I COVER PAGE SYNCRETISM AS REFLECTED in YANN MARTEL's

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

COVER PAGE

SYNCRETISM AS REFLECTED IN YANN MARTEL’S LIFE OF PI

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Magister Humaniora (M.Hum) in English Language Studies

Mutmainnah Sitta Zumala Student Number: 136332042

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2018

i PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thesis writing is a journey and in my journey I am grateful to have such great companies. Thus, I would like to thank them all. I thank Allah Almighty who always loves me and bless me withhealth, patience, strength, spirit, happiness, beautiful family, great friends, and wealth. To Ibu and Bapak, thank you for having raised me with a lot of love, support, patience, sacrifice, and trust.

May both of you rest in peace together with other people who receive Allah’s salvation. To my husband, Danang, whose love showers me with happiness, comfort, and protection, thank you very much. Your understanding, trust, and support help ease my efforts in finishing this thesis. To my daughters, Tabita and

Aneira, thank you for being my babies, friends, teachers, and competitors. Your arrivals have completed my happiness of sharing my life with your father. To

Hendrian, my son in-law, thank you for becoming my happiness by making Tabita happy. Please love and protect her, the jewel of my heart.

Being the last child of six children means receiving constant love and support from older brothers and sisters. In this occasion, I would like to express my thankful heart and love to Yu Binti and Mas Farid, the late Mas Amin and

Mbak Yuni, Yu Saroh and Lek Solichin, Yu Adah and Mas Yanto, as well as Mas

Arif and Mbak Atun. To all of my nieces and nephews, thank you for your love.

Keep believing in yourselves and working hard in reaching your dreams. To

Amira, Kenzhi, Kenizha, Rendra, Arsyilla, Razka, Arza, and Dzaki, thank you for being cute and entertaining. Be brave, kind, and strong.

vi PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

My deepest gratitude is to Romo Patrisius Mutiara Andalas, SJ for your sincere and never ending assistance, dedication, understanding, and patience.

Your companionship is never ending and full of advice, suggestions, and support.

I will always remember your saying that the world belongs to the people who do not have time. To Mr. Paulus Sarwoto, Ph.D., thank you for your patience, cooperation, shared knowledge, and understanding as well as support for this old student who has been trying to pursue a postgraduate degree, me. It is always great to be in your class and be poured with various thoughts, perspectives, and analysis about literary works and literature. To my teachers; Dra. A. B. Sri

Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D., Dra. Novita Dewi, M.S., M.A. (Hons), Ph. D., F.X.

Mukarto, Ph. D., Dr. Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A., Dr. B.B. Dwijatmoko, M. A., Dr.

Albertus Budi Susanto, SJ., and Prof. Dr. C. Bakdi Soemanto – may he rest in peace, thank you for the learning experiences, given advices, shared knowledge, assistance, cooperation, and hospitality given to me during my study. To Mbak M.

M. Sumarni with her constant helpfulness dealing with administration, thank you.

I wish you’re always blessed with health, patience, wealth, and happiness.

My deep gratitude also goes to all students of Sanata Dharma University from ELS Batch 2013 who came both as blessings and lessons by being themselves. Roam the world and find your happiness. To my Sudra Mates: Ani,

Daisy, Dani, Dilla, Luluk, Marga, Tama, Toriq, and Uke, all of you are the center of my happiness outside my home. Thank you for your love, support, laughter, and insanity that keep me sane. To Tama, I thank him deeply for his technical

vii PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

support and assistance as well; providing books and assisting this digital immigrant with matters that deal with computer, internet,and technology.

Mutmainnah Sitta Zumala

viii PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

PAGE OF DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to Danang, Tabita, and Aneira – the center of my universe – who always love and believe in me.

ix PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE ...... i APPROVAL PAGE ...... ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ...... iv LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ...... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... vi PAGE OF DEDICATION ...... ix ABSTRACT...... xii ABSTRAK ...... xiii CHAPTER I...... 1 A. Background of The Study ...... 1 B. Problem Formulation ...... 7 C. Objectives of The Study...... 8 D. Scope and Limitation...... 8 E. Definition of Terms ...... 9 F. Research Methodology...... 12 G. Thesis Structure...... 12 CHAPTER II ...... 14 A. Review of Related Studies and Theories...... 14 B. Theoretical Framework ...... 29 CHAPTER III ...... 32 A. Influential People Around Pi’s Life ...... 32 1. The Secular People ...... 33 2. The Religious People ...... 39 B. Pi’s Religious Practices and Experiences...... 42 C. Pi’s Negotiation Between His Secular Upbringing and Religious Commitment...... 52 CHAPTER IV...... 59 A. Pi’s Religious Identity ...... 59

x PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

B. The Representation of Syncretism in Life of Pi...... 60 1. Syncretism in Islam ...... 66 C. The Representation of Multiple Identity in Self...... 70 D. The Representation of Multiple Identity in Beatrice and Virgil ...... 75 CHAPTER V ...... 81 REFERENCES...... 96

xi PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRACT

Zumala, Mutmainnah Sitta Zumala. 2017. Syncretsim as Reflected in Life of Pi. Yogyakarta: English Language Studies of Graduate Level, Sanata Dharma University. This research illustrates syncretism in a novel entitled Life of Pi. In this novel, a young man who was born in a secular family as a Hindu is depicted to have found peace in other religions also; Christianity and Islam. Because of his unusual practices, he receives criticism, mockery, and objections from family, friends, and even from the leaders of the three religions he believes. His practices are considered syncretistic and sinful. The research aimed at explaining the negotiation between his secular upbringing and religious commitment as well as whether his negotiation represents syncretism. The primary source of the research is a novel of Life of Pi by Yann Martel. The analysis of the study is also supported by the data collected from Yann Martel’s two other novels; Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, also various books, journals, online articles as well as The Holy Qur’an. The data help understand the concepts of religion, syncretism, God, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam,secularism, negotiation, and upbringing. In the research, the theme of syncretism is approached through Dominic Umoh’s theory of syncretism. Other scholars’ theories are also used to sharpen the analysis. Negotiation can occur between someone with another person and involves interaction among parties, groups, or organizations.The research reveals Pi’s internal negotiation – a negotiation between two confronting ideas in the same mind – namely his secular upbringing and religious commitment. The negotiation occurs in order to maintain equilibrium and harmony between himself and his family. Meanwhile, the syncretism represented in the negotiation is Pi’s decision in choosing to have multiple identities.

Keywords: Syncretism, Secularism, Negotiation, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam

xii PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRAK

Zumala, Mutmainnah Sitta Zumala. 2017. Syncretism as Reflected in Life of Pi. Yogyakarta : Program Pasca Sarjana Kajian BahasaInggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma. Penelitian ini menggambarkan sincretisme dalam novel berjudul Life of Pi. Dalam novel ini, seorang anak yang terlahir sebagai seorang Hindu dalam sebuah keluarga sekuler juga menemukan kedamaian dalam dua agama lain yaitu Kristen dan Islam. Namun karena praktek agamanya, dia mendapat kritikan, ejekan, dan penolakan dari keluarga, teman, bahkan pemimpin agama-agama yang dianutnya. Cara beragamanya dianggap sinkretis dan berdosa. Penelitian ini bertujuan menjelaskan negosiasi antara didikan sekuler yang diterimanya dari keluarga dan komitmennya dalam beragama serta negosiasinya yang berbau sinkretisme. Sumber data utama dalam penelitian ini adalah sebuah novel karya Yann Martel yang berjudul Life of Pi. Analisisnya dilakukan dengan bantuan data yang didapat dari dua novel karya Yann Martel lainnya yaitu Beatrice and Virgil serta Self dan dari sumber lain seperti buku, jurnal, artikel internet, dan Al-Qur’an. Data tersebut membantu memahami konsep sinkretisme, Tuhan, agama Hindu, agama Kristen, agama Islam, sekulerisme, negosiasi, dan didikan dalam keluarga. Tema sinkretisme dalam penelitian ini dianalisis menggunakan teori Dominic Umoh. Teori-teori dari para ahli lainnya juga digunakan unttuk mempertajam analisis. Negosiasi dapat terjadi antara seseorang dengan orang yang lain dan melibatkan interaksi antara berbagai pihak, kelompok, maupun organisasi. Penelitian ini mengungkap negosiasi internal Pi yaitu antara didikan keluarganya yang sekuler dan komitmen beragamanya. Negosiasi ini terjadi sebagai upaya untuk menciptakan keseimbangan dan keselarasan antara dirinya dan keluarganya. Sementara itu, sinkretisme yang terlihat dalam negosiasinya adalah keputusan Pi untuk memiliki identitas yang jamak. Kata Kunci: Sinkretisme, Sekulerisme, Negosiasi, Hindu, Kristen, Islam

xiii PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of The Study

Growing up in a Muslim family as well as attending Islamic private elementary school and high school makes me familiar enough with Islamic teaching of Tauhid – Islamic monotheism. This concept is the opposite of Shirk – polytheism and syncretism which is the biggest and unforgivable sin in Islam.

This is a sin that all Muslims are fearful of doing regardless some carelessness of some of them in avoiding it. Discussions on what practices are considered as Shirk are conducted quite often. Arguments, different opinions and perspectives, and tenses emerge among groups of people. Movements to purify Tauhid are initiated either individually or in groups as organizations.

Yann Martel’s novel of Life of Pi depicts a theme that is absolutely shocking for Muslims namely syncretism. The idea of merging two or more religious beliefs is beyond their belief. It is against Tauhid and is a sin. Therefore, for me the novel is quite interesting since it exposes ideas that I as a Muslim is afraid of even to think about. Other than that, as a mother of two and a parent, I would not want my children to be unfamiliar with it let alone to practice it.

Therefore, it is very important to provide the right environment for Muslim children to learn about Islam and to practice it properly. Religious upbringing will more likely help shape religious children.

1 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The main character of Life of Pi novel is Piscine, or also called as Pi. He is an Indian boy who has to live for 227 days on a boat in Pacific Ocean. The ship which he and his family boarded sunk after a storm hit it. He lost his whole family and many of their animals boarded with them on the way to Canada. As the sole survivor living on a boat, he has to develop a super-alpha and omega relationship with a Bengal tiger.

Piscine is the second son in an Indian family, after Ravi – his brother. His father, Mr. Patel, is a business man who owns a zoo. Mr. Patel’s days are spent to manage the zoo. Piscine’s family is not described as a religious one.1 His father is seen by Piscine as someone who never goes to a temple with serious intent.2 He believes that he is a part of new India which is modern, rich, and secular 3 as well as driven by financial worry, and not spiritual worry.4 He dislikes Piscine’s notion to find God and a true religion.5 Instead, he suggests Piscine to think only about cricket, movies, and music as what his brother does.6 His mother, though not described as an atheist nor an agnostic, she is not described as religious, either.

Piscine’s mother is an ordinary wife who seems to like to read.7 She was raised in

Hindu upbringing and has Baptist education. These two things are what Pi thinks have made his mother become serenely impious. 8 She is described as a loving mother to her children. This is illustrated when she tries to prevent her husband

1Martel, Yann, Life of Pi,.2001 p. 82. 2Martel, 88. 3Martel, 82. 4Martel, 83. 5Martel, 94-95. 6Martel, 96. 7Martel, 83. 8Martel, 84.

2 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

from forcing their children to watch a tiger’s ferosiousity.9 She is also an equal partner to her husband that she can argue with him.10 She questions her husband’s decision to teach the children about wild animals.11 Piscine’s brother – Ravi – is like any other normal boys according to his father. He is only interested in music and sports.12

As a newborn baby Piscine is taken to a Hindu temple by his aunt13 and that makes him become a well-content Hindu14 until one day when he is fourteen years old, he ‘meets’ Jesus and wants to be Christian. 15 At fifteen years old he

‘meets’ Islam and wants to be a Muslim. 16 As a teenager, Piscine knows God exists but since he learns from his surrounding that God comes in three different names – Jesus, Hindu Gods, and Allah – he wants to love all of them.Therefore, he decides to be a Hindu, Christian, and Muslim at the same time – something that one can not and may not do. Moreover, he goesto Church on Sunday, prays as a

Muslim at home17 and does a Friday prayer in a Mosque, and perfoms puja on

Thursday.18

The novel itself is also unique. Firstly, it is written within another story since it is written as if it is a true story told to a writer. There are two parts that come in the story alternately. The first part tells about how the writer meets

9Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, 2001, 45. 10Martel, 94-96. 11Martel, 40. 12Martel, 96. 13Martel, 59. 14Martel, 63. 15Martel, 63. 16Martel, 73. 17Martel, 96-97. 18Martel, 84.

3 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

someone who then introduces him to the main character – Piscine – as well as his interview sessions with him. The second part is the main and largest part that tells about the main character’s background; family, childhood, his schooling, his father’s business of running a zoo, his family’s attitude towards religions, his attitude toward religions, the economic condition of India, the reasons of their migration to Canada, his 227 days-life on a boat in Pacific ocean, his farewell to the tiger after the boat drifted ashore in a beach in Mexico, and the interview with the Japanese ship staff.

Secondly, the novel is rich with a lot of information. It provides information on India; the history, the government, the economic condition during

Indira Gandhi’s era, the politic, the people, the education system and schools, and the family values. Other than that it also talks about running a zoo, animal behaviour, life in a zoo, biology, religions, beliefsand the believers, survival tips for life on the ocean. Readers are also entertained. The story is different and new since it covers many aspects of life. The way the writer expresses the thoughts, dialogues, and situation is natural, easy and often funny.

As a family, Piscine‘sfamily cannot be categorized as religious according to Kate M. Loewenthal’s general measure of religiosity19 because none of the member belongs to a religious group (affiliation) nor defines themselves as religious or Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and so forth (identity or self-definition).

None of the member believes in God (belief). Regarding religiosity, Glock and

Stark as quoted by Loewenthal propose five dimensions of religious activity;

19 Loewenthal, Kate M., Psychology of Religion A Short Introduction (2000) 15.

4 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

experiential – the extent to which the person has religious experiences,ritual – the extent to which the person engages in religious ritualpractices,belief – the extent to which the person subscribes to commonly ortraditionally endorsed beliefs, intellectual – the extent of knowledge about religious teaching, tradition, and application – a fifth dimension reflecting the extent to which the first four are applied in daily life. According to Glock and Stark, a person who has a lot of mystical experiences does not necessarily engage in every prescribed religious activity.20 Therefore, even if Pi’s other family members have a lot of mystical experiences and have knowledge about religious teaching and tradition, since they are born as Hindu, they are still not religious because they do not apply one out of the first four which is engages in religious ritual practices. His father is even declared as believing himself as secular21, his mother is impious,22 and his brother’s orientation is only about music and sports.23

Piscine’s family is more likely called as a secular family since besides separating religion and their worldly life, the family also lessen the religious control over their major spheres of life.24Thus, Piscine is raised in a secular family. He receives secular upbringing from his family. It is more likely that a child adapts secular values if raised in a secular family. However, in his case, the people he meets have a lot of influence on him in the sense of religion and belief. His encounters with a Priest and a Muslim baker develop his attitude toward religion. His

20Loewenthal, Kate M., Psychology of Religion A Short Introduction (2000)15. 21 Martel, Yann. Life of Pi, 2001. 82. 22Martel, 84. 23Martel, 94. 24Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies, Oxford University Press, 2009, 106.

5 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

religious commitment changes from only believing in one religion into believing in three religions. He is quite attached to those two latter religions he learns besides his traditional religion that he was born with – Hindu. He then decides to embrace three religions at once and practices the rituals and doctrines of the three religions. This practice is syncretism in which he mixes two or more religions or beliefs in one25and Piscine’s practices of syncretism start when he is young which is at his time as a teenager.

There seem to be a negotiation between Pi’s secular upbringing and religious commitment. The research aims at learning the ways he negotiates both.

Therefore it is put as one of the problems discussed in the research. Thus, it is interesting to discuss whether there are conflicts between him and his family.

Should there be conflicts, the types of conflict and the actions taken in order to resolve them are important to list since they indicate the negotiation between both parties. The next focus is that his religious commitment to Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam indicates his syncretistic behavior. A question that should be raised then is whether syncretism is represented in the negotiation.

The research is expected to provide references about several matters such as the role of family upbringing toward children’s attitude toward religions – religious or nonreligious, the love to God, the religious commitment, the religious practices, the common ground in religions, and syncretism. Reading the research

25Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319– 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35.

6 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

could increase an understanding on how God and religion are perceived by different individuals. Knowing this may lead people to be more careful in looking at others and become less judgmental and wiser. Muslims especially will be more aware of the practices of syncretism and are eager to learn and understand more about their religion.

