Life of Pi: Introduction Literature in English Secondary 6

Introduction ~ Author Yann Martel Travelled in Iran, Turkey and India 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

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

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

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

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 Pi’s dominance

Characters The Author The narrator of the (fictitious) Author’s 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 Pi’s life story during a trip to India

Characters Francis Adirubasamy The elderly man Telling the author Pi’s 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)

Characters Ravi Pi’s older brother Teases his younger brother mercilessly over his devotion to three religions Santosh Patel  Pi’s 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  Pi’s 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 Pi’s another version of his story to his rescuers)

Characters Satish Kumar Father Martin Pi’s 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

Characters Satish Kumar The Hindu Pandit A plain-featured Muslim mystic With the same name as Pi’s biology teacher Working in a bakery A strong effect on Pi’s 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 Pi’s declaration that he just wants to love God

Characters The Hyena The Zebra Orange Juice Ugly and intensely violent Controlling the lifeboat before Richard Parker emerges The Zebra  A beautiful male Grant’s 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

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  Pi’s wife Nikhil Patel (Nick)  Pi’s son Usha Patel  Pi’s young daughter Shy but very close to her father

Characters Tomohiro Okamoto Atsuro Chiba 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 Pi’s first account of the shipwreck Atsuro Chiba  Okamoto’s 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

Characters The Cook  The human counterpart to the hyena in Pi’s second story Rude and violent and hoards food on the lifeboat Kills the sailor and Pi’s mother Pi stabs him and he dies The Sailor  The human counterpart to the zebra in Pi’s 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

Organization of the Book Three parts: First section: an adult Pi Patel’s 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?v=CQhwAvW2nWA