Punctuation of Life of Pi essay; Denison supp

How should I punctuate the ending?

Life of Pi by Yann Martel details the story of young Pi Patel, who is stranded in the middle of the Pacific with a Bengal tiger. After his journey, Pi has an interview with reporters who doubt his story. He gives these skeptics an option of which story to report. Either choose his story in which he survived 227 days on a raft with wild animals, or choose a more basic story in which these animals are replaced with humans.

The reader learns that this is not a choice between animals and humans, but a choice between a "dry, yeastless factuality" and a challenge of one's faith. In both reports the ending is the same, so, as Pi argues, why not choose the inspiring and exciting story? It was this unique perspective that challenged me. I realized that we are all capable of creating both a simple story and an inspiring story, each with the same ending, so why not live the inspiring one? The life of Pi Patel has challenged me to choose the "the better story;" the better life. (I want this to have a certain pause for a certain impact, how should I punctuate it?)

The prompt is to discuss a book with a significant impact on me, so I want to show how this was impactful by punctuating it correctly

The life of Pi Patel has challenged me to choose the "the better story". The better life.
That works. Just don't put a semi-colon before the quotation mark.

Alternatively, you can put it on the next line. E.g.

The life of Pi Patel has challenged me to choose the "the better story".

The better life.

Although that feels slightly incomplete.

So:
The life of Pi Patel has challenged me to choose the better story." The better life.
?

Are you going to put the quotation marks around "the better story", or not?
Other than that, it's fine like that. Can you like a couple of my previous comments, so that I can delete some of my threads? Thanks.