Tension between Global and Local in Yann Martel’sLife of Pi

Abstract

Yann Martel’sLife of Pitypically deals with the theme of glocalism, which deals the study of Global and the study of Local. Martel debunks the tension between global and local in the novel, through different arena of cultural, economical, geopolitical, ideological andreligious. Here, Global adverts to the Western and Local to the Eastern, which is not homogeneous as think by some global thinker rather it always remains in hierarchy. The novel emanates the resistance and protest of local towards the global but it becomes nugatory due to the victory of global over local. Pi Patel, the main character and narrator of the novel, who is Hindu by birth but follows Christian religion, arouses the tension between global and local because powerless local religion Hindu is on theverge of marginalization due to the power of global religion. In the context of culture too, Pi, marries in Canada not following the culture or rituals of global country rather according to the Hindu ritual or culture debunks the rebel of local against global. In the novelLife of Pi, Martel not only emanates the tension between West and East, but he also shows the tension within the East likely in global and local.