B. Problem Formulation

Children’ religiosity and religious commitments are influenced greatly by the religiosity and the religious commitments of the family they live with. A religious family more likely produces religious children. A non-religious family tends to produce non-religious children. A secular family bears secular children.

Children also tend to embrace the same religion as their families’. Christian children are usually born in Christian families, so are Muslim children who are very often born in Muslim families, and Hindu children are mostly born in Hindu families.This research has an objective to learn something different. Here, a child

– Piscine – is born in a Hindu family but raised in a secular upbringing and at the same time has a religious commitment to three religions he encounters in his early life; Hindu, Christian, and Islam. Therefore, the problems formulated in this thesis are:

1. How does Pi negotiate his secular upbringing and his religious

commitment?

2. How does this negotiation represent syncretism?

7 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

C. Objectives of The Study

The study aims at learning the ways Piscine negotiates his secular upbringing and religious commitments as well as tentatively hypothesizing that Pi’s negotiation between his secular upbringing and religious commitment represents syncretism.

D. Scope and Limitation

Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, is such a rich literary work. It is possible to discuss the novel from several disciplines; sociology, history, philosophy, biology, zoology, psychology, anthropology, economy, politics, and religion. The research focuses its discussion on one aspect of religion which is syncretism – a practice of merging more than one set of beliefs into a new one.26 In order to provide a comprehensive illustration, the description of syncretism that occurs in the three religions depicted in the novel – Hindu, Christian, and Islam – is also presented. It is used to draw the similarity among the three religions. However, the portion on the description of syncretism in Islamic perspective is elaborated more. It is completed with the Surah and verses from The Holy Qur’an to support the arguments presented.

Furthermore, besides Life of Pi, two other novels of Yann Martel – Self and Beatrice and Virgil – are also selected to support the discussion in the research. One of the themes in the latter novels is multiple identities which is

26Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in Africa Institutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319– 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35.

8 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

related to the theme discussed in the research – syncretism. Self presents multiple identities in the form of sex and Beatrice and Virgil presents them in the form of book genre. Other themes in the novels – although very interesting – are not discussed in the research. Both novels are selected due to the related theme and practicality. They serve as addition to enrich the discussion on syncretism and multiple identities.

E. Definition of Terms

The term used in the title of this thesis is syncretism. Dominic Umoh in his journal article entitled Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic

Christian Practice in Africa quoted L. Bouyer (614) that derives the word

“syncretism” from the Greek etymology synkratein that means “pouring together”.27 The action is similar to mixing two or more things together and blend them so that it forms a new and different thing. Umoh continues by stating that:

From this etymological meaning, syncretism designated “a system or rather a tendency of Hellenistic thought which tended to mix and to confuse most diversified cults”. It is “a fusion of rituals and doctrines.28

Regarding the scope of syncretism, Dominic Umoh quoted from Angeles (286) that states:

The concept finds place in almost all modern religions as syncretism is a “blending,” a tampering, a mixing together, and a “bringing together of conflicting ideologies into a unity of thought and/or into a cooperating, harmonious social relationship.29

27Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319– 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 28Umoh, 35. 29Umoh, 35.

9 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Syncretism is then elaborated by Dominic Umoh in terms of beliefs of religious systems as stated below:

The word syncretism is used to refer to the practice of harmonizing two or more distinct sets of beliefs to create an entirely new one. Syncretism normally refers to merging beliefs of two or more religious systems in order to come up with a new one, which sometimes demonstrates the traits of the systems involved. This may also include the fusion of two contradictory schools of thought. From the sociological point of view, syncretism is necessary for the smooth functioning of a society with different backgrounds, as its absence can disturb the balance of such a society. The fact that this concept can bring together two contradictory thoughts may sound confusing and rightly so. However, that is a fact. 30

Similar notion is also expressed that syncretism refers to the action of mixing beliefs or even religions. In a writing entitled “Syncretism” in South-Asian

Folklore: An Encyclopedia edited by Peter J. Claus and Margaret A. Mills, it is stated that:

In the history of religion, syncretism was applied particularly to the “mixed’ religions of the Hellenestic and Roman eras, in implicit or explicit contrast with “pure” Christianity.31

In an article entitled Modes of Syncretism Notes on Noncoherence, John

Law, Geir Afdal, Kristin Asdal, Wen- yuan Lin, Ingunn Moser, and Vicky

Singleton state that there are many styles of noncoherence;many different modes

30Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319– 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 31Claus, Peter J. and Mills, Margaret A. Ed., “Syncretism” South-Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia, (Garland publishing, Inc., 2003) 1.

10 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

of syncretism.32Here they present six modes or styles of syncretism at work in the modern world that they refer to as denial, domestication, separation, care, conflict, and collapse33. Furthermore, they quoted Anita M. Leopold and Jeppe S.

Jensen, eds., in Syncretismin Religion: A Reader (Sheffield, UK: Equinox, 2004) that state that:

The term syncretism belongs in part to anthropology and in part to religious studies. In the latter, it has been a way of describing aphenomenon not unusual in spiritual practice: the process of combining practicestaken from different religious traditions.34

Dominic Umoh’s concept of syncretism highlight the act of pouring together, mixing and confusing most diverse cults, and merging beliefs of religious systems. Angeles in expressing the same concept uses the word blending, tampering, and mixing together as well as bringing together conflicting ideologies into a unity of thoughts. Peter J. Claus and Margaret A. Mills put the emphasize on the idea of mixing religions that consequently leads to implicit or explicit contrast to Pure Christianity. Anita M. Leopold and Jeppe S. Jensen stresses the process of combining practices from religious traditions. The definitions of syncretism presented by the scholars are varied. However, they represent the same idea of unification of two or more cults, beliefs of religious systems, conflicting ideologies, as well as religions. Therefore, syncretism can be understood as an act of uniting two or more religions in one. A person who

32Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, and Singleton, Vicky., “Modes of Syncretism: Notes on Noncoherence”, 175 https://www.unc.edu 25 Maret 11.35 33Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, and Singleton, Vicky,177. 34Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, and Singleton, Vicky,175.

11 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

believes in more than one religion with or without practicing the rituals is a person who practices syncretism.

The word syncretism is often misinterpreted as religious pluralism. In fact both words have different meaning. Religious pluralism according to Kosuke

Koyama, a Professor Emeritus of Ecumenical Studies, Union Theological

Seminary, New York City is the perspective forms of religious belief and behavior which are different could and should coexist.35

F. Research Methodology

The research methodology of the research is library research in which the primary and the secondary data are collected from literary works, books, dictionaries, and journal articles. The data were then used to support the explanation of the matter research as well as to find the answer of the problems in the research. The primary data is a novel by Yann Martel entitled Life of Pi. One aspect of the novel – syncretism – is the subject matter of the research. The thesis is supported with two other novels by the same author entitled Self and Beatrice and Virgil which have the similar theme of syncretism and multiple identities and other books and journal articles that discuss matters that are relevant and important for the research.

G. Thesis Structure

The thesis consists of five chapters that are divided as follows: Chapter 1 has provided the background to this thesis, the problem formulation, the

35 Koyama, Kosuke, ”A Theological reflection on Religious Pluralism”, www.flinders.edu.au/oasis- files/chaplain/geoff_papers/pluralism_Koyama.pdf. accessed on June 23, 2018 at 11.39.

12 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

objectives, the scope and limitation, the definition of term, the research methodology, and the structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides the review of related studies and theories as well as the theoretical framework by reviewing current literature on syncretism. Chapter 3 answers the first problem of the thesis which is how the main character negotiates his secular upbringing and religious commitment. Chapter 4 answers the second problem of the thesis which is whether the negotiation represents syncretism. Chapter 5 summarizes the research findings, draws conclusions from those findings, and indicates some of the implications of the findings. Limitations ofthe study and suggestions for further research in this field are considered.

13 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies and Theories

Roger W. Shanley in his journal article entitled Paradoxical Oxymorons discusses word whimsy and wordplay. He believes that word whimsy generates many creative variations while wordplay broadens the scope of text discussion about inventive language use. In this article he presents what his colleague – Don

Nilsen – sent him in a message with PowerPoint slides. These slides examine wordplay in names as well as images from a Yann Martel’s novel of Life of Pi.

The point he tries to bring up is the novel’s main’s character’s name, Piscine, and the troubles it gave for people in trying to understand it.36 The name somehow reminds people of another word. Many students in the school where Piscine goes to playfully change it into another word – Pissing. Teachers sometimes mispronounced it when they were tired and the day was hot.37 Some people thought it was P. Singh, an Indian Sikh. Because of the mistakes that happen when people try to call his name, the character in the novel sometimes does not have the courage to explain his name or too tired to do it and then let other people call him with the names that other people come up with. Even, one day, someone from a pizza restaurant delivered his pizza under the name of Ian Houlihan since

36 Shanley, Roger W. “From the Secondary Section: Paradoxical Oxymorons” Author(s): Roger W. ShanleySource: The English Journal, Vol. 96, No. 3 (Jan., 2007), pp. 12-14Published by: National Council of Teachers of EnglishStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047286 .Accessed: 28/01/2015 21:45 This content downloaded from 202.94.83.220 on Wed, 28 Jan 2015 21:45:06 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions. 37 Martel, Yann. Life of Pi, 2001, 26.

14 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

he answered the question about his name with “I am who I am”.38In this study, the word Piscine apart from the fact that it is a name, it is also close to another word of Pissing or another name of P. Singh. Therefore, there are multiple meanings and interpretations for this word. The meaning and interpretation could vary depending on the individuals who are exposed to it.

Another study also has been conducted on the novel of Life of Pi. The study is by June Dwyer and it is written in a jurnal article entitled Yann Martel's

Life of Pi and the Evolution of the Shipwreck Narrative. In this article, Dwyer focuses the discussion on the narrative of a shipwreck. In the novel, the character experiences a tragedy of ship accident that forces him to live on a boat with a

Bengal Tiger.

June Dwyer quoted George Landow (1975)39 that had stated that shipwreck was used to isolate a character and place him in a new setting in

“{r}omance, satire, and the literature of adventure” (642). It was a methapor and reflected “the topos of a life-journey”, not an event in a real environment (642).

However, Dwyer states that it is now impossible to consider shipwreck as simply a literary device without also taking ecological concerns into consideration.

Dwyer states that:

When we look at shipwreck with ecologists’ eyes, the role of nature, and in particular, the relationship between humans and animals,

38Martel, Yann. Life of Pi, 2001, 25. 39Dwyer, June, “Yann Martel's Life of Pi and the Evolution of the Shipwreck Narrative” Author(s): June Dwyer Source: Modern Language Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Fall, 2005), pp. 9- 21Published by: Modern Language StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30039823 .Accessed: 28/01/2015 21:22.

15 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

becomes increasingly significant as the survivors emerge from their sinking ships. The scene is the same, but the elements in it have shifted.40

Dwyer continues as follows:

It provides a new paradigm, reversing the trend toward human dominance over animals that develops in children's literature involving shipwreck and the already established pattern of human dominance in the shipwrecks of adult literary history. In terms of children's literature, animals have traditionally been treated as equals-friends, even but as the readers and the protagonists grow older, the affinity dwindles, and the dominance of human over non-human animal emerges.41

In this article, furthermore Dwyer argues that in Life of Pi, humans

dominance over animals vanishes after a certain point. Humans have been

treating animals as equal friends in children’s literature and then are

shifted into masters or higher-level creatures in adults’ literature then take

place in the circle of nature, rather than at the top of the heap.42 Pi’s life on

the boat with the Bengal tiger proves this. At first, Pi is made to be under

the dominance of the tiger. He is in a weak position since the tiger

occupies the boat where all the supplies are. Pi needs to adapt and adjust

himself to the tiger’s dominance in order to be alive and get what he

wants. However, somehow the situation changes when Pi decides to take

control over the tiger. He then trains the tiger to obey him and to be

dependent to him. Pi provides the tiger with what it needs. In this case,

40 Dwyer, June, “Yann Martel's Life of Pi and the Evolution of the Shipwreck Narrative”Author(s): June Dwyer Source: Modern Language Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Fall, 2005), pp. 9-21Published by: Modern Language StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30039823 .Accessed: 28/01/2015 21:22. 41 Dwyer, 9-21. 42Dwyer, 9-21.

16 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Pi’s dominance is in the tiger’s dependence to him. By being dependent on

Pi, the tiger is being dominated.

However, Pi’s life also depends on the existence of the Bengal tiger. Its existence makes him have more reasons to live since he does not only make efforts to provide himself with what he needs, but he also provides the tiger with food and water. Theseare activities that keep him moving and being alive. Therefore, it is very obvious that Pi is also dominated by the tiger since he needs it to continue living.By being dominant and dominated, Pi takes place in the circle of life. He does not only take control of the naure buat also being controlled by it.Therefore, he has multiple identities.

The theme of syncretism in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi has not been discussed. Yet, it is such an eye catching and so major a theme that people would hardly miss to notice. This research discusses a theology theme of a literary work. It explains the theme in theology perspective and analyzes it through literary perspective. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel exposes several themes such as religion, animal behaviour, family, and experience of living on a boat. In term of religion, he presents a picture of a man who is keen on believing in three different religions and practicing the rituals. A similar theme of multiple identities is also found in Yann Martel’s other novel entitled Self. In Self Yann Martel also presents multiple identities.

In this latter novel the multiple identities are in the duality of the main character’s sexual identity. In the earlier part of the novel, the main

17 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

character is described as a boy. As a teenager, he likes girls and enjoys his first kiss with a girl. However, then he is depicted as a girl having her first period. In college, she has a cross on girls and even has a passionate relationship with an older woman during her vacation in Greece. While having the relationship with the woman, she is also depicted as to be interested to men. However, when the relationship gets more intense, she thinks that what they are doing is homosexuality since she thinks she is a man.

While thinking as a man and having a relationship with a man, she is pregnant. However, their relationship ends when the man leaves. Then she is raped by her apartment neighbour and lost her baby. One day, then she turns into a man physically and during this period he has sexual relationships with men and women. Strangely, a radio station sees him as a woman when they announce the search over him on the radio. The novel ends with only a small paragraph telling about a person’s personal information except the sex.

It seems that Yann Martel is fond of multiple identities. This theme is also repeated in his novel entitled Beatrice and Virgil. In this latter novel, the multiple identities is in the form of duality inthe book genre.

The main character in the novel is a writer. He wants to write a novel and an essay. However, he insists to put the two writings in one book – a flip book. The reason is that even though the two writings are different; one is a fiction and the other is a nonfiction, they will have a good synergy and

18 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

complement each other if put together in one book. However, this idea

seems to be difficult to realise. His editors and publisher present him with

conceptual and technical problems in putting the two literary wares in one

book.

Life of Pi, Self, and Beatrice and Virgil have similarity. The three

novels expose theme of double or multiple identities. In Life of Pi, the

multiple identities are in the religions where the main character is Hindu,

Christian, and Muslim. In Self, the multiple identities is double identity in

the sex where the main character is both female and male. In Beatrice and

Virgil, the multiple identities are also double identities which are in the

book genre; a novel and an essay. The two latter novels by Yann Martel –

Self and Beatrice and Virgil do not only sharpen the theme of multiple

identities in Life of Pi. They also enrich the theme of multiple identities in

different matters other than religion; sex and book genre.

The research has two turning points; negotiation and syncretism and theories on both turning points are needed to answer the problem formulations.

The theories about religion, religious commitment, secularism, and upbringing must also be presented . Therefore, these latter concepts must also be explained.

Negotiation according to http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org “ is the process of discussing something with someone in order to reach an agreement with them, or the discussion themselves.”43 This suggests that in order that a negotiation occurs, it needs at least two parties that have different opinion on

43http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org

19 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

something. In a book entitled How People Negotiate Resolving Disputes in

Different Cultures edited by Guy Olivier Faure, it is mentioned that negotiation usually involves interactions among parties; individuals, groups, or organizations.44 However, according to Victor Kremenyuk, a person who is a decision maker can also negotiate with himself. This kind of negotiation occurs when the person faces a serious problem and the problem can only be solved by compromising his or her own beliefs. This kind of negotiation occurs in his or her mind45 and Kremenyuk labels it as “internal negotiation”.46

Regarding the word of syncretism, L. Bouyer (614) as quoted by Dominic

Umoh explains about the word “syncretism” that derives from the Greek etymology synkratein that means “pouring together” He states that it is an action that is similar to mixing two or more things together and blend both so to form a new and different thing.47Furhermore, Umoh discusses the word syncretism from an etymological meaning. He believes that the word designated “a system or rather a tendency of Hellenistic thought which tended to mix and to confuse most diversified cults”. It is “a fusion of rituals and doctrines.48

Regarding the scope of it, Angeles (286) explains that the concepts exists in almost all modern religions because the concept suggest an action of mixing

44 Faure, Guy Olivier, How People Negotiate Resolving Disputes in Different Cultures, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2003,17. 45 Faure, 17. 46 Faure, 33. 47 Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “ Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 48 Umoh, 35.

