“I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: “White, white! L-L-Love! My God!”—and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, “Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,” and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.”

1. This quote is said by Pi, and is the entire chapter twenty-two. In short, this quote is Pi’s idea of how an atheist would die, still in doubt until the last second, and unable to give any credit to God. This seems like Pi is making assumptions about these people without understanding why somebody would feel this way, or have these beliefs. This quote stood out to me solely because it bothers me when people make assumptions or judge others without having the full story. The way this is worded, it looks like Pi is grouping all people who lack belief together, and for him either you can believe or not. I do not agree with his assumptions.

2. For me, religion is drowned by unclarity. I have never been one to believe, mostly because my pursuit of proof. When I was younger, and my grandmother passed away, I wanted to believe. Except, I didn't really understand what honest faith was. When I was eight years old, I would sit awake all night wondering about faith, and the heavens, and what happened to my grandma. I would wake my mom up, crying because of my fear for the afterlife, and the idea that maybe nothing is there. When talking about the quest pattern, this would've been my ordinary world; I want to believe in something, but because I can’t be sure, I can’t have faith. As I grew up a little more, and started to do a lot of higher-order thinking, I tried to look for my faith again. This time of my life, I didn't have a lot going for me. In reflection, middle school really seemed to drag on because I didn't have anything to invest my time into. Unclear when it came to religion and faith, I reached out to the man who, to some extent, shaped my ideals of religion. In terms of the quest pattern, my dad would be my mentor. Although I wish it could've been Yoda, my mentor still taught me the values I carry now. It only seemed necessary to go to the man for enlightenment on faith. In hindsight, I never could've made my own decision on religion when my dad was the one who taught me about it. Both my father and I are very observant people. We both ask too many questions and need to understand everything going on around us. Although I wouldn't say my dad is an atheist, it is safe to say he is a sceptic. When I went to him for help, he didn't force me to believe the same things as him. He simply asked me questions, and let them stew in my head. He planted the seed, and let me decide on my own whether I believed or not. This would've been where he properly equipped me cross the threshold and make my own decisions. I was raised to be sceptical, not trust anybody, and only rely on myself to look out for my own wellbeing. Maybe that is the reasoning for my feelings on religion today. I decided to put it to rest, and live my life without fear of what was next. I decided that pursuing clarity on something I couldn't understand is only a waste of my time. Although I tried to reach out and touch it, without holding it in my hand and seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe. Now, I find myself in ‘the ordeal’ when it comes to the quest pattern, and I doubt I ever take another step towards ‘the reward’. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t answer the apparent questions I have. Like my Yoda, I wouldn't call myself an atheist, but just a young man who needs proof and truth before I decide to believe in something.

3. Just due to my confusion of the narrative voice, I believe that Pi’s story is partially skewed by the author. In all honesty, the author is trying to sell books, and make money. The more outlandish, and unbelievable the story seems, the more money he makes. It only seems natural to skew the story to some extent. Although I do believe it is based on Pi’s true story, it is most likely cushioned and built up a little more just to write a better novel. Also, telling and retelling the story would naturally lead to slight changes or additions. This is only a possibility because of the sheer time it took between the actual event and when it was told to Yann Martel. Another reason for the skewing or buffing of the story is the fact that he was so young when it happened. It is only natural for a teenage boy to boast and over-exaggerate stories. With this in mind, personally I believe that this book is only based on the true story, with a little polishing done by Martel.