Jaime Ysabel I.

Alegre
Grade 10-Ampere

Timeline of Events in Life of Pi

Piscine gets a new

name.

Pi tried to feed
Richard Parker and
witnessed him
devour aa goat.

Pi started to
practice three
religions.

Pi and his family

migrated to
Canada.

Pi survived the
shipwreck with
selected animals.

Richard Parker killed

the hyena who
killed the zebra and
the orangutan

Pi considers to let
Richard drown when
it jumped to catch
fishes.

Pi trains and took

care of Richard
Parker to survive.

They found a
floating island, yet
left it after finding
out that it is
carnivourous.

They reached the

coasts of Mexico
where Richard flees
to the jungle.

Pi was recued and

was interrogated
about his
adventure, yet they
did not believe him.

Pi gave an
alternative story.
Though the people
did not really
believe him, they
left him alone.

1. In his introductory note Yann Martel says, This book was born as I was hungry.
What sort of emotional nourishment might Life of Pi have given to its author?
Life of Pi is a good movie with an interesting plot. It is rather difficult to pinpoint the
actual moral in the story, yet this is what I understood: Imagination has the power to fill our
lives with color and fulfilment. It is something that we yearn to exist, yet know that it is nonexistent. Martel was driven to write the story because he was yearning for a good tale filled
with imagination, a much needed story in existence here on Earth.

2. Pondicherry is described as an anomaly, the former capital of what was once French
India. In terms of storytelling, what makes this town an appropriate choice for Pis
upbringing?
The town is an appropriate choice for Pis upbringing for it is the place where he felt
confined to its rules and beliefs, therefore he felt free when he was on the small boat. The
town is also the place where he learned about zoos and religion which he applied later on to
survive.

3. Yann Martel recalls that many Pondicherry residents provided him with stories, but he
was most intrigued by this tale because Mr. Adirubasamy said it would make him
believe in God. Did Pis tale alter your beliefs about God? In what way?
To be honest, my fate and beliefs about God did not waver because of the tale.

4. Early in the novel, we discover that the narrator majored in religious studies and
zoology, with particular interests in a sixteenth-century Kabbalist and the admirable
three-toed sloth. In subsequent chapters, he explains the ways in which religions and
zoos are both steeped in illusion. Discuss some of the other ways in which these two
fields find unlikely compatibility.
Religion and zoos ac as homes. Zoos houses various animals, while religion guides
and/or adopts a person to a certain belief. However zoos and religion confines an animal or
person. Zoos restrict animals from roaming in the wild, whereas religion constricts a person to
certain rules that he/she must abideif he/she is part of the religion .

5. Pis full name, Piscine Molitor Patel, was inspired by a Parisian swimming pool that
the gods would have delighted to swim in. The shortened form refers to the ratio
of a circles circumference divided by its diameter. What is the significance of Pis
unusual name?
He was often bullied at school because his name sounds like pissing. So he changed
it to something likeable and different that he even became a legend in his school. This is much
like a story. We dont like it much at first and will often criticize trivial things about it. Yet,
when we learned that it is different and interesting, we start to like it.

6. How would the novels flavor be different if Pis sole surviving animal was the
zebra or orange juice? (We assume that if the hyena had been the only surviving
animal, Pi would not have lived to tell us his story.)

The novel would be boring and would not catch the readers attention. The zebra and
orange juice are dull characters in comparison to a tiger, who is carnivorous and brings forth a
lot of action and suspense.

7. Pi sparks a lively debate when all three of his spiritual advisors try to claim him. At
the heart of this confrontation is Pis insistence that he cannot accept an exclusively
Hindu, Christian, or Muslim faith; he can only be content with all three. What is Pi
seeking that can solely be attained by this apparent contradiction?
He seeks to love God. In order to love God and know about Him more than the
constricted vision of a single religion, Pi seeks God in many perspectives as possible.

8. What do you make of Pis assertion that we are all in limbo, without religion, until
some figure introduces us to God? Do you believe that Pis piousness was a response
to his fathers atheism?
Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. This is a famous
quote by the world renowned Albert Einstein. We would wander blindly without religion for
religion asks the questions that science tries to answer. Without religion, we would be stuck
not knowing what to do and without any guidance.
As for the second question, I believe that it was a response to his fathers atheism. He
wants to show his father that believing in God is good and wants him to believe in a God that
his father will love and worship.

9. Among Yann Martels gifts is a rich descriptive palette. Regarding religion, he

observes the green elements that represent Islam and the orange tones of Hinduism.
What color would Christianity be, according to Pis perspective?
In Pis perspective, I think the color of Christianity is white. White symbolizes purity.
It is also a widely used and seen color as Christianity is the most widely distributed religion in
the world.

10. How do the human beings in your world reflect the animal behavior observed by Pi?
What do Pis strategies in dealing with Richard Parker teach us about confronting the
fearsome creatures in our lives?
Animals are territorial just like humans. We also build defense mechanisms to shield
ourselves from pain and harm just like animals. Know and observe first what youre dealing
with and start from there. Do not be afraid of taking risks and confronting your fears because
sometimes these creatures we fear will become our best mates in the future.

11. Besides the loss of his family and possessions, what else did Pi lose when the
Tsimtsum sank? What did he gain?
He lost his innocence. He had to grow up faster than a normal teenager would, for he
had to survive and defend himself. He became exposed to things that a teen of his age has
never yet experienced. Yet, when he lost his innocence, he gained maturity.

12. Nearly everyone experiences a turning point that represents the transition from youth
to adulthood, albeit seldom as traumatic as Pis. What event marks your coming of
age?
It would be when I would stand on my own two feet. When I have my own job, a
place to live in and my hard-earned money.

13. How does Mr. Patels zoo-keeping abilities compare to his parenting skills? Discuss
the scene in which he tries to teach his children a lesson in survival by arranging them
to watch a tiger devour a goat. Did this in any way prepare Pi for the most dangerous
experience of his life?
Mr. Patel was a better businessman that a father. Like all fathers, he meant well when
he made Pi watch Richard Parker devour a goat, yet it is not right for him to make the boy
watch at such a young age.

14. Pi imagines that his brother would have teasingly called him Noah. How does Pis
voyage compare to the biblical story of Noah, who was spared from the flood while
God washed away the sinners?
Instead of surviving a great flood in an ark, Pi survived a storm in a small boat. All of
the Tsimtsum passengers, except for Pi and selected animals, drowned when the ship sank.
This is greatly similar to Noah for his family, the animals and himself were the only ones who
survived the great flood. We can assume that in both situations, God drowned or washed away
the sinners and save those who are devoted to him.