Life of Pi: Introduction

1
Life of Pi Introduction

• Literature in English
• Secondary 6

2
Introduction Author

• Yann Martel
• Born June 25, 1963 in Salamanca, Spain
• Canadian
• Travelled in Iran, Turkey and India
• Studying philosophy at Trent University in
  Peterborough, Ontario,
• Started writing at age 27
• To write Life of Pi
• Six months spent in India visiting mosques,
  temples, churches and zoos
• An entire year reading religious texts and
  castaway stories
• Actual writing two more years

3
Introduction The Book

• First published by Knopf Canada in September 2001
• Won
• Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002
• Boeke Prize, a South African book prize, in 2003
• A film adaptation in 2011

4
Story Overview

• The protagonist Piscine ("Pi") Molitor Patel
• An Indian boy from Pondicherry
• Exploring the issues of religion and spirituality
  from an early age
• His survival story 227 days shipwrecked with a
  tiger in the Pacific Ocean

5
Characters

• Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)  
• The protagonist of the story
• The narrator for most of the novel
• His account of his seven months at sea
• His unusual name from the French word for pool
• A pool in Paris in which a close family friend,
  Francis Adirubasamy, loved to swim
• A student of zoology and religion
• Deeply intrigued by the habits and
  characteristics of animals and people

6
Characters

• Richard Parker 
• The Royal Bengal tiger sharing a lifeboat with Pi
• His captor, Richard Parker, named him Thirsty
• A shipping clerk reversed their names
• From the Pondicherry Zoo
• Weighing 450 pounds and about nine feet long
• Kills the hyena on the lifeboat and the blind
  cannibal
• Acts as an omega, or submissive, animal
  respecting Pis dominance

7
Characters

• The Author 
• The narrator of the (fictitious) Authors Note
• Inserting himself into the narrative at several
  points throughout the text
• Never identified by name
• Yann Martel
• He lives in Canada
• Published two books
• Inspired to write Pis life story during a trip
  to India

8
Characters

• Francis Adirubasamy 
• The elderly man
• Telling the author Pis story during a meeting in
  a Pondicherry coffee shop
• Taught Pi to swim
• Bestowed upon him his unusual moniker
• Arranges for the author to meet Pi
• Pi calls him Mamaji (Indian respected uncle)

9
Characters

• Ravi 
• Pis older brother
• Teases his younger brother mercilessly over his
  devotion to three religions
• Santosh Patel 
• Pis father
• Runs the Pondicherry Zoo
• A worrier by nature
• Teaching his sons not only to care for and
  control wild animals, but to fear them
• Decided to move his family to Canada
• Gita Patel 
• Pis beloved mother and protector
• A book lover
• Encouraging Pi to read widely
• Speaking her mind
• Taking the place of Orange Juice on the lifeboat
  (in Pis another version of his story to his
  rescuers)

10
Characters

• Satish Kumar
• Pis biology teacher at a secondary school in
  Pondicherry
• A polio survivor
• Odd-looking man, with a body shaped like a
  triangle
• Devotion to the power of scientific inquiry and
  explanation
• Inspiring Pi to study zoology in college
• Father Martin 
• The Catholic priest
• Introducing Pi to Christianity
• Preaching a message of love
• Disagrees about whose religion Pi should practice

11
Characters

• Satish Kumar 
• A plain-featured Muslim mystic
• With the same name as Pis biology teacher
• Working in a bakery
• A strong effect on Pis academic plans
• His faith leads Pi to study religion at college
• The Hindu Pandit 
• One of three important religious figures
• Outraged when Pi begins practicing other
  religions
• Quieted by Pis declaration that he just wants to
  love God

12
Characters

• The Hyena 
• Ugly and intensely violent
• Controlling the lifeboat before Richard Parker
  emerges
• The Zebra 
• A beautiful male Grants zebra
• His leg broken jumping into the lifeboat
• Tormented by the hyena and eaten alive
• Orange Juice 
• Maternal orangutan
• Floating to the lifeboat on a raft of bananas
• Suffering from almost humanlike bouts of
  loneliness and seasickness
• Fighting back valiantly when attacked by the
  hyena
• Killed and decapitated

13
Characters

• The Blind Frenchman 
• A fellow castaway
• Meeting Pi by chance in the middle of the ocean
• Driven by hunger and desperation
• Trying to kill and cannibalize Pi
• Richard Parker kills him first
• Meena Patel 
• Pis wife
• Nikhil Patel (Nick) 
• Pis son
• Usha Patel 
• Pis young daughter
• Shy but very close to her father

14
Characters

• Tomohiro Okamoto 
• An official from the Maritime Department of the
  Japanese Ministry of Transport
• Investigating the sinking of the Japanese
  Tsimtsum
• Interviews Pi for three hours
• Highly skeptical of Pis first account of the
  shipwreck
• Atsuro Chiba 
• Okamotos assistant
• More naïve and trusting of the two Japanese
  officials
• His inexperience at conducting interviews
• Agrees with Pi that the version of his ordeal
  with animals is the better than the one with
  people

15
Characters

• The Cook 
• The human counterpart to the hyena in Pis second
  story
• Rude and violent and hoards food on the lifeboat
• Kills the sailor and Pis mother
• Pi stabs him and he dies
• The Sailor 
• The human counterpart to the zebra in Pis second
  story
• Young, beautiful, and exotic
• Speaks only Chinese
• Very sad and lonely in the lifeboat
• His leg broken and infected after jumping off the
  ship
• His leg cut off by the cook
• Dies slowly

16
Organization of the Book

• Three parts
• First section an adult Pi Patels rumination
  over his childhood
• Second section a blend of a detailed and
  realistic survival memoir and a fantastic
  allegory in a medieval style
• Last section
• The report to the Japanese government
• A choice to actually choose the story version the
  readers prefer
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vCQhwAvW2nWA