RELIGION IN A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY AND THE LIFE OF PI Essay

RELIGION IN A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY AND THE LIFE OF PI - Essay Example In Life of Pi, Pi is an extremely religious character who relies on this faith to get him through a very difficult situation. While religion is explored different in these two texts, the inclusion of these faiths in central to both the literal and symbolic messages that each of them explore. In A Month in the Country, both good and evil can be seen throughout and are represented through religion, or lack thereof. This novel is set just after World War One had inflicted a great deal of damage on Europe and the world as a whole. This is symbolic of the evil in the world, as many people lost their lives as a result of this conflict and many more are left traumatized because of their experiences. This story centers around Tom Birkin, who is a veteran of the war and is also the victim of a broken marriage. Tom is contracted to restore a medieval mural located in a church in the Yorkshire village of Oxgodby, but he finds much more than a job in this village. When Tom arrives, this village has nearly lost its faith in religion, which is symbolized by the painting that has been covered up numerous times and by the cold-hearted nature of Reverend Keach. The lack of religion in this village is a stark contrast to the time period when the mural was originally painted, as the churc h and Christianity held a great deal of importance during that time period since â€Å"theirs was a different hell from oursâ€Å" (Carr 98). This is shown by the fact that the mural on the church is a depiction of God taking the good to heaven while sending the evil to hell. Another way in which good and evil are represented during this novel comes through the work of Charles Moon. He has been contracted in the same village to uncover the remains of a medieval man who was excommunicated from the church and also to find out why this happened to the man. Over time, Moon is able to figure out that this man was forced to convert to Islam and sword