20 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

conflicting ideas together into a thought unity and or a social relationship that is harmonious.49Meanwhile, Dominic Umoh explains it in terms of beliefs of religious systems that it is used to refer to the practice of harmonizing two or more distinct sets of beliefs or two contradictory schools of thought to create an entirely new one which sometimes illustrates the traits of the systems involved. It is necessary in order to make functioning of a society with different backgrounds runs well, so that there is a balance in the society. 50

The emphasis of the word syncretism is on the merging or mixing two set of beliefs in one. This is also in accordance with what is stated by Peter J. Claus and Margaret A. Mills that explains that syncretism was applied particularly to the

“mixed’ religions of the Hellenestic and Roman eras, in implicit or explicit contrast with “pure” Christianity.51

Anita M. Leopold and Jeppe S. Jensen, eds., looks at syncretism as a part of anthropology and a part to religious studies. Syncretism as a part of religious studies, it has been a way of describing a phenomenon which is not unusual in spiritual practice namely the process of combining practices taken from different religious traditions.52

49Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 50 Umoh, 35. 51 Umoh, 35. 52Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, and Singleton, Vicky., “Modes of Syncretism: Notes on Noncoherence”, 175 https://www.unc.edu 25 Maret 11.35

21 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

In the past, the two sets of beliefs were the ones existing during the

Hellenestic and Roman eras. However, the concept can be used in a wider scope, therefore, nowadays it is applicable to almost all religions and beliefs.

The word religion according to http://www.dictionary.cambridge.orgis

“the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief, and worship.”53 Kate M. Loewenthal in her book entitled Psychology of Religion A

Short Introduction (2000) quoted English and English (1958) that suggested that religion is “a system of attitudes, practices, rites, ceremonies and beliefs by means of which individuals or a community put themselves in relation to God or to a supernatural world, and often to each other, and ... derive a set of values by which to judge events in the natural world.”54

Meanwhile, Ralph H. Wood Jr., Peter C. Hill, Bernard Spilka on

Psychology of Religion An Empirical Approach (2009) states that David Elkind proposed that religion is ”a natural result of mental development, such that biological roots of intellectual growth interact with individuals’ experiences.”55

Religion according to Geertz is “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these

53http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org 54 Loewenthal, Kate M., Psychology of Religion A Short Introduction, 2000, 2. 55 Wood Jr, Ralph H., Hill, Peter C., Spilka, Bernard, Psychology of Religion An Empirical Approach , 2009, 78.

22 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.”56

Religious commitment is defined differently by several people as quoted by Eiko Takamizawa in his journal entitled Religious Commitment Theory:A

Model for Japanese Christians.T. Goffman Miller defines religious commitment as “a continual decision making to saveface of the person him/herself or others, which assists to maintain the social or ritualequilibrium.” Meanwhile, Leland Asa, defines commitment as “the giving of intellectual, emotional, and spiritualassent to a set of beliefs and behaviors.” Marie Cornwall and Stan Albrecht define religious commitment in two categories: spiritual commitment andChurch commitment. Rosabeth Moss Kanter defines commitment as the willingness of members to contribute inmaintaining the group because the group provides what they want and need . . .the group achieves its goals by fulfilling the needs of its members, and themembers satisfy their desires by helping to maintain the group.57

Secularism according to Graeme Smith “is a way of thinking about the world and life which makes no reference to supernatural beliefs. Obviously this entails a rejection of religious beliefs.”58 Smith here clearly states that secularism separates the world and life from religious beliefs. His definition of secularism suggests that they should not be united and each should not influence the other.

Religion should not be included in people’s life in the world.

56 Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures, 197, 90. 57Eiko Takamizawa “Religious Commitment Theory:A Model for Japanese Christians”, 1-3. 58 Smith, Graeme. A Short History of Secularism, 2008, 22-23.

23 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

George Jacob Holyoake in his book entitled The Principles of Secularism as quoted by Nader Hashemi in his book entitled Islam, Secularism, and Liberal

Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societiesdefines secularism as follows:

Secularism is the study of promoting human welfare by material means; measuring human welfare by the utilitarian rule, and making the service of others a duty of life. Secularism relates to the present existence of man, and to action, the issues of which can be tested by the experience of this life— having for its objects the development of the physical, moral, and intellectual nature of man to the highest perceivable point, as the immediate duty of society: inculcating the practical sufficiency of natural morality apart from Atheism, Theism, or Christianity: engaging its adherents in the promotion of human improvement by material means, and making these agreements the ground of common unity for all who would regulate life by reason and ennoble it by service.59

Secularism in George Jacob Holyoake’s perspective has similarity to

Graeme Smith’s in the sense that it focuses its attention to the life of people that has no relation with any religious belief. People’s kind actions to others are merely duties in life and the development of the physical, moral, and intellectual are parts of their duties in society.

Meanwhile, Nikki Keddie as quoted by Nader Hashemi in the same book had traced the term “secular” and stated that the term was derived from Middle

English from the Old French word of secular that meant itself from the Latin word of secularis. The word was used to refer to clergy who were not bound by the religious rules of the monastic order.Nikki Keddie’s finding is also suggesting that

59 Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies”, Oxford University Press, 2009, 104-105.

24 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

the base word of the word secular – which is secularis – implies separation and exclusion. Furthermore, according to Keddie, the word in Middle English could also refer to the realm of the ‘this-worldly’ as opposed to the divine—the sacred and ‘other-worldly’ realms historically monopolized inWestern Europe by the

Roman Catholic Church.60

A different scholar, John Keaneas quoted by Nader Hashemi stated that the term changed with modernization and people understood it as:

Converting from ecclesiastical to civil use. . . . ‘Secularisation’ connoted a process of reducing the influence of religion, as when the term was used in legal and ecclesiastical circles to describe the transfer of religious institutions or property to lay ownership or temporal use.61

Keane in his definition suggests the word reduction rather than separation.

However, it still implies the same things – the exclusion of religion. Keane added his observation that in this moment of history, secularism was described as worldliness that meant focusing attention to the present life, converting appropriations of spiritual to common use in order to make things worldly. His description was based on the first English-language dictionary which had been organized by Samuel Johnson (published in 1755).62

Furthermore, Nikki Keddie stated his opinion on the ways secularization is usually understood by people at present. His opinion is as follows:

Secularization” is commonly understood today: as (1) “an increase in the number of people with secular beliefs and practices”; (2) “a lessening of religious control or influence over major spheres of life”; and (3) “a growth

60Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies, Oxford University Press, 2009, 105. 61Hashemi, 105. 62Hashemi, 105.

25 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

in state separation from religion and insecular regulation of formerly religious institutions and customs.63

More people with secular beliefs and practices, less religious control over people’s life and separation of the state from religion are the keywords of secularization according to Keddie. Meanwhile, Nader Hashemi also quoted

Harvey Cox. In a not-so-different tone, Harvey Cox referred secularism as the man liberation from matters which are religious and metaphysical as well as shifting attention from others to a specific one.64 Here, Cox also suggests separation and exclusion of religion from life. Besides Keane, keddie, and Cox,

Peter Berger was another scholar quoted by Nader Hashemi. Berger calls secularism a “processby which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination ofreligious institutions and symbols.”65 In a similar way, he suggests that secularism excludes religion from society and its culture. Regarding secularism, Nader Hashemi himself observed secularism in three manners; philosophically, sociologically, and politically. The breakdown is similar to

Charles Taylor’srecent categorization of secularism. The categorization is as follows:

Secularity 1 is the retreat of religion from the public sphere, the diminution of religion in people’s lives or the separation of church and state in public spaces. Secularity 2 is the decline of religious beliefs and practices that can be seen in Western liberal democracies in the form of church attendance. It is related to Secularity 1 but it is different in scope.Secularity 3 is the place of our self-understanding toward religion and the recognition that something has eclipsed it with the rise of alternative belief systems. It is the problematization in Latin Christendom on this topic between 1500-2000

63Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies, Oxford University Press, 2009, 106. 64Hashemi, 106. 65Hashemi, 106.

26 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

that looks at background conditions and the development of secularism from the longue duree.66

Charles Taylor’s perspectives on secularity refer to three things; the separation of religion from public sphere, the decline of religious people and practices, and the place where we understand religion and that the new belief systems have made it less necessary.

Meanwhile, according to http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org upbringing is “the way in which you are treated and educated when young, especially by your parents, especially in the relation to the effect that this has on how you behave and make moral decisions.”67 Upbringing is believed to be influential in shaping one’s personality and has something to do with socialization in the first level. Joel

Thiessen in his article entitled Kids, You Make the Choice: Religious and Secular

Socialization among Marginal Affiliates and Nonreligious Individuals quoted

Berger and Luckmann (1966) that defined socialization as “the comprehensive and consistent induction of an individual into the objective world of a society or a sector of it” (p.130). He elaborates as follows:

Socialization is an ongoing process informed by primary and secondary mechanisms. Primary socialization refers to a child’s first socialization experiences in their family. Parents filter through and pass on an array of attitudes and behaviors to their children. This process is informed by one’s social location based on characteristics such as race, socioeconomic status, or religion, and social scripts on socialization content and timing. Secondary socialization

66Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies, Oxford University Press, 2009, 105. 67http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org

27 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

involves institutions like schools, the media, religious organizations, or the government who socialize individuals into other arenas of the outside world.68

Both upbringing and socialization shape people’s character as they take place in the earliest part of people’s life – family. They are the first and important references before people participate in the outside world. They determine what kind of people we are and how we perceive and react to the world. They shape people’s moral values and religiosity.

Roger W. Shanley and June Dwyer have studied Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

Shanley focuses his discussion on word whimsy and wordplay of the novel in his journal article entitled Paradoxical Oxymorons. He claims that many creative variations are generated from word whimsy, while wordplay broadens the scope of text discussion about inventive language use. He looks at how the name Piscine in the novel is often misinterpreted or heard as other words such as ‘pissing’ or P.

Singh. Meanwhile, Dwyer focuses the discussion on the narrative of a shipwreck in a jurnal article entitled Yann Martel's Life of Pi and the Evolution of the

Shipwreck Narrative.

This research looks at the novel of Yann Martel entitled Life of Pi from a different context – syncretism. It focuses the discussion on the main character’s attitude toward religions. It is interesting that the main character of the novel that grows up in a secular family turns out to have strong religious commitment. He is keen on embracing three different religions. How the main character negotiates his

68Thiessen, Joel, “Kids, You Make the Choice: Religious and Secular Socialization among Marginal Affiliates and Nonreligious Individual”, https://secularismandnonreligion.org.articles accessed on 25 Maret 2018 at 11.30.

28 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

secular upbringing with his religious commitment is then studied. Furthermore, the negotiation is also studied to see if it represents syncretism. Theories on religion, syncretism, religious commitment, negotiation, upbringing, secularism are used to help in understanding the problems and answering the questions.

B. Theoretical Framework

Dominic Umoh’s concept of syncretism highlights the act of pouring together, mixing and confusing most diverse cults, and merging beliefs of religious systems and Angeles in expressing the same concept uses the word blending, tampering, and mixing together as well as bringing together conflicting ideologies into a unity of thoughts.69Peter J. Claus and Margaret A. Mills put the emphasize on the idea of mixing religions that consequently leads to implicit or explicit contrast to Pure Christianity.70Anita M. Leopold and Jeppe S. Jensen stresses the process of combining practices from religious traditions.71The theory used to answer the questions in the research is syncretismelaborated by Dominic

Umoh in terms of beliefs of religious systems as stated below:

69Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 70Claus, Peter J. and Mills, Margaret A. Ed.,”Syncretism” South-Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia, (Garland publishing, Inc., 2003)1. 71Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, and Singleton, Vicky., “Modes of Syncretism: Notes on Noncoherence”, 175 https://www.unc.edu 25 Maret 11.35

29 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

as its absence can disturb the balance of such a society. The fact that this concept can bring together two contradictory thoughts may sound confusing and rightly so. However, that is a fact. 72

Thus, the novel’s theme of syncretism is analyzed and explained by referring to the theory of syncretism suggested by Dominic Umoh. Other theories above are also used in order to complete and enrich the analysis. However, the theories would not be sufficient to approach the novel of Life of Pi since the focus of the discussion is on syncretism. Using only a single theory may lead to incomprehensiveness. Therefore, theories on religious pluralism and common ground are suggested to approach the novel.

In the efforts to answer the questions in the problem formulation, two theories are used. The first theory is a theory of religious pluralism, and the second theory is a theory of common ground. Both theories are considered appropriate to approach the questions in the research. According to Élise

Rouméas, religious pluralism has at least four different meanings.73

The first meaning is theological: pluralism assumes that other religious paths are true. The second is sociological: pluralism simply means religious plurality or diversity. In the third, pluralism is a philosophical school, what is known as value-pluralism in which values are irreducibly plural. Value- pluralism is not per se about religion, but can lead to a philosophical argument for valuing diversity intrinsically.Finally, a fourth conception of

72 Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 73Rouméas, Élise, “Religious Pluralism A Resource Book”, cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/Ebook_Rel_Pluralism2015.pdf.sequence p.11 accessed on 25 March 2018 at 11.37 A.M.

30 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

religious pluralism refers to a political ideal of peaceful interaction among individuals and groups of different religious faiths, as well as non-believers.

Her elaboration suggests that pluralistic theologies assume that there is equal truth in other religions. This idea contrasts with two other related categories; exclusivism – the belief that there is only one true faith and one way to salvation and inclusivism – the belief that there is one true religious faith and one path to salvation. Inclusivism believes that Christian path can save non-Christians.

Regarding common ground, Fr. Lawrence G. Dunklee, M.Div., M.A. states as follows:

At the same time, it is important for us to beable to respond and reachout to those of other traditions and approaches and beliefs with a hand of friendship and a heart of mutual desire for seeking out the common good. We can and we must work together.We can and we must listen to one another. And we can and we must find that common ground, which, when trod upon as brothers and sisters, can become, in the finest and fullest way, holy ground.74

Dunklee suggests the importance to find the common good among different traditions, approaches, and beliefs with open hearts in order to find the common ground.

74Dunklee, Fr. Lawrence G., “Religious, Spirituality, and The Search for Common Ground “https://www.chausa.org/.../religion-spirituality-and-the-search-for-common-ground accessed on 30 March 2018 at 06.37.

31 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER III

THE NEGOTIATION BETWEEN SECULAR UPBRINGING AND

RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT

A. Influential People Around Pi’s Life

This chapter discusses several people around Pi’s life who contribute in shaping his attitude on religions. These people, each with their own respective opinions and attitude towards religions gives influence to his piety. This is in accordance with Pi’s statement in his novel that people whom we meet can change us.75 However, International Theological commission of EATWOT in an essay entitled Point of Departure: Toward a Pluralist, Secular, Planetary,

Interreligous Theology edited by Jose Maria Vigil states that the future of theology as the point of departure for our investigation tends to see that the factors that can change people’s religious practice and experience are the experience and contact with religious pluralism.76

People whom we meet indeed change us. In Pi’s case, it is both the people and the experience as well as the contact with religious pluralism that transform him. Pi was raised under a secular upbringing. His secular upbringing started at home by the people he lives with since childhood; father, mother, and brother.

Another person who is influential in introducing him to secularity is from an educational institution; his biology teacher. Apart from that, besides getting

75Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition, 2001, 82. 76 Vigil, Jose Maria (Ed), Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God – International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of The Third World Theologians, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, 19.

32 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

influence from secular people, Pi also gets some influences from several religious people he meets. These people are also from inside his family; his aunt and from outside his family; a Priest and a Muslim baker.

1. The Secular People

Several people around Pi’s life are secular. Those people are; firstly, his father. He used to own a hotel in Madras before owning a zoo in Pondicherry. The later one makes him knowledgeable about animals. He knows each animal’s food, behaviour, weapon, and way to defend life. He believes that all animals are dangerous since each can hurt people, if not kill them, with its own respective weapon.77 Teaching his children that animals are dangerous is a very important thing for him.78 It is so important that he wants his children to remember the lesson for the rest of their life.79 This is rather unusual since usually fathers or parents teach their children about moral and religion. He disagrees with Pi’s interest in different religions at the same time. In fact, he says that Piseems to be attracting religions the way a dog attracts fleas.”80

Another thing that is important for him is swimming. Despite his resistance in actual swimming, he loves to talk about it. Talking about swimming is his way of entertaining himself after workday talk about running a zoo.81 This

77Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 42-47. 78Martel, 40. 79Martel, 43. 80Martel, 94. 81Martel,12.

