Art

This painting is a nice representation of the relationship Pi and Richard developed while on the life boat. They learned to look after each other. Pi would feed Richard in return for his protection. There was art in this novel in the way that the animals were portrayed. The details were so vivid that you could imagine that the animal was right in front of you (not). Their ways of survival were also portrayed as an art form as each animal's method of survival was very unique but at the same time necessary.

Setting cont.

In Life of Pi there are three main settings. They include the Pondicherry Zoo, the lifeboat, and Mexico. At the zoo Pi and his brother learn many lessons of nature and learn to fear animals. They learn certian animals flight distances and how to reduce them. The most dangerous animal at the zoo is said to be the elephant. Their dad teaches them to fear animals by making them watch a tiger feast on a goat. While moving their animals to Canada, the ship the Patels are moving on sinks. Pi is thrown onto a lifeboat with a tiger, zebra, hyena, orangutan, and a rat. Pi makes a raft out of life jackets and oars. The boat is white while the tarp is orange. Upon arriving in Mexico, Richard runs into the woods. Pi is taken to the hospital and is very sick. While being interviewed by two Japanese men, he keeps asking for cookies.

Zoo:
Elephants
Tiger
Goat

Lifeboat:
Tiger
Hyena
Orangutan

Hospital:
Cookies
Japanese Men
Tape Recorder

Other Themes

Life of Pi pays attention to Pi's struggle to survive, which is another theme. He does extraordinary things to push himself to the limit physically as well as mentally in a terrible situation. Pi has many dangers around him including Richard Parker, sun, and limited food and drink. So, there is a conflict between him and nature forcing him to be a vegetarian, train an animal, and find food. There is also discussion of the behavior of animals in a zoo implying their freedom. Being captive or being free in nature are similar because in both situations they claim a territory and treat it the same way. According to Pi they will stay where they are because animals will escape the zoo and not go anywhere. They might not necessarily be as free to roam but they are more free from harm. Animals also handle situations different depending on their environment so in the case of a zoo they must be helped to get accustomed. Same with the situation in which Pi was faced on the lifeboat. He needed to make it more comfortable for Richard Parker. Pi thinks that humans are more adaptable but overall the same nature laws would not work because people wouldn't be happy if they were in a zoo just like they aren't happy if they are on a lifeboat but they try to deal with it.

Poetry In The Novel

Although the need for poetry is not directly expressed in the novel, Pi’s character demonstrates the need for it in the novel. During Pi’s childhood, he latches onto religion for his inspiration as he practices three religions at once. He spends all his time devoting himself to God, instead of doing “normal” childhood activities like playing sports and chasing girls as his brother does. When Pi is stranded on the lifeboat, he finds himself with endless hours of free time, that cannot be filled solely with religious practices. After re reading his survival manual for seemingly the hundredth time, Pi seems to be at a loss for activities. He says the key to his survival was keeping busy, but this was not always easy. When Pi had nothing to do, he felt despair and loneliness that put him into exceptional suffering. “ My suffering was taking place in a grand setting. I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized” (177). Several times throughout his trek on the ocean, Pi seemed to lose all hope of life, and felt small and insignificant. Poetry speaks to us through images, emotions, and metaphors, and helps us maintain meaning in our life. It helps us believe in the power in humanity, or whatever subject matter we are reading about. Poetry is inspirational, and that is exactly what Pi needed in these times of deep suffering: inspiration. If Pi had the power of poetry on his side during his time at Sea, he could have spared himself much suffering, and kept on believing.

Life Boat

Plot Summary

Francis Adirubasamy, tells an anonymous person a story from Pi’s perspective that is supposedly so great, it could make one believe in God.

As a child in India, Pi is an outcast in school, but he immerses himself in religion and zoology. He considers himself a Christian, Hindu, and a Muslim.

Pi’s parents decide to leave India for economic reasons, so his father must sell the zoo he owns. They set sail for Canada on a cargo ship with many of the animals. The ship sinks, and Pi is hurled into a life boat.

The orangutan, hyena, and zebra on the life boat quickly are killed, and Pi is alone with a 450 lb Bengal tiger, named Richard Parker. Pi survives off of the survival kit, and raw fish and sea turtles he catches from the boat. Once a vegetarian, Pi turns into a hungry carnivore.

After staying at a carnivorous island full of Meer cats, and encountering another drifting survivor on a life boat, Pi strikes land in Mexico. He tells his story to Japanese workers, and they do not believe the tale, so he replaces the animals on the lifeboat with his mother, a Chinese man, and a French cook in a new story. They like the true story better.

Religion, Science, and Philosophy

The stories told by Pi both explain events that could have taken place on the lifeboat but Yann Martel was trying to make the point of making the reader see how it is the same thing as religions. The Japanese officials do not believe Pi's story of Richard Parker so Pi gives an alternative version. The Japanese officials have to believe without seeing, that Pi was stuck with the tiger for 227 days. Religions tell stories that are believed even when there is no proof that they ever occurred.
Martel has degrees in religious studies and zoology. Pi experiences both of these throughout the novel. He believes himself to be a Christian, Muslim, and Hindu, and he is very knowledgeable on many animals because of his father and living in a zoo. Pi thinks that the natural world is an expression of God's will, and shows it when he talks about the sloth and how it reminds him of God. Also, there is a conversation in the novel where they guy in India says he has a story that will make people believe in God because the fact that Pi somehow survived the experience is a gift from God.
Finally, since Pi has so much time to himself on the boat he is able to contemplate many philosophical topics such as the meaning of life and God, and also write about them.