Thesis E - Theories in Action
Where’s the Pi?
The three theories regarding globalization - that it is a highly beneficial force, that it is exploitive and should be counteracted, and that neither theory is correct and a hybrid is the best alternative - are present in Life of Pi, and there are many instances. To focus for this weblog, though, I have chosen my favorite and what I think is the most complex of them all - the algae island that Pi runs into during his tenure on the Pacific Ocean, which mirrors both a globalized and a localized community. On the outset, this island seems entirely localized. It is entirely self-sufficient, as Pi observes - the meerkats are permanently sustained by the never-dwindling supply of algae. Also, it hasn’t yet been discovered by the outside world. In this sense, it is a perfect example of an autonomous, or localized, place. Under the surface, however, this island truly mirrors globalization. Foremost, the island itself mimics the concept of globalization because it is rootless. As Pi observes, it was a “free-floating organism” (271). The same way that we struggle to define globalization, Pi struggles to define this island. The meerkats on the island are also a testament to the forces of globalization. Their mere presence on the island proves that somehow they crossed the borders of their native environment, and as such they could be considered globalists.
The trees on the island are also figures that can be associated with globalization. Whereas the meerkats mimic the trends of migration in a globalized world, the trees symbolize nations in such a world: “The trees were so near each other that their branches grew into each other’s spaces; they touched and twisted around each other so that it was hard to tell where one tree ended and the next began” (278). Like nations affected by globalization, the trees are actively ridding themselves of borders. They are becoming so entangled with one another that the distinct boundaries between them are becoming indiscernible. Similarly, Pi discovers that the trees “either lived in a symbiotic relationship with the algae, in a giving-and-taking that was to their mutual advantage, or, simpler still, were an integral part of the algae” (271). This observation completely agrees with the discussion of the ideal globalization recognized by Steger.
It is clear that there are many parallels between this island, globalization, and localization. In this sense, it is effective to unite the two and admit that this algae island is a perfect manifestation of glocalization. Traits from both globalization and localization are apparent, and to choose one or the other would be limiting and inaccurate.
There are many more figures in the story that at once reflect globalization and localization and therefore can be read as glocalized metaphors. Pi’s religion and his name; the animals in the zoo in Pondicherry; and the cargo ship Tsimtsum are among the many figures that can be read as manifestations of glocalization.
