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, there are a few aspects of a similar nature that attempt to tackle the nature essence of the human condition. Both short stories respectively portray two similar types of foreshadowing where one is random the other is premeditated, which leads these stories to their very surprising dramatic climax that is held until the end of each story. I believe that these important variables of both stories have a strong influence on the reader’s objectification regarding the way each story presents the idea of the human condition.
The setting in the stories The Lottery and The Rocking-Horse Winner create an atmosphere where the readers can be easily drawn in by the contrasting features of each short story. This short essay will tell of very important contrasting aspects of settings in that while both stories are different, both hold the same aspects.
The themes of “The Lottery and “The Tell-Tale Heart” have its similarities but minor differences. The stylistic techniques the authors use in each story contribute to their themes. Irony and symbolism help support the 2 different themes of each story. Both stories involve death but are looked at in different ways.
Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” shows all three of the main elements of a hero’s journey: the departure, initiation and the return, helping the story to greatly resemble Joseph Campbell’s structure of a hero’s journey. Through the trials Pi has to face, he proves himself to be a true hero. He proves himself, not just while trapped on the lifeboat with Richard Parker, but also before the sinking of the Tsimtsum. His achievement to fulfill the heroic characteristics of Campbell’s model are evident as he goes though the three stages.
Finally, Greed and the search for love was apparent in both stories. The setting established by the author was the foundation that used elements such as characters, the background, scenery, and passions to create and emotional connection with the readers. The quest for love is not just bound to one piece of the story. Both stories entangled an underlining pursuit of love and devotion. As in all stories, conflict arises to confuse readers and characters alike. The conflict in “The Rocking Horse Winner’ is almost imminently clear, the story will end with death. However, the conflict in “The Lottery” is not as easily discovered, death is not revealed until the end.
When writing a captivating short story it is important to build a strong plot progression, conflict, and message throughout the text. The message of a story is also called the “theme”. The reason for a theme in a story is to give the reader something to “take with them” as they read through the dialog. It is typical to find deep, meaningful, and thought provoking themes in these short stories; the author aims to make a strong point in few words. “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson are two examples of strong them in short stories. Both “The Rocking Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” have a common tread to their messages, which is winning may not always offer the solution to the problems in life.
“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Adapting to a new situation or experience like violent crashing waves can be difficult. Nevertheless, a person needs to learn how to surf in order to outlast the pounding waves. In a similar fashion, individuals need to learn how to adapt to a challenging situation in order to survive. This idea of the significance of adapting to new situations is often explored in literature. In the novel, Life of Pi, Yann Martel makes powerful use of character development to suggest that individuals may be able to adapt to situations in life through a sense of determination, or through denying reality and using their imagination instead.
In life, people experience different situations and live different realities. It is not illogical to say that the different journeys in life sometimes give us different ways of viewing the world. This was evident upon a closer examination and analysis of Wu Cheng’en’s “The Journey to the West”, and Mary Shelly “Frankenstein”, where the two main characters of the book, a Monkey and a creature, each have a different way of viewing life. The monkey see’s life as a journey that should be explored, while the creature has no way of exploring and sees life as something he cannot enjoy. In the end, what can be taken away from the works of literature is that no matter the journey taken, it is important to remember that one’s subjectivity, built on our experiences, determines reality.
One of life’s many unanswered questions is life after the end of mortality. The only plausible way humans are able to conjure up an answer is through religion. Since the forbidden fruit was picked of the calamitous tree, millions of religions have brewed and been thrown into the everlasting pot of humanity. This quest for answers of the unknown and the unique struggle of finding oneself within faith is lucidly mirrored in Life of Pi. This inimitable and emotionally exhausting novel is set in the 1970’s, when the ghastlier side of Gandhi began to emerge, and religious freedom was limited. Although our world has changed quite a bit from those drastic times, people in our world today still struggle with the stereotypical notions that are etched onto all, if not most of our world’s pieties. In Life of Pi, a young boy with a mind of a magnet explores the meaning of life, and through out his saddening, valiant journey, he realizes that although different hands crafted our world’s religions, these hands were created by one universal force. Yann Martel expresses his personnel motif through symbolism, ideology, and characterization so boldly; it was as if Agni claimed he was our mortal savoir.
“The presence of God is the finest of rewards.” (Yann Martel, Life of Pi 63) In Yann Martel’s riveting novel “Life of Pi” The basic plot of survival unfolds, however, this essay will show how the hidden yet the dominant theme of religion throughout the story is what helped the main character Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) survive.
The Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is the story of a young man, Piscine, or Pi for short, who experiences unbelievable and unrealistic events, which are so unrealistic ambiguity is aroused amongst the reader. Duality reoccurs over the course of the novel through every aspect of Pi’s world view and is particularly seen in the two contradictory stories, which displays the brutal nature of the world. Martel wonderfully crafts and image of duality and skepticism though each story incorporated in this novel.
A quick glance at Life of Pi and a reader may take away the idea that it is an easy read and a novel full of imagination, but take a Freudian view on the work and it transforms into a representation of the human psyche. Martel’s novel takes the reader on a journey with Pi as he struggles for his own survival. Pi experiences a breakdown of each component that makes up ones personality according to Freud throughout the novel. One by one id, ego and super ego both express a huge factor in Pi’s choices and emotions throughout his story. The readers are also introduced to an alternate ending to choose from. This alternate ending plays a key role in understanding how to view the novel through Freudian lenses. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis clarifies many troubling issues raised in the novel Life of Pi.
Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" uses the third-person dramatic point of view to tell a story about an un-named village that celebrates a wicked, annual event. The narrator in the story gives many small details of the lottery taking place, but leaves the most crucial and chilling detail until the end: the winner of the lottery is stoned to death by the other villagers. The use of the third-person point of view, with just a few cases of third-person omniscient thrown in, is an effective way of telling this ironic tale, both because the narrator's reporter-like blandness parallels the villagers' apparent apathy to the lottery, and because it helps build to the surprise ending by giving away bits of information to the reader through the actions and discussions of the villagers without giving away the final twist.
...the typical lifeless boring story that doesn’t have a lasting impact on the readers. However when these stories are infused with great imagination and is pictured larger than life itself it leaves an everlasting impression and are going to have a greater effect on all. Life of Pi portrays to the audience the way in which faith is the answer to unexplained events. By exposing others to what are experiences it impacts the way they begin to see and how faith and religion will begin to play an important role in their life. By allowing an opening ending to the story it allows the readers to have their own insight of what they feel best represents the outcome of the story and which best validates the way things are. People may think things cannot happen or because things are unexplained that it isn’t true, however what may seem far from real doesn’t mean it is impossible.
The projection of Richard Parker helps Pi to be aware of this current situation, which was him being stranded in the ocean on a lifeboat in comparison to his beliefs in his religions. His fear towards Richard Parker was one of the reasons of his survival. Pi says, “Fear and reason fought over answer. Fear said yes. He was a fierce, 450-pound carnivore. Each of his claws was sharp as a knife” (Martel 108). Pi describes Richard Parker as an extremely dangerous, fearful, and vicious predator. This causes Pi keep aware because he is on a boat with a deadly carnivore. He tries to keep awake at night while being on the lifeboat with Richard Parker from the fear of being attacked and eaten by the Bengal tiger. However, since Richard Parker is Pi’s id, it was actually him keeping himself aware and alive. Pi states, “If I still had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances” (Martel 164). This shows how Richard Parker occupies Pi’s mind and influences his thoughts about the tragic incident that has happened. The will to live for Pi is no longer his family, but Richard Parker, his id. Richard Parker taught Pi how to survive based on his instincts an...