Quotes from "Life of Pie"

This afternoon I went to see the movie "Life of Pie."  It is based on the novel written by Yann Martel.  The story centers around a young Indian boy's experience of surviving a shipwreck.  What makes the experience special is the company of a Bangladesh tiger, which in the beginning the protagonist might fall prey to at any moment when they are on the same boat, getting through the ordeal.  Pie finally tames the tiger, but still loses their connection when their boat finally gets stranded on a beach, ending their days on the sea, the tiger disappears in the forest, Pie passes out and later is rescued.

Near the end of the movie, when the adult Pie finishes relating his epic adventure to the writer who is paying him a visit and takes huge interest in his story, he says, "All of life is an act of letting go but what hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye."  Hearing this, my heart sighed.

The following is an online quote from the novel.  To me, it is the theme of Pie's story, and so true in real life.

“I had to stop hoping so much that a ship would rescue me. I should not count on outside help.   Survival had to start with me. In my experience, a castaway’s worst mistake is to hope too much and to do too little. Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate. To look out with idle hope is tantamount to dreaming one’s life away.”  ―    Yann Martel,    Life of Pi

Want more quotes from the novel?  Please click the link.

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1392700-life-of-pi

A great movie!  Bravo, Ang Lee!