Mathematical Symbolism in Yann Martel’s Novel Life of Pi (2001)

The article identifies and investigates the semiotic and aesthetic nature of a specific type of artistic images, which can be called mathematical. In the theoretical part, based on known works of Russian and World literature, an analytical justification of the figurative structures assigned to this type is carried out, their independence is proved, which allows us to distinguish them from adjacent concepts — “the image of a number” and “numerical image”, the use of which already has its formed historical-literary tradition. The practical part of the article is devoted to a consistent analysis of the main mathematical images in the novel Life of Pi by the Canadian bilingual writer Y. Martel. The symbolism generated by these images contributes to revealing the mythological code of the main character’s name, structuring the novel chronotope, clarifying the dominant motif of the story, which is intended to illustrate the inner evolution of the protagonist. To generalize the relationship between the character and the surrounding world presented by Martell, a figurative formula is proposed whereby the image of the human in a literary text is derived from the ratio of spatio-temporal unity to the verbalized perception of this unity, deducted from the point of view. Implicitly contained in Life of Pi, the mathematical analogue of such formula is an identity expressing the algorithm of finding the constant “tau”. The latter one, being related to novel’s key concept of circle, is the mathematical symbol by which the author achieves a tense dynamic of the plot, affecting both physical and spiritual plans. Also, with the help of a geometric model (ellipse with increasing compression factor), the parable nature of the work is visualized and its motive logic is interpreted. The article ends with a review of the physical-philosophical problems of time outlined by the writer — the problem of the present moment and anisotropy, which, with some degree of conventionality, can be considered from the perspective of literary criticism.