"Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed. A school of fish appeared around the net or a knot cried out to be reknotted. Or I thought of my family, of how they were spared this terrible agony. The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving." (p.209)
The diction in this passage shows Pi's love on many levels. It also shows his suffering and the fact that he does not gives up on love. His suffering is shown well when he uses the phrase "hell beyond expression". The word hell is defined as a place of total and final separation from God, and so of eternal misery and suffering. As Pi refers to God as "a shining point of light in my heart", it is easy to see why this would be so terrible for him, even beyond most people's idea of hell. The quote also mentions that God remains. This means that Pi does not give up, despite his circumstances and his wishes for his suffering to end. It also means that he does give up on God when most people would be led to believe that they were abandoned or alone. This passage also explains how Pi dealt with the death of his family. Pi does not suffer from survivor's guilt and actually is happy that his family is in the afterlife instead of suffering with him. This is shown by how the thought of Pi's family actually drives the possible depression away. This is shown throughout the rest of the book, by a lack of mentioning them, or being overly upset at their death. He copes with it quite healthily. Additionally, the ways Pi described the darkness passing show that he has a strong will to live. He keeps doing the necessary chores, even as he is engulfed in darkness. He does not give up on what he needs to do to survive. All together this passage shows Pi's love for God, his family, and his life.
The diction in this passage shows Pi's love on many levels. It also shows his suffering and the fact that he does not gives up on love. His suffering is shown well when he uses the phrase "hell beyond expression". The word hell is defined as a place of total and final separation from God, and so of eternal misery and suffering. As Pi refers to God as "a shining point of light in my heart", it is easy to see why this would be so terrible for him, even beyond most people's idea of hell. The quote also mentions that God remains. This means that Pi does not give up, despite his circumstances and his wishes for his suffering to end. It also means that he does give up on God when most people would be led to believe that they were abandoned or alone. This passage also explains how Pi dealt with the death of his family. Pi does not suffer from survivor's guilt and actually is happy that his family is in the afterlife instead of suffering with him. This is shown by how the thought of Pi's family actually drives the possible depression away. This is shown throughout the rest of the book, by a lack of mentioning them, or being overly upset at their death. He copes with it quite healthily. Additionally, the ways Pi described the darkness passing show that he has a strong will to live. He keeps doing the necessary chores, even as he is engulfed in darkness. He does not give up on what he needs to do to survive. All together this passage shows Pi's love for God, his family, and his life.