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Theory of Alchemy in
Life of Pi
By: Zenab Kanth & Tahmina Razzaq
ALCHEMY IN LIFE OF PI: CONTINUED
THE STORY OF PI
- Pi turns the animal story into the people
story
-Animal Story: (107-318), People Story (321-
353)
- To help the Chinese understand the story of
the events that occurred on the ship
TsimTsum, Pi changes the original story
(involving animals) to the people story in
order to make it sound realistic and easy to
FORM OF WATER
Pi, using a solar still, transforms saltwater
into fresh water. An except of his discovery:
“A solar still is a device to produce fresh
water from salt water.” The next few pages
explain the process of salt water
conversion. (Page 191-192)
Just as the theory of Alchemy involves the
conversion of metals, Pi demonstrates
alchemy through the conversion of salt
water.
THEME:
Survival: The will to continue
Life of Pi demonstrates this theme as it’s a story about a
journey on struggling to survive even when the odds are
against one.
Pi’s challenged with numerous odds from when Pi has to
abandon his beliefs of restricting meat in his diet and eating
fish in order to live. Along with Pi, the animals also fought for
their lives, from Orange Juice who challenged the hyena to
the Zebra that struggled to continue living; although, he was
wounded.
The struggle of surviving was also represented by the Hyena
who ate everything in his way and the Frenchman who turned
into a Cannibalism for the sole purpose of surviving.
However, the struggle to survive and the struggle to locate
food are the reasons of the various deaths in the novel.
The will to live shows the possibilities and how far one will go
to continue this precious life. In Life of Pi, Yan Martel explains
the nature of living things through the events that occurred in
Pi’s trip and explains vividly how they will go to an
extraordinary extent to live.
ALCHEMY AND THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
Struggle to survive: The will to continue
This theme presents Alchemy as Pi disregards his belief of
staying a vegetarian and finds him eating fish. This relates to
Alchemy (transition) by exemplifying a transition in Pi’s
journey on the ship. It’s easy to notice the change in Pi from
maintaining one diet to another; therefore, the transition.
The transition in diet was also demonstrated in the
Frenchman who went from pursuing an ordinary diet to
people. Due to the lack of food he transitioned to becoming a
Alchemy & The History
= Alchemy is derived from the Arabic word al-
kimya, meaning “chemistry.”
- In Greek Alchemy means “to separate” or “to
join.”
- In China, Alchemy is described as seeking “a way
of nature” or “Tao.”
- It is known as the transformation of matter such
as turning metal into gold.
- Alchemy is also the transition of metals, mind,
souls or whatever occurs on the path (Tao)
- The system of Alchemy was devised by Aristotle
in 400 B.C
- The practice of Alchemy involved the Romans,
Egyptians, Arabic, Chinese, and Greek countries;
they engaged in alchemical investigations.
- Alchemists devoted their time to the purification
and separation of several substances
OBJECTIVE: To find the philosopher’s stone; an alchemical substance used as a tool which is responsible for changing base metals into gold is now referred to as “white powder gold.” OBJECTIVE: To find the “elixir of life” – which would cure diseases and prolong
The Theory of Alchemy
- Matter is a single, formless substance
thought became the four elements; earth,
fire, air and water
- Believed in transmutation: changing 1
substance into another by changing element
Alchemy Procedures
- The theory of transmutation made them try producing gold from
other base metals
- For example, Swiss scientist Paracelsus tried to substitute sulfur,
mercury and salt for earth, water, air and fire
- Gold’s long lasting quality made people believe that finding how
to make gold from lesser substances could enable them to find the
secret to immorality
- The Chinese believed that eating Gold prolonged life
Beliefs
Religious beliefs: many believed that the techniques used to make
gold were symbolically related to death, corruption, regeneration
and resurrection
Astrology and alchemy became closely related because of the
belief that heavenly body represented and controlled a certain
metal
Sun: gold, moon: silver, Venus: copper, Jupiter: tin, Mars: iron,
Saturn: lead, Mercury: the metal mercury/quicksilver
Some alchemists believed that the positions of these bodies
influenced the success of failure of their work
Alchemy in Life of Pi
DORADO FISH CHANGING COLOURS
“The dorado did a most extraordinary thing as it died: it
began to flash all kinds of colours in rapid succession.
Blue, green, red, gold and violet flickered and shimmered
neon-like on its surface as it struggled” (Martel, 205).
- The dorado fish changing colours symbolizes religion.
Christianity = blue. Islam = green. Hinduism = red. Just as
his religious beliefs are diverse, the fish’s colours are also
diverse.
- In the theory of alchemy, one substance is transformed
into another. In the case of the dorado fish, one colour is
transformed into many others.
TRANSITION IN RELIGION
Pi; along, with practicing the religion of Hinduism adapts
the religion of the Muslims and the Christians.
- Pi appreciated and had a strong belief in God’s
existence; thus, he started practicing all three faiths that
brought him closer to God.
- His belief in religion transitioned from one to another
and he soon he began to practice all of them.
SURVIVAL
Pi had to accustom himself to living with animals instead
of his family
- When his family died and the only other creatures
except for him surviving on the boat were animals, Pi had
to struggle to live with the creatures that could possibly
eat him.
CHANGE IN DIET
- Pi becomes an omnivore from being a vegetarian
- Due to the lack of food in Pi’s diet, Pi couldn’t help but
eat the sea life; such as, fish, or turtles, which went
against his Hinduism belief of murdering animals and
using them for the sole purpose of eating.
The theory of Alchemy states the transition of one
substance to another; thus, changing properties is similar
to the way Pi’s beliefs changes as he was struggling to