In Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, Piscine “Pi” Patel is forced to tell his life story to the condescending Japanese skeptics who they refuse to believe his stories; they refer to it as nothing more than a fictional invention. Pi somewhat agrees with the men, but challenges their disbelief by saying, “Isn't telling something – using words, English or Japanese – already a kind of invention? Isn't just looking at this world already a kind of invention? (Hammer 302). Through this statement, the reader is reintroduced to a theme of the novel: the overall power of narrative. Life is truly a story, the invention of one's mind; Pi knows this, and the events of the novel show that his life is certainly a colorful story, if seemingly hard to believe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay If life is indeed a story, then the different aspects of this story are certainly a matter of perspective. One of the biggest debates facing young Pi Patel is the nature of his religious practices. Instead of following one set of religious principles, Pi finds comfort in three completely different religious sects: Christianity, Islam, and the religion somehow instilled in him by his excessively non-religious family, Hinduism: “This is how it went the first time I saw a Muslim prayer is rapid, necessary, physical, murmured, surprising. The next time I was praying in a church – on my knees, motionless, silent before Christ on the cross – the image of this callisthenic communion with God in the midst of sacks of flour kept coming back to me” (60). After confrontation from local leaders of his three religions about why he feels the need to practice multiple belief systems, Pi states, “I just want to love God” (69). Being as young as he is, Pi sees nothing wrong with worshiping in three different ways; he only feels the desire to have a connection with a higher power through whatever means makes it possible. At first Pi is fascinated by the many stories that different religions have to offer. In this regard, the religious themes of the novel seem to play into the powerful influence that the narrative has to offer. While these stories are widely accepted as the factual basis upon which religion is based, this certainly was not always the case. Thanks to these stories, told countless times to countless people, an invention was created: a complete religion with devoted followers. Another aspect of Pi's life that is heavily affected by the influence of stories is his relationship with animals. Having grown up in a zoo run by his father, exotic animals were a common sight for young Pi, with whom he formed a personal relationship. These apparently simple and childish relationships are weakened by the father: I have learned the lesson that an animal is an animal, essentially and practically far from us..." (31). By showing Pi how violently a tiger kills a goat to eat it, his father instills a sense of fear in his son in hopes that he will never take a situation with a potentially dangerous animal like a tiger lightly, because they are "very dangerous" ( 34). During his time at sea with the Bengal tiger, humanized under the name Richard Parker, Pi is able to form a sense of mutual respect with the tiger. This may have been due to his father's extensive training with animals over the years. A more likely explanation for this seemingly incredible phenomenon, however, is the fact that Pi apparently does not have.