Starting to understand "The Lesson"

As I continued to read after the shipwreck incident, I am horrified at what a child (Pi) has to endure. He is the witness to many gruesome realities that occur in nature. The whole incident of the hyena devouring the zebra is enough to take one's stomach away. After reading about the hyena eating Orange Juice I feel a stir of emotion come over me. It is an unpleasant feeling to think about a child being in such a situation. I then think about how amazing that Martel has created such a sad mood with his words. By choosing to use such vivid imagery in his words, we hurt for Pi. We are sad and upset at the vicious scenes that he has fallen victim to seeing.

Remember the lesson that Pi's father showed him and his brother Ravi? He showed them firsthand how dangerous animals were when he took them into a cage. I should have seen the beginning of a literary technique then. I believe that Martel inserted that scene in the book to foreshadow what is going on now. Without any help, Pi is having to find a way to defend against very dangerous animals close to him. He remembers that lesson and is scared for his life.

I have to say that because of where I am in reading this book, I will continue to read it. I find the writing of Martel to be very interesting. He creates the "movie scenes" in my head like we talked about in class. I believe this book was perfect for this assignment!