33 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

talk with one of his business contact is what gives him an idea to name his second child after a swimming pool in Paris; Piscine Molitor.82

Pi’s father is a hardworker who dedicates his life more for business than for God. He makes a living by doing business of running a zoo. As a real businessman, he thinks and acts according to profit and loss calculation. He does things that generates profit. Religious acts are done in order to make profit for his business, not for his soul.83 Therefore, two shrines are built at the zoo. Also, whenever new animals arrive at his zoo, he asks a priest to bless each one of them.

These acts are conducted more for public relations rather than personal salvation.84

He has his own belief about his country and religion. He believes that his country, India is now a new country that is rich, modern, and secular and therefore he believes himself as part of the New India.85 Consequently, he believes that his family is a modern Indian family that lives in a modern way. It means that his family is a secular family. He doesn’t think that his family should be religious since the country is approaching the phase of becoming a country that is modern and advanced.86 Religion to him is not a symbol of modernity and advancement. Therefore, he never goes to a temple with an intention to do religious rites or rituals. He even gave a blank stare during Pi’s baptism.87

82Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 15. 83Martel, 83. 84Martel, 83. 85Martel, 82. 86Martel, 94. 87Martel, 97.

34 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Secondly, his mother. Pi’s mother experiences Hindu upbringing and receives Baptist education. This combination is then believed to be making her impious. She is depicted as playing along nicely during Pi’s baptism.88 This seems to be the only religious act that she does and never teaches her children about moral and religion. Other than that, she is depicted more as a loving and caring mother. She protested her husband for showing a tiger’s brutality to their children.89 Her interest is in books. She enjoys reading. She reads when she is at home and when she is on holiday outside town.90 Her book collections are among others; Robert Louis Stevenson, Conan Doyle, R. K. Narayan, and Robinson

Crusoe that she also shares with Pi.91 She is happy to see him read any book as long as the book does not contain materials that are inappropriate for children. She lets him read the comic books of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, an illustrated children’s Bible, and other stories of the gods.92

Thirdly, his brother Ravi. Pi’s brother has no interest in religion at all. His interest is only in sport (cricket), movies, and music. In the novel, his interests are illustrated as follows:

As for Ravi, if Lord Krishna had held a cricket bat rather than a flute, if Christ had appeared more plainly to him as an umpire, if the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had shown some notions of bowling, he might have lifted a religious eyelid, but they didn’t, and so he slumbered.93

88Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 97. 89Martel, 45. 90Martel, 64. 91Martel, 92. 92Martel, 83. 93Martel, 83.

35 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

He is also depicted as a naughty boy. When his father called him and Pi before giving them important lesson about animal ferocity and danger, Pi thought that Ravi must had been in trouble again.94 This kind of thought, especially that is done by a brother towards a brother is more likely to be representing truth. It is developed from a long period of recognition through daily life. Pi even considers him as a merciles teaser.95

His naughty and irreligious behaviour are also directed verbally to Pi in the form of mockery as seen in the next quotation as follows:

At the rate you’re going, if you go to temple on Thursday, mosque on Friday, synagogue on Saturday and church on Sunday, you only need to convert to three more religions to be on holiday for the rest of your life.96

He sometimes terrorizes Pi by threatening that one day Pi would be his victim – his next goat – referring to an event when they were shown by their father how dangerous a tiger was.97 He calls Pi names; Swami Jesus98 and Pope

Pius99. He calls his father’s business contact – Pi’s swimming teacher – Mr.

Fish.100

Sport is his life. His preference at sport – cricket – also requires consequences that separate him from religious activities, as an instance; his

94Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 40. 95Martel, 10. 96Martel, 83. 97Martel, 49. 98Martel, 88. 99Martel, 89. 100Martel, 10.

36 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

brother’s baptism. He didn’t attend it since he had a cricket match on the same day.101

The fourth influential character is his biology teacher named Mr. Kumar who is an atheist. He believes that there are logic and mechanics in every animal and that the entire nature is a perfect picture of science.102 Animal behaviours to him are the results of scientists studies; Gregor Mendel’s, Charles Darwin’s, etc.

He considers different kinds of sounds made by animals as accents of different nationalities.103

Mr. Kumar the Biology teacher – besides being an atheist – he also does not believe in religion. Religion to him is darkness. 104 On the other hand, science is the source of all the explanation about reality. He states his opinion in the novel is that grounds to go beyond a scientific explanation of reality do not exist and there is no good reason to believe anything except human sense of experience. 105

He believes that religion for intellectual people is an old-fashioned unscientific belief. He therefore believes and that there is no such thing as god.

His opinion is expressed that a clear intellect whose attention to detail is very close and whose scientific knowledge is very little will take religion as superstitious nonsense. He believes that God does not exist.106

101Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 97. 102Martel, 32. 103Martel, 32. 104Martel, 34. 105Martel, 34. 106Martel, 34.

37 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

He then encourages Pi to not believe in religion and god since nature and reality are the proves of all existence. Regarding this, he considers religion as darkness and does not understand why people tolerate it. Everything, according to him is around and can be seen clearly if we people look at them carefully.107

Pi’s Biology teacher has a good reason for not believing in god. It was because of suffering experience. He suffered from polio when he was a child and in that critical moment, he was not convinced that God helped him. He kept wondering where God was. To him, God never came to help him until the result of science – medicine – came as the rescuer.108

Experiencing suffering can lead people to be either close to God and religion or far from God and religion. Mr. Kumar the Biology teacher is an example of someone who becomes far from God and religion after experiencing suffering. He loses his belief in God and religion. This is because to him, God fails to show His power, His mightyness. Therefore, God’s existence is doubted.

Meanwhile, science succeeds in proving its existence by being able to cure him. It even succeeds in showing its power – the thing that God should have. Therefore, science replaces God in his heart. Pi likes Mr. Kumar the biology teacher so much and feels that he has a connection with him. From this relationship, he learns that atheists have faiths and speak of faiths, too. He also feels that atheists are his siblings who come from different faiths.109

107Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 34. 108Martel, 35. 109Martel, 35.

38 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

2. The Religious People

There are three other influential characters in Pi’s religious life, in this case in term of religiosity. Unlike the previous ones, these three characters are the ones who plant religious roots in Pi’s soul; firstly, his aunt named Rohini.

Secondly, a Christian Priest. Thirdly, a Muslim baker named Mr. Kumar. They are the ones who contribute in shaping Pi’s religious commitment. Her aunt was the one who introduced him to a religion, Hinduism, very early. Rohini, his mother’s older sister – a character that is depicted as a person with a more traditional mind – brought him to a temple when he was a small baby. She was so happy with her newborn nephew and wanted to perfect the happiness by involving

God.110

The Christian Priest is the one who moves Pi’s heart to be interested in

Christianity. What Pi sees in a rectory steals his heart and thrills him.111 The Priest explains about Christianity and love as the answer of Pi’s question about why God lets Himself die to coverpeople’s sins112 and suffers113. He also says that Pi is already a Christian in his heart – when Pi expresses his interest – because for the

Priest, Pi meets Christ in good faith.114

Mr. Kumar, the Muslim baker, is the first representative of Islam that Pi meets. He is depicted as a poor man115 who owns a small shop that is attached to a

110Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 59. 111Martel, 65. 112Martel, 68. 113Martel, 70. 114Martel, 72-73. 115Martel, 102.

39 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

mosque.116 He also was gentle and patient to Pi who entered his shop without permission and took a bread. Instead of getting angry, he offered Pi the bread that

Pi touched.

I got close. It seemed to be some sort of unleavened bread. I poked at one. It flipped up stiffly. They looked like three-day-old nans. Who would eat these, I wondered. I picked one up and wagged it to see if it would break. A voice said, ”Would you like to taste one?”...... 117

Mr. Kumar views that all aspects in nature and how they work are in order.

He also believes that these are the prove of god’s power. He referred to one of the verses in the Holy Qur’an that he stated that in our everyday life there are messages that people who use their reason can see.118

The Holy Qur’an is the holy book of Muslims. It holds their God’s words

– Allah’s – that was delivered through His messenger, Muhammad. By quoting a verse from the Holy Qur’an, Mr. Kumar referred God as Allah. This is also expressed in an exclamation of Allahu Akbar produced by him in the novel when he was impressed with god’s creation in the form of a zebra during his visit in a zoo.119

Islam that Pi learns through Mr. Kumar the baker is a religion about the

Beloved120 and he believes that Mr. Kumar is a Sufi, a Muslim mystic.121 Jamal

Malik and John Hinnels states their opinion on mystics as follows:

116Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 74. 117Martel, 74. 118Martel, 104. 119Martel, 106. 120Martel, 76. 121Martel, 77.

40 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Mystics claim to be able to to interpret the purely literal world of the Qur’an as well as its spirit. Like other Muslims they want to emulate the life of Prophet Muhammad, to ‘sunnatize’ their life-worlds, and perform imitation of Muhammadi.122

‘Ali b. ‘Uthman al-Jullabi al-Hujwiri (d. 1071) as quoted by Jamal Malik and John Hinnels states his opinion on the etymology of the term ‘Sufi’. He believes that some explanations of the meaning of the word ‘Sufi’ are not satisfying. Those explanations state that they are called so because the people wear woollen garment (jama’-i suf), because they are in the first rank (saff-i awwal), because they belong to Ashab-i Suffa, and because the word Sufi derived from the word safa that means purity. He states as follows:

I said that safa (purity) is the opposite of kadar (impurity), and kadar is one of the qualities of Man. The true Sufi is he that leaves impurity behind ... ‘He that is purified by love is pure, and he that is absorbed in the Beloved and has abandoned all else is a Sufi.123

Mr. Kumar’s objective as seen by Pi is to be united with God so he has a personal and loving relationship with God. 124 He told Pi that God is so loving that if we approach Him by two steps He would run to approach us.125 What Pi sees in

Mr. Kumar makes him wants to learn more about Islam. It is interesting that two people with the same name represent two different faiths.

122 Malik, Jamal and Hinnels,John Ed. – Sufism in The West, Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016, 2006, 3. 123 Malik, Jamal and Hinnels,John Ed., 4. 124 Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 77. 125Martel, 77.

41 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

B. Pi’s Religious Practices and Experiences

The journey that his aunt made for Pi when he was a baby really has a great effect on him. He believes that the journey has planted a seed of religiosity in his soul.

I have no conscious memory of the first go-around in a temple, but some smell of incense, some play of light and shadow, some flame, some burst of colour, something of the sultriness and mystery of the place must have stayed with me. A germ of religious e xaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was shown in me and left to germinate. It has never stopped growing since that day.126

Then he becomes Hindu and feels at home in a Hindu temple. He also feels he is Hindu in the rite and ritual and through Hindu ways, the universe makes sense.127 However, no matter how well-contented Hindu he is, he does not refuse to stop holding Hinduism tightly. He sees that there are things in common among different religions. This can be seen from the novel when later, as a grown up he tells a French-Canadian woman that Hindus are hairless Christians,

Muslims are bearded Hindus, an Christians are hat-wearing Muslims.128

With a belief that different religions have common grounds, he then believes that Hindu teachings of wisdom and love leads him to meet Jesus Christ.

129 His encounter with Jesus Christ is not without difficulties, there is a dispute inside himself about this new God. Gods as he sees in Hinduism are powerful and

126Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 59. 127Martel, 60. 128Martel, 62. 129Martel, 63.

42 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

mighty. Hindu Gods do not die. Gods are never humiliated.130 Meanwhile, this

Son of God is harrased and suffers. He is not respected.131 This makes him wonder and curious. Then, instead of quitting he continues his search about this

Son of God through a Christian Father. It is portrays that, he cannot forget The

Son of God since He is always in his mind and the more he learns about Him the more he cannot leave Him. 132

Eventually, after finding out the reason of the Son of God’s willingness to suffer – love133 – he expressed his intention to become a Christian.134 Then he entered a church, felt at home there, and offered prayers to Christ. He offered his thanks to his Hindu God, Krishna as well for introducing Christ to him.135 This was the first mark of his syncretic piety; he worshiped a Christian as well as a

Hindu God.

Approximately one year after, he embraced Islam – a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion136, according to him – after his encounter with a

Muslim baker. Pi learns about Islam from the Muslim baker. The first day they met was the first time he saw a Muslim praying. He saw the prayer rug, the movements, and the behaviour when praying. He is even impressed with what he sees. In his opinion, Islam is not a difficult exercise. He believes, on the contrary, an easy exercise. It is like a hot-weather yoga for the Bedouins, Asanas but

130Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 68. 131Martel, 70. 132Martel, 72. 133Martel, 70-71. 134Martel, 72. 135Martel, 73. 136Martel, 77.

43 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

without perspiration, and a way to reach heaven without having to experience any strain. 137

He feels positive about Islam. His feeling is expressed so strongly that he challenges anyone to learn and understand Islam, the religion’s spirit, without the intention to love it. He believes that anyone will agree with him that Islam is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion. 138Pi seems to fall in love with two important things: Islam and Mr. Kumar, the religion and the person who introduces it to him. As a consequence, he continues his informal study about

Islam and keeps meeting the Muslim baker for discussions. He learns to pray and then prays and practices dhikr together with Mr. Kumar. He loves the sound of

Arabic language sang by him. He also feels that Mr. Kumar’s place is a hovel to him, a place where he can find peace. For him, Mr. Kumar’s place is so sacred, more sacred than any mosque, church, or temple that he feels peaceful. 139

Embracing Islam as an addition to Hinduism and Christianity makes him believe that everything around him become and speak one language of unity.

Everything seems perfect and fits well. He feels as Atman who meets Allah.140

Regarding this, he refers to Mahatma Gandhi that states that all religions are true and that the reason of his doing is to love God.141

As a consequence of embracing Hindu, Christianity, and Islam, as well as loving God, he practices the rituals of the three religions as well. As a Christian,

137Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 76. 138Martel, 77. 139Martel, 78. 140Martel,79. 141Martel, 87.

44 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

he goes to Church on Sundays and feels that he needs to be baptized, so he asked his parents to be baptized. As a Muslim, he wants to fulfill his duty to pray to

Allah so he asked his parents for a prayer rug142 that he loved so much143 because it made him feels at home.144 These kinds of practices make his parents bemused145since embracing more than one religion is an uncommon thing to do.

Therefore his father told him that he must choose one religion only since

Christianity and Islam are two separate religions that have nothing in common.146

However, he believes the opposite since both religions; Christian and Islam recognize Abraham and also because Muslims believes that their God is the same as the God of the Hebrews and Christians. Both religions also have David, Moses, and Jesus as prophets although these prophets are called in different names in both religions.147

When his mother suggested Pi to be religious in one religion only, Pi protested. He did not see it as a problem since he considers religion as passport to go to heaven. He referred to his uncle who had two passports; Indian and French.

His mother dissagreed and argued by explaining that India and France are two nations on earth, therefore people can have more than one passport. Then he wondered how many nations exist in the sky and his mother told him that there was only one. By saying this she hoped that Pi understood that only one religion is needed to go to this ‘nation’. However Pi believes that with only one nation exists

142Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 91. 143Martel, 96. 144Martel, 97. 145Martel, 81. 146Martel, 91. 147Martel, 91.

45 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

in the sky, all passports would be valid in this nation148. For him, all religions are the same, therefore they should be fine to practice simultaniously. He tried to legalize his religious practices that are unusual for other people; embracing more than one religion.

Pi’s attitude toward religion is unusual and so different from other people around him. He is more similar to what mentioned in an article by International

Theological Commission of EATWOT in a book entitled Toward a Planetary

Theology Along The Many Paths of God edited by Jose Maria Vigil (2010) that states as follows;

There are believers who know and live multi-religiosity so profoundly that they sincerely feel they are living their spirituality not only in the fold of the religion to which they were born and in which they grew up, but also in the embrace of the religion or religions that they know well.149

Pi was born in an Indian family with Hindu belief. In this case, for Pi,

Hindu is the religion to which he was born and in which he grew up. Christian and

Islam are not the religions to which he was born and in which he grew up.

However they are the religions that he knows well through his conscious learning and searching.

Countries and nationalities are sometimes linked to certain religions, for instance India and the inhabitants are linked to Hinduism, countries in Western

Europe and the people are linked to Christianity, and countries in Middle East

148Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 93. 149Vigil, Jose Maria (Ed), Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God – International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of The Third World Theologians, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, 22.

