Setting

While Pi is growing up, he lives in the Pondicherry Zoo in his hometown, Pondicherry (part of being the son of a zookeeper). Pi develops a great interest in the animals in the zoo, specifically the three-toed sloth (the introduction of the novel is recalling Pi's knowledge of the three-toed sloth). The Pondicherry zoo is old and has many lowly animals; birds with their feathers plucked, a man who tried to steal a cobra, and many placid animals that have had rocks thrown at them.

Pondicherry Zoo
Pi learned to love animals
The first home of Pi

Full of animals
Featherless birds and old ruins
Nothing special here


After the tsimtsum sank, Pi spent sometime on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Survival was tough; drinking the sea water, stuck with wild animals, and the hyena who killed the zebra and orangutan. The lifeboat really serves as an important test for Pi, physically and mentally, to test the importance of companionship. The lifeboat was the most important setting that began two things; Pi's adventure on the island and later to Mexico, and Pi's friendship with Richard Parker.



Lifeboat on the sea
Pi is stuck with animals
Danger lurks ahead

Stuck at sea alone
There is nothing to do or eat
What will happen next



After Pi washes up onto Mexico, Richard Parker runs away. The abrupt departure leaves Pi depressed and longing for a more meaningful way for the road to split for Pi and Richard Parker. While in Mexico, Pi is interrogated by two japanese officials. Pi tries to tell the story in complete detail and everything that had happened, but the japanese officials don't believe the story with the incorporation of animals instead of actual people. The journey is at an end for Pi and Richard Parker.

Richard runs away
Pi is interrogated
Pi tells his story

On Mexico shore
The journey is over for Pi
Still without parents

About the Author

Yann Martel was born in 1963. He grew up in Spain but traveled and lived in all different parts of the world: Costa Rica, France, and Mexico. Yann attended Trent University and recieved a dregree in philosophy. At the age of 27 he decided that he wanted to become a writer and he ended up publishing his first book in 1993. When he was older he traveled to different parts of the world: Canada and India were two of the many. (Similar to the book because Pi originally lived in India but then his family decided to move to Canada with some of their zoo animals.) Also, Yann visited many zoos while in India which is also relevent to the book, Life of Pi. He is still living today and is in the process of writing a new book.




-->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yann_Martel
-->http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth03A14L010512634824

The Role of science, religion, and philosophy

Religion:

-Cosmogomy Theory of Isaac Luria (Kabbalist from Safed)
-->"My Fourth-year thesis for religious studies concerned certain aspects of the cosmogomy theory of Isaac Luria" (3)
* Theory explains how God carried light in five vessels ( Similar to the lifeboat that carried five animals: the hyena, orangutan, zebra, tiger, and Pi.)
* Pi creates what happen on the lifeboat between him and the animals.

- Pi is a religious Hindu while growing up but also practices Muslim and Christianity.

-Prays to God all the time on the lifeboat and continues to do religious rituals.


Philosophys:

-Permit doubt
"If Christ played with doubt, so must we". (28)


Science:

-Understanding animals and their actions.
"Getting animals used to the presence of humans is at the heart of the art and science of zookeeping"(39).

-Survival methods while on the lifeboat: How to get fresh water (Solar stills device that transforms water), uses a shoe to catch bait, reads the maunaul book and was trying to navigate, observes the sea life and finds creative ways to catch turtles and different kinds of fish.

-->http://www.kheper.net/essays/Tikkun_and_Big_Bang_Theory.html
-->http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lifeofpi/section2.rhtml

Summary

In Life of Pi, Pi, a young boy from India, endures many hardships while on a lifeboat with a bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi and Richard Parker survived a Japanese Cargo ship, called the Tsimtsum, sinking and ended up together on a lifeboat in the open sea. Pi was originally headed to America with his family. Richard Parker was one of the animals that was in the Pondicherry Zoo that Pi's father was the zookeeper of. Pi is a unique boy, practicing Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam simultaneously and equally. Pi and Richard Parker must work together in order to a survive the treacheries that life and nature can throw at them while in a lifeboat.

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