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