The Life of Pi Chapters 21 - 36 Summary & Analysis

Chapter Summary Sitting in a café after a meeting with Pi The author considers his own mundane life Some thoughts about Pi’s religious philosophies The final deathbed moments of an atheist, taking a “leap of faith” at the last minute. The tiresome rationalizing of an agnostic

Chapter Summary The priest, imam, and pandit with whom Pi had been practicing his various religions approached Pi at a seaside esplanade Shocked to discover that Pi was not just a Hindu, Christian, or Muslim, but rather all three simultaneously The religious figures protested and demanded that Pi choose a single religion

Chapter Summary Pi : just wanted to love God. People who act out in violence or anger in the name of god misunderstand the true nature of religion Asking his father and mother for a prayer mat

Chapter Summary Flustering with his ideas, his mother attempted to distract him with books: Robinson Crusoe and a volume by Robert Louis Stevenson Pi came to treasure his rug. He was baptized in the presence of his parents.

Chapter Summary 1970s: a difficult time in India due to political troubles His father became incensed over the government’s actions Decided to move his family to Canada — a place completely foreign to Pi and Ravi.

Chapter Summary The one-time meeting of the two Mr. Kumars, the atheist biology teacher and the Muslim baker They joined Pi for an outing at the Pondicherry Zoo, when Pi introduced them to a Grant’s zebra Neither had ever seen an exotic zebra before, but both were in awe of the splendid creature

Chapter Summary Discussion of zoomorphism: when an animal sees another animal, or even another human, as being of its own kind. The truth: the lion cubs know the dog is not their mother, and the lions know the human is a human, not a lion These animals know the truth, but they embrace the fiction because they are also in need of stories to get through life

Chapter Summary In preparation for the move to Canada Mr. Patel sold off many zoo creatures Made arrangements to bring some of them across the Pacific in a cargo ship with the family Set sail on June 21, 1977 The apprehension of Pi’s mother about leaving the place she has lived all her life to travel into the unknown

Analysis Begins with two of the most important phrases in the entire text: “dry, yeastless factuality” and “the better story” Their significance is underscored: they are repeated within two pages The two phrases are opposite poles on the spectrum of storytelling.

Analysis Boring reality VS a version of reality that has been enlivened by imagination, improving the story (risen bread) When presented in these terms, it is easy to see which is the more tempting The risen bread is far more appetizing, while the flattened, yeastless option looks about as appealing to eat as cardboard

Analysis Deep-seated and natural instinct: The compulsion to invent a better story, to improve one’s reality and make it more livable Even animals do it, whether unconsciously or not

Analysis Faced either with life as an orphan or life with a foster mother, what lion cub wouldn’t accept a dog as a maternal figure? The fiction improves his life immeasurably

Analysis Saving grace of a myth or story to enrich “yeastless” factuality Believing in a story requires a leap of faith