Science and Religion

Life of Pi's protagonist has college degrees in both religious studies and zoology, which makes the novel well suited for a discussion of science and religion. Pi Patel embraces both of them to the fullest--he considers himself a full-fledged Christian, Muslim, and Hindu (much to the dismay of all three religions), and he is an expert on countless animals, having grown up in his father's zoo. Rather than seeing science and religion as being in conflict, Pi considers the natural world to be an expression of God's will. He voices this thought at the very beginning of the novel, when he describes how the three-toed sloth reminds him of God.

In the introduction to the novel, Martel scripts a conversation with a man in India, who says "I have a story that will make you believe in God" (x). No God actually appears in the story, no matter how delirious Pi gets on the lifeboat. Science seems to play the dominant role throughout the adventure. However, the sheer beauty of Pi's experience, coupled with the miraculous fact that he survived it, are evidence that God had a hand in things.