46 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

together with the population are linked to Islam. When Pi’s father dissagreed that

Pi also wanted to be Christian and Muslim, he linked themselves to their country of origin; India. He linked themselves to their nationality; Indian. His intention was that Pi as a person from India should embrace Hinduism, not Christianity or

Islam.150 The hidden meaning here is that in his father’s opinion, Christianity and

Islam are considered as foreign religions, even though for him Christianity is not as foreign as Islam.151 The believe that Christian and Islam are foreign religions was also expressed by a Pandit during a discussion with a Priest and an Imam about Pi’s piety.152 Pi’s defense of his doing was that Christians and Muslims had have been in India for centuries153, therefore they are not foreign anymore.

Regarding this, his father has a similar opinion about Christianity as Pi’s. He believes that Christians have been in India for a long time, therefore he can still understand if Pi wanted to become a Christian although he considers it to be a bit strange.154 This is proven with the existence of the missionaries and schools, and that the names of several Saints are familiar in India.155 Therefore, for his father,

Islam (in the novel it is mentioned as Muslim) is a totally foreign to Indian tradition and Muslims are totally outsiders. However, regarding Islam, his mother has a different opinion. To her, Islam has also been in India for a long time and

150Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 92. 151Martel, 95. 152Martel, 86. 153Martel, 92. 154Martel, 95. 155Martel, 95.

47 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

the number of the believers are greater than the Christians.156 She does not consider it as a foreign religion.

The point of the discussion is that a location is more likely linked to a certain religion. It may be relevant in the past. However, since the era progresses, this may not be relevant anymore. An article by International Theological

Commission of EATWOT in a book entitled Toward a Planetary Theology Along

The Many Paths of God edited by Jose Maria Vigil states as follows:

In the current evolution, we can more and more say that we are moving toward a society in which there is no longer a “local religion” that excludes others. Rather, we find multi-religious, plural societies in which there can be a religion of the majority but not a religion that excludes. The plurality has come to stay and to stay with all its rights.157

This suggests that at present, the world has become global; borders blurred, people from different cultures and religions meet, cultures and religions mix, values shared, plurality exists.

Pi’s faithfullness as a believer is witnessed by three religious leaders. A priest considers him as a good Christian and the priest wants to see him join church choir.158 An imam believes that Pi is a good Muslim since he always attend Friday prayer and his knowledge of the holy Qur’an is improving. A pandit is sure that Pi is a good Hindu boy because he always comes to the temple for darshan and performing puja. However, as time went by, he was seen going to

156Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 95. 157Vigil, Jose Maria (Ed), Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of The Third World Theologians, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, 21. 158 Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 83.

48 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

temple by a priest, was seen by an imam crossing himslef in a church, and was said to have become Muslim by a pandit.159 Each religious leader was in disbelief.

Therefore, the three religious leaders met Pi and his parents to get some clarifications. When all three religious leaders met, each claimed that Pi was a good believer of the religion each leader holds. In addition, the pandit claimed that Pi was a Hindu since he was born a Hindu, therefore he believed that Pi would die a Hindu.160 In the middle of the argument, Pi’s father interrupted by saying that the country they live in guarantees the freedom of practice. Then the three different religious leaders together point out the word practice, which is singular. They refer it as the practice of one religion. Thefore, they do not mean it as one person embraces and practices more than one religion. Then the religious leaders tell Pi’s father that it is impossible for a person to be a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim. Pi must choose to embrace only one religion.161

In their disagreement, each religious leader expresses their opinions about other religions. The imam considers Hindus and Christians as idolaters since they have many gods. The pandit attacks the imam with the issue of polygamy.162 The priest contributes by telling Pi that salvation can only be found in Christianity which is argued by the pandit. The pandit thinks that Christians do not know

159Martel Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 81. 160Martel, 84. 161Martel, 87. 162Martel, 84.

49 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

anything about religion. This thought is backed up by the imam who adds that

Christians have strayed from God’s path since a long time ago.163

The priest then brings up the issue of miracles. He corners the imam with the fact that in Islam there is no miracle. The imam states that existence is the essential miracle and we can see them around us. In the priest’s opinion, God has to be really with the people, the way Jesus as a person was. The imam believes that Jesus is a prophet, the same as the prophet Muhammad. He also believes that the prophet Muhammad delivers God’s true word without nonsense. This belief is of course argued by the priest. He thinks that what Muhammad brings are only illnesses and not divine revelation.164 He also points out that the prophet

Muhammad is dead and meanwhile, Jesus Christ is alive.165

The pandit is more concerned about the fact that Pi wastes time with

Christianity and Islam which he considers as foreign religions. The priest defends his religion by stating that god is universal. This statement is agreed by the imam who interprets that universality means singularity. The pandit accuses that

Muslims always cause problems and riots with their one god. The imam accuses back by mentioning how bad Hindus are since they enslave people with their caste system and that worship dolls. The priest attacks the pandit with the fact that one of their gods is a golden cow statue. In return, the pandit attacks the priest with an issue of racism, that they kneel before a white man. The imam adds by bringing

163Martel Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 85. 164Martel, 85. 165Martel, 85.

50 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

up the issue of pork in their menu.166 The priest then tries to end the dispute. He says that the important point is whether Pi wants real religion or just myths.

According to the imam, it is between god or idols. The pandit thinks it is between their gods or colonial gods.167

Each religious leader is fanatical about their own religion. Each of them believes that only his religion is right. Other people around Pi are also fanatical with what each of them does. In one hand, his aunt and the Muslim baker are fanatical with their religion; his aunt with Hinduism and Mr. Kumar the Muslim baker with Islam. On the other hand, his father is fanatical with his business and knowledge about animal behaviour, his mother is fanatical with her books and reading activity,and his brother Ravi who is fanatical with sports.

Another thing that Pi learns besides religion is about animal behaviour. He learns it from his father since this is what his father teaches him and his brother purposefully. This is because Pi’s father wants his children to remember for the rest of their life that animals are dangerous. The lesson about animal behaviour sticks into Pi’s mind stronger than his father’s attitude towards religion. This is what might make him interested in science and biology, and not in becoming secular.

Pi’s life is surrounded by people with different orientations; secular and religious. Both orientations exist inside his family life as well as outside his family. They influence Pi’s life since he interacts with them in his daily life. The

166Martel Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 86. 167Martel, 86.

51 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

influence shapes Pi into a different person who has an unusual religious belief and is knowledgeable about animal behaviour. Regarding his religious belief, instead of being secular like his father, mother, and brother, he becomes religious.

However, unlike other religious people, he does not only embrace one religion.

He embraces three religions; Hindu, Christian, and Islam. As the result of this, he practices Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. His belief in Hinduism is influenced by a person from his family. It was his aunt who introduced it to him when he was very little. He became Christian after meeting a priest and discussing Christianity on his holiday. Islam touches his heart through a poor Muslim baker. The last two religions were introduced by people outside his family.

C. Pi’s Negotiation Between His Secular Upbringing and Religious

Commitment

Pi is religious. Therefore he belongs to the majority of the world’s youth, that is religious – as quoted from Smith and Denton (2005) by Emily Layton,

David C. Dollahite, and Sam A. Hardy in their journal article entitled Anchors of

Religious Commitment in Adolescents.168 Pi’s religiosity gives him an identity as a person. Good and Willoughby (2007) as quoted by Layton, Dollahite, and Hardy state that religious commitment provides a context and grounds for identity formation for many youth. Erikson (1968), also quoted by the same people argues

168Dollahite, David C., Hardy, Sam A., Layton, Emily, “Anchors of Religious Commitment in Adolescents”, Journal of adolescents Research, 2011, 381.

52 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

that the making of religious commitment is an important part of identity formation for most people, because religion provides salient ideologies for youth to adopt.169

Despite his religiosity, he keeps his own piety towards religions to himself. He does not want to influence other people to follow his path. He does not stop his family from doing what they believe in regards to their religions, either. His father continues to be a secular who devoted his life to animal tending.

His mother still lives her life as a book-lover secular. His brother Ravi lives as a secular who is fond of sports and music. His aunt Rahini continues to be a devoted

Hindu. Pi does not want to change the beliefs of people from outside his family, either. He does not try to influence his atheist biology teacher – Mr. Kumar – to be a believer. He also lets his Muslim Baker acquaintance to be only a Muslim and not also Hindu and Christian.

Pi’s attitude shows respect towards others and their beliefs. Respecting others and their beliefs is one of many positive attitudes. Positive attitudes are positive outcomes. Pi’s religiosity has produced positive outcomes. This is in line with what Dollahite, Hardy, and Layton state in the same journal that religious youth show higher positive outcomes and youth who are less religious show lower positive outcomes.170

In terms of definition, Pi’s religious commitment is not in line with the theory proposed by T. Goffman Miller since his is not intended to save his face,

169Dollahite, David C., Hardy, Sam A., Layton, Emily, “Anchors of Religious Commitment in Adolescents”, Journal of adolescents Research, 2011, 383. 170Dollahite, David C., Hardy, Sam A., Layton, Emily, 382.

53 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

not that it assists in maintaining the social or ritual equilibrium.171 Pi’s religious commitment, on the contrary, creates disputes among the religious leaders of the three religions he embraces as well as other people around him. Pi’s religious commitment is more about what is proposed by Leland Asa172 as the giving of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual assent to a set of beliefs and behaviours. It also matches with Marie Cornwall and Stan Albrecht’s definition on religious commitment defined in two categories; spiritual and Church commitment as well as Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s that commitment is a willingness of members of a group to contribute in maintaining the group because the group provides what they want and need . . .the group achieves its goals by fulfilling the needs of its members, and the members satisfy their desires by helping to maintain the group.173

In conceptualizing religious commitment, Smith and Snell (2009) as quoted by Dollahite, Hardy, and Layton used five components in National Study of Youth and Religion. The five components were church attendance, personal prayer, scripture reading, importance of faith in everyday life, and closeness to

God.174 This conceptualization best describes Pi’s religious commitment. In the novel, Pi is narated as a person who regularly attends masses at church, attends

Friday prayer at mosques, and perform pujha at temples. He also learns to read the

Holy Qur’an, considers that faith is important in his everyday life, and feels close

171Eiko, Takamizawa “Religious Commitment Theory:A Model for Japanese Christians” , 1-3. 172Eiko, 1-3. 173Eiko, 1-3. 174 Dollahite, David C., Hardy, Sam A., Layton, Emily, Anchors of Religious Commitment in Adolescents, Journal of adolescents Research, 2011, 384.

54 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

to God – even Gods. However, Pi’s religious practice is considered as unusual by other people and since he live with other people, he needs to negotiate his religious commitment with his secular upbringing in which he was raised.

Negotiation occurs between parties; either someone with another person175and involves interactions among parties; individuals, groups, or organizations.176 Communication is a precondition for a negotiation177 In Pi’s case, the parties are inside himself; his secular upbringing and religious commitment. The negotiation therefore has to occur inside his mind as well and the result depends on the negotiation between two parties of the same personality.

In other words, he has to negotiate with the self – himself. Pi’s negotiation is then called as “internal negotiation”. It happens where two different ideas confront each other within the same mind.178 in negotiating, Pi communicates with himself.

Eventually, the result of his negotiation between his secular upbringing and religious commitment, Pi decides to be all three; Hindu, Christian, and Muslim.

Besides negotiating with himself in deciding whether to be secular or religious, Pi also negotiates with people around them. In this negotiation, several parties are involved; father, mother, a pandit, a priest, an imam, and himself. The negotiation has moved from the decision to become a secular or a religious person. The ideas of the latter negotiation are more complex; it is the decision to

175http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org 176Faure, Guy Olivier, How People Negotiate Resolving Disputes in Different Cultures, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2003, 17. 177Faure, 29. 178Faure, 33.

55 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

remain a Hindu or to convert into a Christian or a Muslim or to embrace the three of them altogether.

In Beatrice and Virgil, the negotiation also occurs inside the main character’s mind, a negotiation within the same personality – an internal negotiation – between his passion in publishing a flip book and willingness to accept other people’s opinion against his idea of putting two literary wares in one book. At the end, the negotiation within himself is achieved. Henry, the main character, accepts the fact that his idea of publishing a flip book is an annoying distraction and a commercial suicide. He considers his idea as a complete unpublishable failure.179

In Self, the negotiation is also within the same personality – an internal negotiation. In this case, the main character’s negotiation is in the form of being multi sexes – male and female – similar to a creature he is fascinated with during his childhood, a worm with two sexes.180

It is commonly known that a person embraces one religion as his or her identity. The person then performs rituals according to the religion he or she holds. Performing rituals of two or more religions is considered as syncretism181since the action is mixing religions, and harmonizing two sets of beliefs to create a new one.182 Therefore, embracing more than one religion is

179Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Alfred A. Knopf, 2010, 17. 180Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada, 1997, 33. 181Claus, Peter J. and Mills, Margaret A. Ed.,“Syncretism” South-Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia, Garland publishing, Inc., 2003. 182 Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) “Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation”: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies

56 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

considered uncommon and unacceptable. This practice will attract responses from the people around. It occurs in Pi’s case as well. After communicating about his interest in religions, he receives hard response from his father and the three religious leaders. Each of these religious leaders insists that a person should only embrace one religion since freedom of practice suggests singularity – a practice, not practices. Therefore, a person can not be a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim.

The person must choose.183 Pi’s father states that he cannot be both a Muslim and a Christian. He must be either one or the other.184

In responding to his father and the religious leaders ‘attack’ on his multi religiosity, Pi gives several reasons; all religions are true,185 he loves God186, the three religions are not separated,187 Christians and Muslims have to do with him because they have been in India for centuries,188religions are like identity symbols, the same as passports, therefore it is alright to have more than one.189

Pi must have considered Hindu, Christian, and Islam are not different from each other and also move individually to reach the same goal. Regarding this, Ramon Panikar states his thought in The Intra-Religious Dialogue as follows:

Religions are ununderstandable without a certain background of “religion”. Our own religiousness is seen within the framework of our neighbour’s. Religions do not exist in isolation but over against each other.

University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 183Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 87. 184Martel, 91. 185Martel, 87. 186Martel, 91. 187Martel, 91. 188Martel, 92. 189Martel, 93.

57 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

There would be no hindu consciousness were it not for the fact of having to distinguish it from muslim and christian consciousness, for example. In a word, the relation between religions is neither of the type of exclusivism (only mine), or inclusivism (the mine embraces all the others), or parallellism (we are running independently toward the same goal), but one of a sui generis perichoeresis or circumincessio, that is, of mutual interpretation without the loss of the proper peculiarities of each religiousness.190

Panikar’s statement suggests that Pi’s consideration that there is a relation between religions is correct. However, the relation is not a parallellism in which each religion moves foreward individually to reach the same goal. In Pi’s case, he was raised in a Hindu family therefore he is a Hindu. However, later he also wants to also be Christian and Muslim. He considers both religions have something in common; all are Abrahamic religions, have the same God, and recognize David,

Moses, and Jesus as their prophets.191 He also refers to Gandhi who believes that all religions are true.192 Hence, embracing two or more religions is not something that is supposed to be done. Each religion has its own rules, norms, rituals, and values which are unique. Merging all religions in one does not only pulverize the uniqueness of each religion. It also creates problems if the rules, norms, rituals, and values of one religion contradicted to each other.

190Panikar, Ramon, The Intra-Religious Dialogue, Paulist Press, 1999, 9. 191Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 91. 192Martel, 87.

58 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER IV

THE REPRESENTATION OF SYNCRETISM IN NEGOTIATION

A. Pi’s Religious Identity

Pi’s interests in the two other religions beside Hinduism last until he becomes an adult and has a family. Many people learn about religion when they are chidren but lose it when they are adults. Unlike these people, he keeps his faith and does not lose God along his life’s way.193 The story in Life of Pi is written in a flashback. Since it uses flashback, the novel starts with the description of the present state of the character and slowly moves to the history or the background. Flashback is a device useful to writers for filling in what happened earlier. It is also called retrospect – a scene relived in a character’s memory.194

In the earlier part of the novel, there is a description about his home when he has already become a married man. The home is depicted as a temple by the journalist who comes to interview him. The journalist is interested to interview him since according to someone he meets earlier, Pi has a good story that will make people believe in God. Several religious icons can be found in his home; a framed picture of Ganesha, a small framed picture of Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, a framed photo of the black-robed Kaaba, a brass Ganesha, a wooden Christ, a green prayer rug, a Holy Qur’an, and a Bible.195 There is also a shrine that is

193Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 59. 194X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia – Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama – Seventh Edition 1999 – Longman, 10. 195Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 56-58.

59 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

located in the kitchen.196 The existence of all of these religious icons in his home is the prove that they are important aspects in his life and that religion had been very close to his heart since when he could remember. 197

Pi’s home houses several religious icons from three different religions.

