Final Quarter of "Life of Pi"

       (Pg.267-356)                                                                                    Sarai Stevens

Synopsis
-Pi goes blind and talks to a fellow castaway with a french accent who is also in a life boat, starving and blind.

-The frenchman tries to kill and cannibalize Pi but Richard Parker eats the frenchman first.

-Pi's vision returns and he see's the frenchmans body dismembered across the boat.

-Pi comes across and island of pure vegetation. Richard Parker and Pi use this soiless island of algea, trees, fresh water and luch vegetation to nurish themselves.

-The tree has fruit on it but inside each piece of fruit is a human tooth so Pi comes to the conclusion that the island is a cannible and he and Richard Parker should set back out to sea.

-The life boat washes up on the shore of a Mexican beach where Richard Parker leaves "informally" and Pi is rescued by the locals.

-Pi is washed, fed and clothed by the locals and then is interviewed by two men investigating the sinking of the vessel Pi was aboard and Pi tells them his story.

-The men question Pi for a long time, picking apart every unlikely event and/or detail of his story.


As a boy, Pi turned to his mother for protection and respected his father for the lessons he taught him and his brother. Pi as a teenager is a very shy but also quite witty. Pi loves and is devoted to God and this results in him progressively practising three different religions. Pi even studies his family praying and asked for a prayer mat and is baptized. Pi doesn't seem to be very close with children his age but slowly turns to socializing with the three religious figures in his life, and his atheist teacher. When in the life boat Pi turns to God and his religion again. He imagines a tiger in the boat with him as he sees the tiger being a symbol of courage and strength, something he needs desperately to survive.

Characters introduced
Richard Parker - 450 pound Tiger that shares life-boat with Pi (Pi considers Richard Parker a friend and savior). Round character.

The blind castaway - Pi meets a blind frenchman in the middle of the ocean who is also blind. He too is hungry and even trys to eat Pi. Flat character.

Tomohiro Okamoto - An official who is invesigating the sinking of the vessel Pi was aboard. Flat Charater. Dynamic-Later believes Pi's story.

Atsuro Chiba -Tomohiro Okamoto's assistant. Flat Character. Dynamic-Later believes Pi's story.

　


Point of viewAlthough the last few chapters are mostly dialogue, the Point of view in the story in the final quarter, is first person. Pi is telling his story to the Japanese transport officials. Being told the story by the protagonist enriches the story because the reader is exposed to all the thoughts of the protagonist and sees how the protagonist viewed the world and his surroundings. This helps the reader feel more connected to the story and leading events if they are in the mind of a character.


SettingThe setting is mostly in the life boat in the vast ocean. Pi comes across a island that is made up purely of vegatation but no soil. Only trees and luch vegetation. He stays for a while and eats the sugary leaves. Pi also comes across land by the end of the story. He is on a Mexican beach and comments on how well the locals treat him, and even though they are poor they feed him and give him clothes. The settings of the ocean and island emphasizes how alone and lost he is but then, in the setting of Mexico with the locals it contrasts into a bond of the same species and being together as "brothers and sisters" as Pi says.


Notables about the writers styleThe author of "Life of Pi" goes into great detail. Little is left out or unsaid.


Statement of themesThere are many themes in "Life of Pi". Such as Relationships, Survival, Logic, Forgiveness, Religion, Searching, Freedom and Understanding. But I think the main themes in this novel are Religion and Survival. Pi survived through the worst of the worst, seeing his whole life sink to the bottom of the ocean, wittnessing his mothers murder and being terribly lost for a long period of time. Pi went into survival mode and turned towards his religion and relations with God for survival. He put his faith in God and this is Pi's mind is what saved him.