Tyger, tyger...

Sally and I were amazed when we watched Life of Pi in its HBO debut last night. In the future when I think of the magic of movies I’ll think of this incredible mix of story, breathtaking location photography, realism, fantasy and CGI.

At the core of the story, as you’ve probably heard even if you haven’t seen the movie, is the relationship between a young man and a Bengal tiger in a most unusual setting: a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean.

I am reminded of a famous story of a tiger, “In a Dim Room,” by Lord Dunsany. I've scanned it from its appearance in the Scholastic magazine, Thrills & Chills. The illustrations are by Earl Norem.

The ending of the story is a joke, but is also a good example of how humans without a powerful weapon, and without the benefits of being separated by bars in a zoo, aren’t any more powerful than the tiger’s weakest prey.

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