Abstract

Yann Martel is a famous Canadian writer and his new representative work Life of Pi is honored as the modern classic. It is an adventure story of an India boy drifting on Pacific Ocean 227days with a Bengal tiger Richard Parker, which had helped Yann Martel won the 2003 Man Booker Prize and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Best Adult Fiction for years 2001–2003 in 2004. In Life of Pi, Symbols are abundantly employed and it is the use of symbolism that makes it brilliant and stands out among all the modern novels.

This thesis mainly examines the use of symbolism. Through analyzing the symbols like Pi, name of the hero, the Bengal tiger Richard Parker and the ship Tsimtsum, I will discuss the themes of this novel that are implied by those symbols as well as the aesthetic effect of Martel’s use of symbolism

The employment of symbolism in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi has great impact not only on revealing the theme of the book, but also on developing the story as well as constructing the plot. The use of symbolism in the novel makes it vivid and the implication behind the symbol spices up the novel, making it profoundly thematic and leaving the readers with wild space for imagination. With the help of the implications behind the symbols like Pi, Richard Parker and Tsimtsum, Martel tells us more than a thrilling story of religion, the exploration of self and reflection on human nature.

Key words: North American literature, symbolism, symbol, Life of Pi