They are put in different places in his house and build a religious atmosphere. His house – just like his heart – is a house of multiple faiths. It is like a neighbourhod that consists of people from three different religions and beliefs. And since different religions and beliefs usually also come from different cultures, his house is like a place of pluralism; in cultures and religions. Therefore, his house shows his plural religious identity.

B. The Representation of Syncretism in Life of Pi

This novel of Yann Martel – Life of Pi – strongly exposes syncretism. In fact, syncretism is one of the main themes in this novel. In the situation where Pi is surrounded by two streams of faith – religiosity and secularity – Pi develops his own attitude towards religion and faith. Instead of staying as a Hindu – the religion of the family where he is born in – he also feels himself at peace in

Christianity, and later on embraces Islam that he feels as a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion.198 This kind of practice fits with what L Bouyer (614) stated and quoted by Dominic Umoh in his journal article that derives the word

196Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 57. 197Martel, 34. 198Martel, 77.

60 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

“syncretism” from the Greek etymology synkratein that means “pouring together”199, since what Pi does is pouring three different religions together.

This is also in accordance with what is stated by Peter J. Claus and

Margaret A. Mills who states that the word syncretism was particularly for the

“mixed’ religions of the Hellenestic and Roman eras, in implicit or explicit contrast with “pure” Christianity.200 Besides that what Pi does also fits with

Dominic Umoh’s statement about syncretism since Pi also mixes and blend those three different religions so that it forms a new and different thing. Umoh states that the action of syncretism is not different from mixing two or more things together and blend them so that a new form of a different thing is formed.201

The new and different thing is the fusion of rituals and doctrines of

Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam that he practices in his life; feeling at home in a

Hindu temple,202 coming to the temple for darshan and performing puja,203offering prayer to Christ,204 reading religious book on

Christianity,205attending Masses206, praying regularly at home,207 attending Friday prayer and improving his knowledge of the holy Qur’an.208 These kinds of practices are in line with what Umoh states as syncretism that the idea is from

199Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 200Umoh, 35. 201Umoh, 35. 202Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 60. 203Martel, 84. 204Martel, 73. 205Martel, 96. 206Martel, 90. 207Martel, 97. 208Martel, 84.

61 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Hellenestic thought to mix diversified cults, a mix of different rituals and doctrines.209 Angeles (286), no difference from Umoh points out that the practice occurs in almost all modern religions in order to create social relationship that is harmonious210and it is confirmed by Dominic Umoh who besides explaining the word syncretism also stresses the importance to make the functioning of a society with different backgrounds become smooth. 211

The idea of merging or pouring two or more religions is truly confusing. It is because each religion claims to be the right one as stated by Ramon Panikar – a believing member of a religion in one way or another considers his own religion to be true.212 Each has its own history, doctrines, rituals, values, and rules that might contradict to other religions. Merging contradictory things are difficult, therefore, merging two or more religions is something that is less likely done and uncommon.

Michael Amalados SJ in his writing entitled Being a Hindu Christian edited by Jose Maria Virgil in a book entitled Toward A Planetary Theology

Along The Many Paths of God states that in our life, we interact with people.

People then learn from the other. This will also challenge and transform people, but this is alright since integrating the other is different from some sort of

209 Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2013ǁ PP.32-40 www.ijhssi.org. 35. 210Umoh, 35. 211Umoh, 35. 212 Panikar, Ramon, The Intra-Religious Dialogue, Paulist Press, 1999, 5.

62 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

syncretism that easily mixes up symbolic worlds.213 Furthermore, Amalados continues by stating that:

Being a member of a religion is like speaking a language. One language can be influenced by another. It can borrow words and turns of phrase. But languages are different and incommensurable. We cannot speak both the languages at the same time, nor integrate them in some way that respects both their identities. Creolization is not enriching.214

This statement suggests that a person cannot embrace two or more religions at the same time since each religion has its own God. Hindu people relate to God through Krishna or Shiva. Christians relate to God through Christ.

Muslims’ God is Allah. Krishna, Shiva, Christ and Allah are mythological symbols. Mixing up symbolic worlds is syncretism as stated by Amalados. As mentioned earlier, Amalados states that learning from the other religion, being challenged and transformed by it, as well as integrating the other is not the same as syncretism that mixes up symbolic worlds. Syncretism, according to Amalados means mixing up symbolic worlds such as producing an inter-faith ‘Krishna-

Christ’ and that cannot be done. However, he introduced the term Hindu-Christian and called himself with that term. He called Mahatma Gandhi a Christian-Hindu since Gandhi was deeply influenced by the example and teachings of Christ, although Gandhi separated himself from the Christian community in a social sense.215

Should we borrow the term from Amalados, the practice done by Pi is really alright. Pi as a Hindu had been influenced deeply by Christian and Islamic

213Amalados, Michael, Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, 36. 214 Amalados,36. 215Amalados, 36.

63 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

example and teachings during his upbringing process. Therefore it is alright for him to be a Muslim and Christian-Hindu. The only difference between Gandhi and Pi was social distance. Pi did not distance himself from Hindu, Christian, and

Muslim communities since he performed pujha at the temple,216attended

Mass,217and went to the Mosque for Friday Prayer.218 People like Amalados,

Gandhi, and Pi are liminal people according to Amalados. They are on the border lines, staying inside their borders but open to the others. Even though they can reach out for others, they cannot have one leg on each side of the border.219

Being a religious and faithful person as well as intensively practicing a religion are found challenging by many people. Meanwhile, Pi is very religious and faithful to three different religions and practices them.220 Finding the reasons of his belief and practice then becomes a very interesting and challenging at the same time. In Pi’s case, to start with, he loves God.221He also has a belief referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s saying that all religions are true,222therefore he believes that he can choose to believe in and practice any religions. Furthermore, since all religions are true, people can choose as many religions as they want so he cannot understand the reasons why people cannot choose to believe in one or more religions.223

216Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition , 2001, 84. 217Martel, 90. 218Martel, 84. 219Amalados, Michael, Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, 36. 220Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition, 2001, 81. 221Martel, 87. 222Martel, 87. 223Martel, 91.

64 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Pi also sees several similarities between the religions he chooses. The first similarity is that the religions are alike. His argument is that Islam and

Christianity are both Abrahamaic religions, the God of the Hebrews and

Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims and David, Moses, and Jesus are their prophets, and Christians and Muslims have been in India for many centuries.224Muslims, Jews and Christians are the children of Abraham. Jews and

Christians are descended from Abraham through his son Isaac, while Muslims are descended from Abraham through his son Ismail.225The second similarity is that all three religions give positive influence to him. At church he feels at home226and thinks that God’ presence is the finest of rewards.227Praying at the mosque feels like a deeply religious contact228 and he feels like an Atman who meets Allah.229

Furthermore, Pi learns that the three religions believe and worship one

God. In Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are sometimes referred as Hindu

Trinity.230 However, many Hindus consider Brahman as the manifestation or forms of their gods and goddesses. Therefore, Hinduism believes in only one God.

Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality, which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this universe. It is the Super Cosmic Spirit or Absolute Reality and is said to be eternal, genderless, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and ultimately indescribable in human language.231

224Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, A Harvest International Edition, 2001, p. 91-92. 225Esposito, John L., What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam, Oxford University Press, 2011, 6. 226Martel, 73. 227Martel, 79. 228Martel, 77. 229Martel, 79. 230Gruenwald, Christine and Marchand, Peter, “The Hindu God Brahma”, www.sanatansociety.org., 26 October 2016, 09.35. 231Hinduismfacts.org/concept-of-god-in-hinduism/Hinduism Facts/Facts about Hindu Religion/Revealing Facts about Hinduism Religion, 26 October 2016, 09.40.

65 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

In Christianity, God is self-existent, there was no creator of God, and He will always exist until the end of time.232Christians believe that their only God is whom they call Father, and Jesus Christ is the Son of God.233Muslims refer God as Allah and like Jews and Christians, Muslims are monotheists.234 Islam, like

Judaism and Christianity, prohibits idolatry in a very strict way. Worshipping anything but the true God is a major sin.235 In Islam, monotheism – belief in one

God – is the most important and fundamental concept.236

1. Syncretism in Islam

Understanding syncretism in Islam has to be provided with a good understanding of the concept of Tauhid. Tauhid – the oneness of God237 or Islamic

Monotheism238 has three aspects. In The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, they are explained in English as follows;

Firstly, Oneness of the Lordship of Allah – to believe that there is only one Lord for all the universe, Who is its Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer, and the Giver of security, etc., and that is Allah. Secondly, Oneness of the Worship of Allah – to believe that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah. Thirdly, Oneness of the Names and the Qualities of Allah – to believe that we must not name or qualify Allah except with what He or His Messenger has named or qualified Him, none can be named or quallified with the Names or Qualifications of Allah, and we must believe in all the qualities

232Christian-oneness.org/about-God/chapter 1.html., Johnson, Ian B., Brickman, Jonathan E.,”God Is”, 2016, 26 October 2016, 09.55. 233“The Basics of Christian Beliefs”, www.bbc.co.uk., last updated on 14 August 2009, accessed on 26 October 2016, 09.44. 234Esposito, John L., “What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam”, Oxford University Press, 2011, 5. 235Esposito, John L., “What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam”, Oxford University Press, 2011, 14. 236Concept of God In Islam, www.whyislam.org., last updated on 9 January 2016, accessed on 26 October 2016 at 09.55. 237 Esposito, John L., “What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam”, Oxford University Press, 2011, 18. 238The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, King Fahd Complex For The Printing of The Holy Qur’an, 1417 A.H., 892.

66 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

of Allah which Allah has stated in His Book (the Qur’an) or mentioned trough His Messenger without changing their meaning or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or likening them to any of the created things e.g. Allah is present over His Throne as mentioned in the Qur’an (V.20:5).239

The three aspects are interconnected and are inseparable. One cannot claim to believe in the lordship of Allah but commits actions that violate his or her believe. The practices that violate the believe in the lordship of Allah are for example worshiping nature objects such as trees, rocks, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, the ocean, the sky, the sun, the moon, or made objects such as statues, or asking for help and blessings from fortune tellers, shamans, even religious leaders, or believing that an object has a strength and magical power, or believing that other than Allah can give help, protection, blessings, and strength. The practices are violating Tauhid, therefore they are forbidden in Islam and the ones who commit those will receive severe punishments.

Tauhid is closely related to Shahada – confession of a muslim240or witness, testimony241 – La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah that means none has the right to be worshipped bu Allah and Muhammad S.A.W is the

Messenger of Allah.242Shahada is recited first when a person converts to Islam as a symbol of their acknowledgement and submission towards Allah and is recited by muslims in their prayers every day. It is the first manifestation of Tauhid.

Tauhid is so important and fundamental that Allah guarantees paradise for those

239The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, King Fahd Complex For The Printing of The Holy Qur’an, 1417 A.H., 892. 240The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary , 894. 241 Esposito, John L., What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam, Oxford University Press, 2011, 18. 242The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 894.

67 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

who believe in the Oneness of Allah as written in many Surahs of the Holy

Qur’an. One of them is in verse number 57 of Surah An-Nisa.

Since monotheism is the most important and fundamental concept in

Islam, polytheism is the greatest sins against Allah. This unpardonable sin is

Shirk.243 The definition of Shirk is explained as follows:

Shirk basically is polytheism, i.e., the worship of others along with Allah. It also implies attributing divine attributes to any other besides Allah. It particularly implies associating partners in worship with Allah or believing that the source of power, harm or blessings is from others besides Allah.244

As the greatest sin, polytheism bears consequences towards those who believe – punishment from Allah. Many versesin many surahs show Allah punishment for those who practice Shirk. One of the surahs that mentions Allah punishment is An-Nisa verse number 48 and 116. In the English translation of

Surah An-Nisa verse number 48 Allah says:

Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be ascribed to Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases; and whoever ascribes partners to Allah in worship, has indeed invented a tremendous sin.245

In accordance to the verse mentioned above, in the English traanslation of

An-Nisa verse number 116 Allah says:

Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, has indeed strayed away.246

On the contrary, Allah guarantees rewards for those who obey Him. In the

English translation of Surah An-Nisa verse number 57 it is stated that:

243The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, King Fahd Complex For The Printing of The Holy Qur’an, 1417 A.H. p. 898. 244The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 898. 245The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 116. 246The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 129.

68 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

But those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), abiding therein forever. Therein they shall have Azwajun Mutahharatun(purified mates or wives – having no menses, stools, urine, etc ), and We shall admit them to shades wide and ever deepening (Paradise).247

In the English translation of verse number 124 in the same surah, Allah says:

And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true) believer [in the One-ness of Allah (Muslims)], such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a speck on the back of a date-stone, will be done to them.248

This verse delivers the message that Allah will grant Paradise to anyone does righteous good deeds, regardless the gender. In Pi’s case, he practices both

Shirk or polytheism and syncretism. He practices Shirk by worshipping others along with Allah or attributing divine attributes to any other besides

Allah.249Meanwhile, by mixing religions together,250mixing two or more things together and make a fusion of rituals and doctrines and harmonizing two or more distinct sets of beliefs to create an entirely new one,251bringing together of

247The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, King Fahd Complex For The Printing of The Holy Qur’an, 1417 A.H., 116. 248The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 130. 249The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, 898. 250Claus, Peter J. and Mills, Margaret A. Ed.,“Syncretism” South-Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia, Garland publishing, Inc., 2003. 251Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319.

69 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

conflicting ideologies into a unity of thought and/or into a cooperating, harmonious social relationship 252, Pi practices syncretism.

C. The Representation of Multiple Identities in Self

The research focuses on the theme of syncretism in Life of Pi by Yann

Martel. Syncretism is similar to multiple identities in which there are two or more things or characters in one body. However, Life of Pi is not the only novel that he writes that discusses multiple identities. Multiple identities are also discussed in his other novel namely Self. Thus, it is also beneficial to look at the repeated theme of multiple identities in other novel such as Self. In this latter novel, the focus is on the character’s duality of sex.Born as a boy253 in the family with parents who share roles254 and housework,255and later both work outside the house256 makes him unaware of the sex difference between his parents.257 He can not distinguish his parents in other ways as well since each one of them has their own strengths and weaknessess when dealing with housework.258 Although the most discussed matter is sex, the novel also mentions language mastery. In terms of the language that he speaks, he is trilingual since he goes to an English school, plays outside with his friends in Spanish, and speaks with his parents in French.

The teachers at the school he was enrolled in commented that by speaking three

252Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print):2319. 253Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 31, 35, 36, 76, 80, 113. 254Martel, 14. 255Martel, 15. 256Martel, 15. 257Martel, 14. 258Martel, 15.

70 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

languages Pi was trilingual, therefore he was very Canadian.259 He no longer addresses his parents in English eventhough it expresses his thoughts that have always remained in Latin. He uses English as the language of his exact expression.260

His parents’s belief in feminism261 also influences him not to differentiate sexes and gender. He is used to similarity. It is described as follows:

My parents were early feminists and they di not use the word “opposite” when speaking of sexes...... The sexes are complementary, said my parents – a more complicated word which they explained to me by analogy. Male and female were like rain and soil.262

The character perceives that sex is one since male and female are not two separate things but one thing that consists of two things that complement each other. He then considers that his parents talk about love when they talk about sex.263 This knowledge seems to make him puzzled. In kindergarten, since he loves one of his male friends – Noah – he wants Noah to be his wife. This goes with Noah as well – he wants the character whose name is never mentioned – to be his wife.264 This event makes his mother concerns and then she teaches him the fact that the character is a boy, just like his friend Noah, and that they can not be husband and wife since they both have the same sex which is male. He also learns that boys are males and can only be husbands and girls are female and can only be

259 Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 27. 260 Martel, 27-28. 261 Martel, 28. 262 Martel, 28-29. 263 Martel, 29. 264 Martel, 29-30.

71 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

wives.265 In terms of complementary, male has to be complemented with female and vice versa.266 Males and female may not change roles, either. It is stated in the novel as that husbands can only be made from men and that a wife is a woman, therefore she cannot marry another wife – woman.

Another thing he learns is that there are only two sexes exist on Earth – male and female,267 and the concept of male and female only apply to living things that move on its own, and are visible.268 He does not seem to care about all he learns about the two sexes and the rules and roles of them since the day after the sex lesson he offers himself to be Noah’s wife.269 However, one day he is surprised with something that does not correspond well with his mother’s previous explanation. He learns that a worm has both sexes. As an exception to the rule, it is both male and female. He finds this fact extraordinary.270 He considers that a worm is a miracle of the universe and almost the same as God since he is unsure whether God is female or male, and also because God’s sex organs can not be seen as well as a worm’s.271

In Self, the character is then depicted as having passionate relationships272 with girls. The first girl is a German girl named Marisa who gives him an experiene of kissing.273 The second girl is his classmate named Mary

265Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 31. 266Martel, 30. 267Martel, 32. 268Martel, 34. 269Martel, 29. 270Martel, 37. 271Martel, 38. 272Martel, 45. 273Martel, 49-50.

