Uniqueness is difficult to find in all literature, especially in reconstructions of previously published stories. Once a story is told, the originality begins to dissipate and the audience distorts the story. Even popular novels that are turned into films can be modified. This is especially evident in the critically acclaimed story, Life of Pi, originally written by Yann Martel and later made into a film by Ang Lee. Life of Pi focuses on the life of an intelligent and charismatic man named Piscine Molitor Patel, however, he is nicknamed Pi. He and his family owned a zoo, but sold it to move to Canada. They traveled on a merchant ship and brought some of their animals with them. however, a storm had hit the sea and the only survivors were Pi and a Bengal tiger, known as Richard Parker. After the devastating storm, Pi and Richard began to learn how to survive. The transformation of the produced novel into film has small similarities and significant differences, so the stage version of Ang Lee's Life of Pi does not well reflect Yann Martel's original artistic vision. For example, the film includes a lover who becomes associated with Pi, excludes a particular introduction to his life, the tone set, and his discovery of a new religious study. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, Yann Martel avoids introducing a character infatuated with Pi, although the expression of love still exists in his life. Throughout the novel, it is evident that Pi has love to share, but not towards a female figure. He expresses love towards his family, with respect, also towards animals, with interaction, and with curiosity, taking every opportunity to learn. For example, in the introduction Pi confesses his opinion on life: "Life is so beautiful that death fell in love with it, a jealous and possessive love that grabs what it can" (Martel, 6). He recognizes that life is extremely desirable, so much so that even a horrendous thing, such as death, wants it. Therefore, the only love clearly shown in the novel is Pi's admiration for what is in his life. Unlike the text, Ang Lee's film creates a character who becomes infatuated with Pi for a short time. During one of his drum lessons, there is also a dance lesson and he meets a young woman. They form an intimate relationship with each other, but he leaves her before leaving India with his family. However, Ang Lee maintained the presence of Pi's admiration towards Richard because their relationship is the most significant in the story. Despite the inclusion of Pi's love, evident in the text, the inclusion of a romantic aspect was not necessary. The moral of the story is about Pi and his interaction with life, especially the environment and animals. Therefore, the addition of a romantic aspect does not reflect the original story of Life of Pi as it is morally irrelevant. Additionally, Yann Martel incorporates a descriptive introduction to the life of Pi, titled as part one. In the first part we talk about his childhood and his life before the family's escape. In particular, the narrative includes details about his study of three-toed sloths, the mockery of his name, the zoo his family cared for, his arrival in Canada, and his religious studies. So, the first part describes his life in Pondicherry, India and Toronto, Canada. The details support who Pi Patel is as a person, such as his character traits, beliefs and facts. Helps build Pi's character. However, this was not taken into consideration by Ang Lee. The introduction of the filmabout Pi's life is too vague and contains unnecessary details. For example, the film excludes details of Pi's study of three-toed sloths which are significant evidence of his intelligence, but the film only includes the scene of a three-toed sloth.class which makes fun of his name to show the educational life in reference to Pi. Due to the lack of details about his upbringing, the public does not see his brilliance and determination. Also, an unnecessary detail mentioned earlier, like the romantic aspect of Pi having a girlfriend, isn't sure to express his childhood in India. Therefore, Ang Lee's attention to the most important details did not positively influence the original story. Also, the tone of the book and the movie were very different from each other. Tone is the mood he represents within a story, and the tone of the book is quite sad due to his many experiences of suffering, particularly when the storm hits and he loses the lives of his family members. The dialogue in the book includes Pi's thoughts, which create a stronger recognition of his suffering and feelings towards what is happening in his life. While the film has small similarities in scenes, it doesn't have the same tone. The film sets a tone of glory and beauty, regardless of the suffering Pi experiences. The tone is positive because Pi's thoughts and special effects, such as the hallucinated whale jumping out of the water at night, are not taken into account. The involvement of modern technology brightens the mood of the audience, especially with the whale because it has amazing graphics and helps the audience ignore the bitter moments. So the tone also brightens. Due to the different tone than the original one set in the book, it clearly does not display Life of Pi correctly. Finally, Pi makes a significant discovery, namely his acceptance of Catholicism, the religion; however, it is found differently in the novel and the film. For example, in the text, Pi and his family travel to Munnar and visit the Catholic church. Pi becomes exposed to Jesus Christ and continues to have sessions with the priest, Father Martin, to increase his knowledge of the religion. Pi respectively considers religion and learns it with an open mind; this reveals positive personal attributes of him, such as tolerant and charitable. Contrary to the text, the film acknowledges Pi's Christianity from his brother who challenged him to cross over into the Catholic Church and drink the holy water, which he does. Then meet the priest and learn about Jesus Christ. Thus, there is a significant dissimilarity and Ang Lee's version forms a negative image of Pi, as a foolish and rather repugnant person for trespassing and accepting a childish challenge from his brother. Considering that Pi was a scholar and prestigious man, the scene did not appropriately express his life in the novel. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall, Ang Lee's abstract version of Life of Pi did not display the authentic written version created by Yann Martel. This is due to the differences that occur between the two literary works, which are evident in the addition of a romantic element, in the description of Pi's life before and after the accident, in the general attitude that the audience can create and, finally , in Pi's approach. towards the religious study of Catholicism. Therefore, creating images can ruin the authenticity of words. Works Cited Martel, Y. (2001). Life of Pi. Canongate Books.Lee, A. (Editor). (2012). Life of Pi [Film]. 20th Century Fox.McElroy, S. (2014). "Life of Pi: From Novel to Film". The ultimate guide to film adaptation, 161-172. Kim, M.H"., 21(3), 1-12.
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