A Study On Life Of Pi From The Perspective Of Ethical Literary Criticism

Yann Martel is a Canadian writer who comes to prominence for his best-seller novel Life of Pi at the beginning of the 2000s. Life of Pi is his second novel which was firstly published in 2001. This novel won the Man Booker Prize and many other international prizes, which made Martel an internationally recognized author. In 2012, Life of Pi was adapted for an eponymous film by the famous Chinese-American director, Ang Lee, which makes this novel much more popular around the world. The researches on Life of Pi mainly focus on psychoanalysis study, eco-criticism, post-criticism, narration, animal metaphor. There are only two papers focusing on the ethical theme of this novel. However, few articles or theses have conducted a systematical interpretation of Life of Pi from the perspective of ethical literary criticism. Ethical literary criticism is the major theoretical basis of this thesis. Furthermore, Freud’s psychoanalysis theory and John Hick’s religious pluralism are also applied in the study of this novel. Focusing on the process of Pi’s rationality acquisition and awakening of feral instincts and then rational return, this thesis analyzes the protagonist’s different behavioral traits and dispositions owing to the different combinations and changes of his sphinx factor during his different periods of growth.According to the different combinations and changes of Pi’s sphinx factor during his different periods of growth, the thesis firstly analyzes the background of young Pi. Under the impacts of nature, other people and religions, young Pi gradually distinguishes himself from animals. After going through the period of ethical enlightenment, he produces ethical consciousness and goes into the process of ethical selection. Secondly, it analyses the changing process of Pi’ disposition from rationality to ferity after the shipwreck. It explains the deep-rooted reasons why Pi substitutes animals for humans on the lifeboat from the perspective of ethical literary criticism and gives the analysis on the changing relationship between Pi and the tiger. Finally, it construes the process of Pi’s rational resuscitation and final return to the human society. In this part Pi gets his spiritual redemption and the tiger goes back to the jungle, whose ethical selection is explored.In conclusion, in the perspective of ethical literary criticism, this thesis gives deep analysis on Pi’s ethical selections during the process of the protagonist’s rationality acquisition and awakening of feral instincts and then rational return. Yann Martel’s exploration on combination and change of Pi’s sphinx factor aims to explain that human factor can restrain animal factor even in the extreme situation and faiths plays an indispensable role in the rational growing process of human beings.