72 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Ann.274 The character experiences a dissappointing thing after a fun thing with this girl. He thinks that Mary Ann likes him since they both spend time and have fun together. However, later he finds out that she likes some other boys and it makes him very sad.275 The third girl that he encounters is Carolyn who he thinks likes him but finally holds hands with another boy and kisses him.276

The character is then depicted as a girl and experiences first period.277

However, she falls in love secretly with a girl named Elena. They spend a lot of time together seeing movies, playing, going to leectures together, walking, taking trips to Toronto without elena knowing that she is being loved by the character not as a friend.278 Her heart is then broken when Elena is in love with a guy named

Jonathan.279 Then she meets a woman named Ruth during her vacation in Greece.

Ruth is definitely alot older than her since Ruth’s first daughter is a year older than the character.280 Ruth is fourty six years old and meanwhile, she is only twenty years old. They travel in Greece together, get to know each other,281 and finally make love to each other.282

The uniqueness of the multiple identities does not stop there since the character is then interested in a man.283 He is a Turkish farmer284 and she has a

274Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 52. 275Martel, 53. 276Martel, 87-88. 277Martel, 128. 278Martel,134. 279Martel, 135. 280Martel, 146. 281Martel, 146. 282Martel,150-152. 283Martel, 173. 284Martel, 171.

73 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

desire on him.285 However, after her separation with Ruth since her vacation is over, she still has a relationship with her. They meet again in Christmas as planned before. This encounter seems to be the last since she then begins to have a desire on men.286 She imagines herself making love with a guy she meets in a library.287

A blurred situation exists when the character, depicted as a female – wearing a bra288 - thinks that she is a homosexual because she is petting with a man. Somehow, she must think that she is a male, not a female. She then thinks that her action of petting is a practice of homosexuality since the other person is also a man and that she thinks of herself as a homosexual. 289

The character still thinks that she is a male since she does not think that she will get pregnant from having intercourse with the man.290 Then she has relationships with other men and during the period, she is depicted as a woman.291

She then becomes pregnant from her relationship with her last boyfriend who left her292 and is raped by her neighbour.293 He lives in the same apartment with her.

This rape makes her lost her baby. Then, one day she becomes a man294although strangely is seen as a woman by society when she is depicted as a twenty-six-

285Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 173. 286Martel, 191. 287Martel, 194. 288Martel, 207-208. 289Martel, 207-208. 290Martel, 209. 291Martel, 215-288. 292Martel, 290. 293Martel, 294. 294Martel, 320.

74 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

year-old woman by a radio station.295 During this period, he has sexual intercourses with men and women.

Both novels – Life of Pi and Self – present multiple identities. In Life of

Pi, the multiple identities are in religion, on one person’s religious belief. In Self, the multiple identity is in sex, where one person changes sex from time to time and sometimes has a cross on people from the opposite sex or has intercourse with them. These two novels are not the only novels of Yann Martel that speak of multiple identities. His other novel – Beatrice and Virgil – also presents multiple identity. In this third novel, the multiple identities are shown in a different matter.

D. The Representation of Multiple Identities in Beatrice and Virgil

In Beatrice and Virgil, Yann Martel’s main character is a writer named

Henry. He intends to publish a book that has two contents; a novel and an essay.

He wants the book to be in the form of a flip book; a book with two sets of distinct pages that are attached to a common spine upside down and back-to-back to each other. Another unusual thing of the book is that it presents two literary wares that share the same title, the same theme, but a different method of writing.296This is uncommon since a book usually only has one set of page and only has one content; novel, essay, or other thing such as textbook.

Novel and essay are two different things. They are different because according to tradition, a novel presents impressions of life and it is the product of

295Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997, 328. 296Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Canongate Books, 2010, 6.

75 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

imagination. Meanwhile, an essay presents knowledge and reason.297 However,

Henry has his own opinion. For him, the separation is not that black and white. He states as follows:

A novel is not an entirely unreasonable creation, nor is an essay devoid of imagination. Nor is it how people live. People don’t so rigorously separate the imaginative from the rational in their thinking and in their actions. There are truth and there are lies – these are the transcendent categories, in books as in life. The useful division is between the fiction and nonfiction that speaks the truth and the fiction and nonfiction that utters lies.298

Henry believes that imaginative and rational can exist both in human thinking and actions. Each of them does not belong to one category only.

Therefore, both novel and essay have both imaginative and rational aspects in the content. He continues by offering a distinction between them – the truth and the lies – in both fiction and nonfiction. Therefore, what matters is whether the fiction and nonfiction tells the truth or tells lies.299

His reason for making the two different contents in a book is that each content would complement the other evidently and that the synergy between them would exist. If the novel and essay were published separately as two books, they would not complement each other and there would not be a synergy.300

The next thing to consider is which one should be presented first in the book, the novel or the essay. He believes that both fiction and nonfiction have the same fact and preoccupation, therefore either one can be the start of the other.

297Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Canongate Books, 2010, 6. 298Martel, 6-7. 299Martel, 6-7. 300Martel, 7.

76 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

However, he also understands that the first would cast into shadow the second.301

Regarding which should be read first is up to the reader. Readers who prefer reason maybe would read the essay first and readers who like the emotional approach would probably read the novel first.302

Regarding the cover, since this book has two contents, he thinks it should have two front covers. However, unlike the common books, since it has two front covers therefore it would have no back cover or exit. Here, Henry states as follows:

A flip book is a book with two front doors, but no exit. Its form embodies the notion that the matter discussed within has no resolution, no back cover that can be neatly, patly closed on it. Rather, the matter is never finished with; always the reader is brought to a central page where, because the text now appears upside down, the reader is made to understand that he or she has not understood, that he or she cannot fully understand, but must think again in a different way and start all over.303

Books always have empty space at the end. Henry thinks that this flip book should also has an empty space that marks the end of each content on the same page between the upside down texts.304

Henry’s book concerns the murder of Jews in an event called Holocaust.

The event is always presented in books and movies historically, factually, documentarily, anecdotally, testimonially, and literally.305 He wants to make a flip book so that the event can be presented in stories as well. However, there are

301Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Canongate Books, 2010, p. 7. 302Martel, 8. 303Martel, 8. 304Martel, 8. 305Martel, 9.

77 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

problems when finally Henry meets a bookseller and a historian regarding the form of the book – a flip book. The problems according to the bookseller is practical and conceptual; in which section to put – novel or essay, which cover should face out, where to put the bar code.306 The problem in the historian side is that Henry cannot answer his question of what his book is about. It can be either that he doesn’t know the answer or perhaps that is the problem with the book.307

According to an editor, the book has to have a tighter focus in both the novel and the essay.308

Yann Martel’s interest in exposing double and triple faces is obvious in his three novels; Life of Pi, Self, and Beatrice and Virgil. The three novels of

Yann Martel have one red line that is multiple identities. In the first novel – Life of Pi – the multiple identities is on the fact that the character embraces three different religions and practice the rituals. In the second novel – Self – the multiple identities are in the character’s gender identity. The third novel –

Beatrice and Virgil, the multiple identities are on the nature of the book he wants to write; a book that has both fiction and non-fiction contents – a novel and an essay at the same time – a merged literary wares.

Zacharias, 2010; Omoniyi & White, 2008 as quoted by Mohammad

Hossein Kouhpaeenejad and Razieh Gholaminejad state identity as follows:

Traditionally it was believed to be a fixed or unitary phenomenon. Yet, recently it has been addressed and explored from a poststructuralist point of view. In a globalized, poststructuralist, postmodern world, identity is

306Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Canongate Books, 2010, 14. 307Martel, 15-16. 308Martel, 17.

78 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

considered to be fluid, multiple, diverse, dynamic, varied, shifting, subject to change and contradictory. It is regarded to be socially organized, reorganized, constructed, co-constructed, and continually reconstructed through language and discourse. It is unstable, flexible, ongoing, negotiated, and multiple. It is indeed a collection of roles or subject positions and a mixture of individual agency and social influences.309

Poststructuralist perspective suggests that the consideration of identity as a singular and fixed matter can no longer be accepted as it is always reorganized, reconstructed and shifted therefore it is fluid, diverse, unstable, and multiple.

Similar notion that identity is dynamic, fluid, and versatile is presented by

Blackledge & Pavlenko (2002) as quoted by Mohammad Hossein Kouhpaeenejad and Razieh Gholaminejad.310They also quoted Wenger, 1998, p. 149 that having multiple identities is a natural thing since people participate socially and through the participation they choose the identities within them.311

Having multiple identities is similar to being syncretistic since there is an action of merging more than two distinct things in one and making them as a new one also takes place. In being syncretistic, the distinct things merged are religions, sets of beliefs, cults, or thoughts. In having multiple identities, the distinct things owned, used and merged and then it creates a new identity. The identities can be in the form of religions, sexes, or literary wares.

309Kouhpaeenejad, Mohammad Hossein and Gholaminejad, Razieh, Identity and LanguageLearning from Post-structuralist Perspective,Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 199-204, January 2014© 2014 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finlanddoi:10.4304/jltr.5.1.199-204 p. 200. 310 Kouhpaeenejad, Mohammad Hossein and Gholaminejad, 201. 311Kouhpaeenejad, Mohammad Hossein and Gholaminejad, 200.

79 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Literature according to Roshni Duhan in his article entitled The

Relationship between Literature and Society is the mirror of the society. It reflects the good values and the ills of the society. The blessing is that by looking at the reflections, people can make corrections to their mistakes and maintain their good values. Literature also imitates human action in which it shows people’s thoughts, sayings, and actions in the society. It is not only a reflection of the society but it also serves as a corrective mirror to the society.312 Thus, it can be concluded that syncretism reflected in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is the reflection of syncretism practiced in society. Piscine’s practices of syncretism in the novel illustrate the practices of syncretism in the society. This perspective accords with Roshni

Duhan who states that characters in stories are designed to portray human life and action. They convey messages for the purpose of education, information, and entertainment through words, actions, and reactions. This has something to do with the environment of the writer since the influence of the world around the writer is impossible to avoid. Therefore, the attitudes, morale, and values of the society are included in literary works.313 In Indonesian context, the examples can be found within Islam believers. Many of them do sinful actions such as asking for help from shamans and fortune tellers and or providing offerings for objects of nature such as trees, rocks, rivers, lakes, mountains, the sea or building such as tombs of ancestors or famous and important figures in the hope of being fortunate or able to solve their problems in life.

312 Duhan, Roshni, The Relationship between Literature and Society, Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 Vol. 15:4 April 2015, 192. 313 Duhan, 192.

80 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

Life of Pi is a novel that is both entertaining and intriguing. It is entertaining since it has a nice plot with a flashback way of telling the story, is rich with cultural aspects of India as well as animal behaviour, and reveals people’s perspectives of other religions that people are usually afraid of talking in the presence of people who embrace other religions. It is also intriguing since it invites us to think about truths about different religions; all teaches good morals and values, all are the manifestations of the love to God. It also encourages us to think about an idea that people never thought about; believeing in more than one religions at the same time in order to love God.

The main character of the story is a boy who was born in a family with a father who is a businessman and a mother who is a housewife. He has an older brother. The family is just like an ordinary family where the members do not always have the same religiosity. The mother is not quite religious. She is raised in a Hindu family but has a Baptist education. However she participates as a mother when her sister – Pi’s aunty – takes her and her newborn baby to temple .

Another member of the family, though not from the nuclear family, is quite religious. She is Pi’s aunty. It is her idea to take her sister and the newborn baby to temple as a way to introduce the baby to religiosity since he was a newborn.

The influence he gets from his aunty later seem to influence him alot and become a very strong foundation for him in order to be a religious person.

81 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Meanwhile, his father is a person whose mind is always about work, business, money, and animal behaviour that he wants his children to know. He does religious rituals only as a member of society as well as because they are common things that people do. The setting of the story is in India during the time of Indira Gandhi.At that time, India was in a transitional situation from traditional to modernity. Pi’s father sees his family as a modern Indian family. As a modern family, he believes that they should focus themselves on other than religions.

Religions, he reckons, is a product of the old times therefore it is traditional and is not relevant anymore in the modern time. His father is not the only one in his family who does not consider religion as an important thing. Pi’s brother is not much different from his father. His life is only about school, music, and sports.

Unlike his father who does Hindu religious rituals as a consequence of being a

Hindu Indian, he is neither interested in religious issues nor religious rituals.

However, this attitude seems to be the right thing in the eyes of his father since his father considers what he does and what he does not do prove him as a normal teenager.

Other than his family members, Pi are also influenced by people he meets; his teacher who is agnostic and two religious people who are a Priest and an

Imam. Similar to what he experiences at home, these people offer him two different paths; a path to religiosity and a path to secularity. The first part exposes him to two different religious paths; Christianity and Islam. Meanwhile, the second path provides him with logical reasonings about the creation of all creatures in the world and life that have nothing to do with God.

82 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Pi is so fascinated by the first path – religiosity. In fact, he believes in and decides to embrace both religions as an addition to the religion he is born with,

Hindu. This does not seem to be an uncommon phenomenon since religious influence he gets from his upbringing in the family is only from one person who is not the main member of the family, his aunty. Other than that, the rest of the family tends to ignore religions if not influencing him to be secular.

Family is a mini society that a child meets and lives with. It is the first institution that introduces a child to many aspects of human life; traditions, cultures, habits, norms, morals, values, and religions. A child is most likely influenced by these and thinks as well as behaves according to values learned from the family since that is how the child is upbrought. Therefore, family upbringing plays an important role in building one’s character as well as influencing one’s decision towards religions. A child who is upbrought in a religious family is more likely to be a religious person and vice versa. Therefore, a secular family more likely produces a secular child or secular children.

However, this common logic does not seem to be correct if applied in Pi’s family. Instead of being secular, he becomes very religious. His religiosity is even uncommon since he believes in three different religions and want to embrace them all together at the same time. Then, two questions were raised as the problems of the research. The first question was; how does he negotiate his secular upbringing with his religious commitment? The second question was: how does this negotiation represent syncretism? The research then tries to answer both

83 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

questions. However, in order to make it easy to follow, the term of syncretism is presented first.

The term of syncretism according to L. Bouyer as quoted by Dominic

Umoh is derived from Greek etymology – synkratein – that means poring together. The action suggests an idea of mixing and blending two or more things together, therefore, new and different thing is formed. The things are specified as most diversified cults by Umoh and he considers the mix as a fusion of rituals and doctrines. In the case of the scope of syncretism, Umoh quoted Angeles that stated that the concept took place in all modern religions and united conflicting ideas into a harmonious relationship. Further than that, Umoh stated that syncretism merged and harmonized two or more sets of beliefs and religious systems and created a new and different one.

Peter J. Claus and Margaret A. Mills also have similar notion about syncretism that according to them syncretism was applied to the mixed religions of the Hellenistic and Roman eras in either implicit or explicit contrast with pure

Christianity.

In approaching the problems of the research, several other terms are defined. The first one is religion. Four sources are taken to define the word – an online dictionary and three writings by Kate M. Loewenthal, Ralph H. Wood Jr.,

Peter C. Hill, Bernard Spilka, and Clifford Geertz. The online dictionary and Kate

M. Loewenthal mention the words of God, belief, and worship in the definitions.

Meanwhile, David Elkind as quoted by Ralph H. Wood Jr., Peter C. Hill, Bernard

Spilka offers a definition that religion is a natural result of mental development,

84 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

such that biological roots of intellectual growth interact with individuals’ experiences. Clifford Geertz is “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.

Religious commitment is defined differently by several people as quoted by Eiko

Takamizawa in his journal entitled Religious Commitment Theory:A Model for

Japanese Christians. T. Goffman Miller defines religious commitment as some kind of decision making in order to saveface of a person or people which helps maintain the social or ritualequilibrium. Meanwhile, Leland Asa, defines commitment as intellectual, emotional, and spiritual assent giving to a set of beliefs and behaviors.Marie Cornwall and Stan Albrecht define religious commitment in two categories: spiritual commitment and Church commitment.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter defines commitment as the will of members to contribute in maintaining the group because the group and its members help each other in reaching goals.

Secularism according to Graeme Smith is nothing to do with religious beliefs since it is about the world and life. George Jacob Holyoake states that secularism is the study about promoting human welfare and relates to the existence of man at present and to action which can be examined by the experience of this life.

