Closure & Forgiveness According To Life of Pi
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Life of Pi is my favorite book and film which through spiritual and religious concepts follows a a story of a boy and a tiger who get stuck on a boat and use each other to survive. Life of Pi investigates a human's inherent ability to obscure reality into something more palatable to their understanding. There are so many lessons from this story; however, there is one lesson regarding closure and forgiveness that I do want to discuss because it is pertinent to our growth as human beings. It is also something that I have found difficult for me to understand.
At the end of the film, Life of Pi finely illustrates human's obsession with closure and details the importance of letting go and forgiving through Pi's reaction to Richard Parker's departure. This scene has an immeasurable amount of interpretations, but I, personally, connect it to past experiences and closure.
The Scene :
"I was sure that he was going to bring our relationship to an end in some way. Then Richard Parker, my fierce companion, the terrible one who kept me alive, disappeared forever from my life..... I wept like a child not because I was overwhelmed that I had survived, although I was. I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously and it broke my heart. My father was right, Richard Parker never saw me as his friend. After all we had been through, he didn't even look back; but I have to believe that there was more in his eyes than my reflection staring back at me. I know it, I felt it, even if I can't prove it. You know I left so much behind. My family, the zoo, India. I suppose, in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but I guess what hurts the most is not taking the moment to say goodbye."
Pi had and Richard Parker had been on a boat together for 227 days, so Pi's shocked reaction to Richard's departure was not unexpected. Although Pi wanted a signal of cessation from Richard Parker, the feeling was not mutual.The depiction of this unconventional ending to their relationship is a way that directors wanted the audience to come to terms with this uneasiness of not having closure to a relationship.
As Pi alludes to in the movie, when things happen unceremoniously in our lives, it can shake us up and break our hearts, but what is important to understand is that "the whole of life is about letting go" and learning to cope with whatever personal tragedies may leave behind.
When Pi says, "I guess what hurts the most is not taking the moment to say goodbye", he is right on point with that sentiment. The lack of closure is sometimes a reason as to why circumstances may seem insurmountable. In life, we don't always get the opportunity to address those whom we feel disappointed us; and the lack of autonomy in that reality may be where the uneasiness lies.
Learning to forgive without confrontation is challenging, but its also rewarding. I know that I am like that ISSA RAE meme coming up with more arguments AFTER the fact, but it's a sour waste of time. Those who disappointed you aren't thinking about you. To keep it real, they most likely have moved on, so it's also important for you to move on to protect your happiness.
As for the case of Richard Parker, he didn't need closure. He understood that this chapter of his life was ending and it was time to move on. Sometimes that's what we need to do too. Forgive and grow, but just don't forget. I have had to be reminded that sometimes things also just take time. Just because you may be removed form a situation, doesn't mean that you still don't feel the pain from it. Similarly just because you may not feel the pain from it, doesn't mean it still doesn't tear you up. The key is always to address those feelings and find ways to grow from them.