85 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Upbringing refers to the way in which you are treated and educated as a young person. It shapes you to behave in a certain way and determine your moral decision. Meanwhile, negotiation is the process of discussing achieving and agreeing on something by discussing it with another person or other people. It needs two parties that have different opinion on something that they discuss.

However, negotiation can also be done by one self. This kind of negotiation occurs when the person faces a serious problem and the problem can only be solved by compromising his or her own beliefs. This kind of negotiation occurs in his or her mind and is called internal negotiation.

Some studies on Life of Pi have been conducted in different viewpoints.

Roger W. Shanley in his journal article entitled Paradoxical Oxymorons discusses about word whimsy and wordplay. Word whimsy – he believes – generates many creative variations while wordplay broadens the scope of text discussion about inventive language use. In this article he stated that his colleague named Don

Nilsen sent him in a message with PowerPoint slides. These slides examine wordplay in names as well as images from a Yann Martel’s novel of Life of Pi.

The point he brought up was the novel’s main’s character’s name, Piscine. The name has similar sounds to other words such as Pissing and P. Singh. Therefore for the main character, it was never easy to introduce his name to people verbally both directly and indirectly such as talking on the phone. People had trouble in trying to understand it as well as pronouncing it.

Another study conducted on the novel of Life of Pi was a study by June

Dwyer and it was written in a jurnal article entitled Yann Martel's Life of Pi and

86 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

the Evolution of the Shipwreck Narrative. In this article, Dwyer focuses the discussion on the narrative of a shipwreck. In the novel, the character experienced a tragedy of ship accident that forced him to live on a boat with a Bengal Tiger.

June Dwyer quoted George Landow that had stated that shipwreck was used to isolate a character and place him in a new setting in “{r}omance, satire, and the literature of adventure”. It was a methapor and reflected “the topos of a life- journey”, not an event in a real environment. However, Dwyer tends to believe that it is now impossible to consider shipwreck as simply a literary device without also taking ecological concerns into consideration. He believes that in a shipwreck, the relationship between human and animals becomes significant. It also provides a new paradigm that the dominance has been shifted. In children’ literature, humans and animals are considered equal. Animals are treated as friends by humans. There is no dominance over one or the other. Adults’ literature is different. In adults’ literature, humans and animals are not considered equal.

Humans are considered above animals. Therefore, humans are dominant. They have dominance over animals. Animals are dominated. However, at a certain point, humans will take place in the circle of nature. They will become parts of nature. In Life of Pi, Pi takes place in the circle of nature by both being dominant over and dominated by a Bengal tiger that lives with him on the boat.

The author himself has written several books and articles;There is a similarity in his first three books. He likes bringing up unusual things – one person embracing three different religions in Life of Pi, one person having

87 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

twosexes in Self, and a book with two different kinds of contents in Beatrice and

Virgil.

Pi is surrounded by several people with different religious backgrounds and tendencies. Their existence and opinions give contribution in shaping his attitude towards religions. Pi himself believes that people whom we meet in our life can make us different people. In an article edited by Jose Maria Vigil, it is stated that the experience and contact with religious pluralism can change people’s religious practice and experience. In Pi’s case, it is true. His experience and contact with the people from different religious background influence the way he looks at Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam as well as his decision to embrace the three different religions.

Despite his being as a born Hindu, Pi is raised in a secular family by his parents. His father is a person whose commitment is in business. His vast knowledge on animal behaviour is merely because tending animals is what he does in order to run his business well. Religious practice to him is just a social practice that needs to be done as a part of a society. To him, being religious is not necessary. He even finds his son’s interest in religions annoying. His mother as a

Hindu with Baptist education is not different from his father. She practices religious rituals with the encouragement of her sister. Therefore, it is not something that comes out from her own heart and will. Despite her irreligiosity, she does not complain about Pi’s interest in religions. Meanwhile, according to his father, his brother acts as a normal teenager who plays sports, interested in music,

88 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

and has no interest in any religion. He does not even practice any religious ritual and he mocks Pi for being so interested into religions.

Besides from his family members, Pi also receives exposure to secularism from his education environment – his biology teacher. The teacher himself is an atheist. He believes that nature works as a consequence of nature system. There is no super power that manages all. It is true that atheism different from secularism.

However, the message that arrives at Pi is the same – the disinterest on religions.

Therefore, the influence from his biology teacher contributes in his secular upbringing. He even discourages Pi to not believe in religions since to him religions are superstitious bosh and darkness. He believes that nature and reality are the proves of all existence.

Other than those people who are not interested to religions, Pi is also surrounded by religious people. These people are not only his family member but also people he meets outside his home and school environment. His aunty is one of the family members of his who introduces him to Hinduism since he was a baby. He then learns about Christianity from a Priest of a church he unintentionally visits. Later on, he also learns about Islam from his acquaintance – a Muslim baker. He learns both of the latter religions in his teenage years.

Eventually, he embraces and practices three different religions at the same time. In other words, he practices syncretism. He understands that what he does is unusual and he even calls his religious practices strange. The reason for him to do it is to love God and he also quotes Mahatma Gandhi that says that all religions are true. He also argues that Christianity and Islam have things in common; both

89 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

religions recognize Abraham, Muslims believe that their God is the same as the

God of the Hebrews and Christians, and both religions recognize David, Moses,

Jesus as prophets even though they are called in different names in Christianity and Islam.

Other than that, he believes that religions are similar to passports. As a consequence, if one person can have more than one passport, then the person can also embrace and practice more than one religion. People like Pi are considered as believers who know and live multi-religiosity very profoundly that they feel they do not only live their spirituality in the religion they were born and in which they grew up but also in the religion or religions that they know very well. In Pi’s case, he was born and grew up in Hinduism. Christianity and Islam are religions that he later discovers, learns, and finally knows well.

This kind of believers do not consider that certain countries are closely related to certain religions, either, at least today. In the past, the believe might be true. Europe was associated with Christiany as Middle East was with Islam and

India was with Hinduism. This belief is agreed perfectly by Pi’s father and the

Hindu Pandit who consider that Hinduism is the native religion for Indians and

Christianity and Islam are considered as foreign religions even though within them, Pi’s father considers that Islam is the most foreign religion. His mother, on the other hand, has a different opinion. She believes that Islam is not a foreign religion to India since Islam has been there for quite a long time and the number of the believers of Islam in India is greater than the believers of Christianity.

Today, a country does not define people’s religion. A citizenship does not

90 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

determine people’s religion. People from a certain country do not always embrace and practice a religion in which it was started or born. Therefore, there is neither a local religion nor foreign religion or religions.

Pi’s religiosity is acknowledged by three religious leaders of three different religions; a Pandit, a Priest, and an Imam. The acknowledgement was based on the the religious rituals that Pi practiced and seen individually by each religious leader. However, their perceptions change when they find out that Pi practices three different religious rituals. They consider it is impossible for a person to have more than one religious identity. Besides, the country that they live in respects freedom of practice. The word practice is singular, therefore it means that each person embraces and practices one religion. Then they demand him to choose one only. In order to encourage Pi to choose one religion over another, each religious leader tries to point out the pluses of their religion and the minuses of other religions.

Religious commitment provides a context and grounds for identity formation for many youth and so it does for Pi. His religious commitment gives him an identity as a person – a religious one. However, his identity is not only as a religious person but also a unique one since he embraces and practices more than one religion at the same time. This abnormality attracts reactions from people around them. They find this religious practice unusual and they want him to change and choose only one religion. On the other hand, Pi does not want to change other people’s belief. This attitude is a positive outcome as a result of being religious.

91 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Religious commitment can serve as a maintainer of a social or ritual equilibrium. In Pi’s case, his religious commitment creates strong reactions from people around him, let alone the religious leaders – Hindu, Christianity, and

Islam. In fact, his religious commitment is more like the giving of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual assent to a set of beliefs and behaviours. It also consists of two; spiritual and Church commitment that can be described as church attendance, personal prayer, scripture reading, importance of faith in everyday life, and closeness to God. Pi meets all of the requirements.

Considering where Pi was raised – in a secular family, it is only natural that people would assume him as a secular person. Therefore, with Pi being so religious, thoughts about how he negotiate his secular upbringing and religious commitment then occur. Negotiation occurs between parties and communication is a precondition for a negotiation. Since the parties are inside himself, Pi’s negotiation occurs within his mind. Pi negotiates with the self – himself , which is then called as internal negotiation. Pi’s ideas confront each other within his mind.

Eventually, the result of his negotiation between his secular upbringing and religious commitment, Pi decides to be all three; Hindu, Christian, and Muslim.

He also negotiate with his family and religious leaders about his religious commitment. However, in the latter negotiation, the issue is not about deciding to be secular or religious but about deciding which religion he should embrace and practice – Hindu, Christianity, or Islam.

His reason of mixing all three religions was because he considers all religions are true, he loves God, and that the three religions are not separated.

92 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Also, since religions are identity symbols same as passports, he feels that he can have more than one. Relation among religions does exist. However, according to

Panikar, the relation is not a parallellism. Each religion moves forward individually to reach each goal.In Pi’s perspective, it is different. He does not necessarily aim to reach a goal. He only aims at mixing the three religions and fill his heart with them. He seems to be doing that for his present life, and not considering his afterlife so much. Therefore his religious identities are multiple – a person with three different religions.

Yann Martel as the writer of the novel in which Pi is the main character writes about multiple identities in his three novels; Life of Pi, Self, and Beatrice and Virgil. In Life of Pi, multiple identities are depicted in multiple religious identities in which the main character embraces three different religions. In Self, multiple identities is depicted in sex and gender. The main character in this novel is depicted as male at the beginning until the middle part of the novel and as female from the middle part until the end of the novel. In Beatrice and Virgil, multiple identities are depicted in plural type of text. In the story, a writer wants to make a book that serves as two things which are novel and essay with one title, one theme, but two different methods of writing.

Syncretism has been discussed and analyzed in this thesis, therefore research on several other topics from the novel of Life of Pi are also interesting and challenging to conduct; the factors that influence Pi’s spirit to survive, Pi’s experience on God during his life on the boat, and how his experience in The

Pacific Ocean affects his religious life afterwards. Other than that, researchers can

93 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

conduct research on polytheism, especially its difference from syncretism and the tendency of today people to embrace and practice different religions at the same time.

The next thing discussed is negotiation. Negotiation occurs in all three novels in the form of internal negotiation – a negotiation that occurs within one same personality. In Life of Pi, the negotiation is between his secular upbringing and religious commitment. In Self, the negotiation is between his state of being female and male. In Beatrice and Virgil, the negotiation is between his wish to make a book with two literary wares in one and understanding the fact that such book is unpublishable.

Literature as stated by Roshni Duhan reflects the good values and the ills of the society. By looking at the reflections, people can make corrections to their mistakes and maintain their good values. Literature also imitates human action in which it shows people’s thoughts, sayings, and actions in the society. It is not only a reflection of the society but it also serves as a corrective mirror to the society.

Thus, it can be concluded that syncretism reflected in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is the reflection of syncretism practiced in society. Piscine’s practices of syncretism in the novel illustrate the practices of syncretism in the society. Characters in stories are designed to portray human life and action by conveying messages for the purpose of education, information, and entertainment through words, actions, and reactions. This is related to the environment of the writer since the influence of the world around the writer is impossible to avoid. Therefore, the attitudes, morale, and values of the society are included in literary works. In Indonesian

94 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

context, many Islam believers do sinful actions such as asking for help from shamans and fortune tellers, providing offerings for objects of nature such as trees, rocks, rivers, lakes, mountains, the sea or building such as tombs of ancestors or famous and important figures in the hope of being fortunate or able to solve their problems in life.

The result of the research is beneficial since the theme in the novel discussed – syncretism – can be used as a mirror to look at our society. Other than that, in the context of religiosity, Muslims could learn about syncretism in an entertaining way since the research illustrates the practice of syncretism in a literary work. People from other religions – Christian and Hindu – can also gain benefit from this research since Christianity also demands its followers to only believe in Trinity – The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Meanwhile,

Hinduism states that Brahman in the main God among others and Hindu people are to worship Brahman and the listed gods.

95 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

REFERENCES

Amalados, Michael, Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God, Dunamis Publishers, 2010

Claus, Peter J. and Mills, Margaret A. Ed.,“Syncretism” South-Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia, Garland publishing, Inc., 2003

Dollahite, David C., Hardy, Sam A., Layton, Emily, Anchors of Religious Commitment in Adolescents, Journal of adolescents Research, 2011

Eiko Takamizawa Religious Commitment Theory:A Model for Japanese Christians.

Esposito, John L., What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam, Oxford University Press, 2011

Faure, Guy Olivier, How People Negotiate Resolving Disputes in Different Cultures, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2003

Geertz, Clifford, The Interpretation of Cultures, Basic Books, New York, 1973.

Hashemi, Nader, Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies, Oxford University Press, New York, 2009

Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia – Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama – Seventh Edition 1999 – Longman

Kouhpaeenejad, Mohammad Hossein and Gholaminejad, Razieh, Identity and LanguageLearning from Post-structuralist Perspective,Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 199-204, January 2014© 2014 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland doi:10.4304/jltr.5.1.199-204

Loewenthal, Kate M. ThePsychology of Religion A Short Introduction, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, 2008.

Malik, Jamal and Hinnels,John Ed. – Sufism in The West, Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016, 2006

96 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Martel, Yann, Beatrice and Virgil, Canongate Books, 2010,

Martel, Yann, Life of Pi, Hancourt Inc., Orlando, 2007.

Martel, Yann, Self, Vintage Canada Edition, 1997

Panikar, Ramon, The Intra-Religious Dialogue, Paulist Press, 1999

Sheldrake, Philip, A Brief History of Spirituality, Blackwell Publishing, Malden, 2007.

Smith, Graeme, A Short History of Secularism, I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd., New York, 2008.

The Noble Qur’an English Translation of the meanings and commentary, King FahdComplex For The Printing of The Holy Qur’an, 1417 A.H.

Umoh, Dominic (Ph. D.) Superstition and Syncretism: Setbacks to Authentic Christian Practice in AfricaInstitutional Affiliation: Department of Religious and Cultural Studies University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Vigil, Jose Maria (Ed), Toward A Planetary Theology Along The Many Paths of God – International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of The Third World Theologians, Dunamis Publishers, 2010, p. 19

Wood Jr, Ralph H., Hill, Peter C., Spilka, Bernard, Psychology of Religion An Empirical Approach, The Guilford Press, New York,2009.

Online resources:

Concept of God In Islam, www.whyislam.org., last updated on 9 January 2016, accessed on 26 October 2016 at 09.55.

Duhan, Roshni, The Relationship between Literature and Society, Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 Vol. 15:4 April 2015 www.languageinindia.com/april2015/roshiniliteraturesociety1.pdf accessed on May 5, 2018 at 10.10 P.M.

Dwyer, June, Yann Martel's Life of Pi and the Evolution of the Shipwreck NarrativeAuthor(s): June DwyerSource: Modern Language Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Fall, 2005), pp. 9-21Published by: Modern Language

97 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30039823 .Accessed: 28/01/2015 21:22

Gruenwald, Christine and Marchand, Peter, The Hindu God Brahma, www.sanatansociety.org., accessed on 26 October 2016 at 09.35. http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org

Hinduismfacts.org/concept-of-god-in-hinduism/Hinduism Facts/Facts about Hindu Religion/Revealing Facts about Hinduism Religion, 26 October 2016, 09.40.

Johnson, Ian B., Brickman, Jonathan E.Christian-oneness.org/about-God/chapter 1.html., ,God Is,2016, 26 October 2016, 09.55.

Koyama, Kosuke, A Theological reflection on Religious Pluralism, www.flinders.edu.au/oasis- files/chaplain/geoff_papers/pluralism_Koyama.pdf. accessed on June 23, 2018 at 11.39.

Law, John, Afdal, Geir, Asdal, Kristin,Lin,Wen-yuan, Moser, Ingunn, andSingleton, Vicky., Modes of Syncretism: Notes on Noncoherence, p. 175 https://www.unc.edu 25 Maret 11.35

Rouméas, Élise, Religious Pluralism A Resource Book, cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/Ebook_Rel_Pluralism2015.pdf.sequen ce, 11 accessed on 25 March 2018 at 11.37 A.M.

The Basics of Christian Beliefs, www.bbc.co.uk., last updated on 14 August 2009, accessed on 26 October 2016, 09.44.

Thiessen, Joel,Kids, You Make the Choice: Religious and Secular Socialization among Marginal Affiliates and Nonreligious Individual, https://secularismandnonreligion.org.articles accessed on 25 March 2018 at 11.30.

98 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI