Life of Pi 1/2
Synopsis
In the first
half of life of Pi Piscine
Patel is introduced as a young male who is teased regularly for his name. Pi’s
family owns a zoo in Pondicherry and Pi’s father is the head zookeeper. Pi is a
multicultural teen that becomes Christian, Muslim and Hindu before age 16. Pi study’s
Zoology and Religion at the University of Toronto after his father chose’s to
close the zoo and move from India to Canada with his family. Pi’s family as
well as himself boards a boat with many of the animals on their way to their
new residence. The boat unexpectedly sinks and Pi is thrown into a lifeboat
with an orangutan named Orange Juice, a zebra with a broken leg, a spotted
hyena and a large Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. All the other humans and
animals drowned including Pi’s family. The evil hyena killed the zebra and then
the orangutan, which Pi felt weirdly emotionally attached to and mourned.
Pi is left on a
lifeboat with the hyena and Richard Parker at the end of the first quarter.
Characters Introduced
·
Piscine
Molitor Patel: Pi is the
protagonist and is the narrator of the story. He is a very rounded and dynamic
character who is religious and understands the dangers of animals.
·
Santosh
Patel: Mr. Patel was Pi’s father
and understood animals complexly. Mr. Patel was a round character that drowned
on the sinking of the boat.
·
Ravi
Patel: Ravi was Pi’s older brother
who was a flat and static character. He also drowned to death.
·
Gita Patel: Gita Patel was Pi’s mother who died on the boat. She was
a flat and static character.
·
Mamaji:
Mamaji is Pi’s uncle who
taught him how to swim. He is a flat character who is mentioned very little.
·
Mr.
Kumar (#1): Mr. Kumar is Pi’s favorite
teacher at the University of Toronto. He is a flat static character.
·
Mr. Kumar (#2): Mr. Kumar is a poor baker who pi likes a lot
and invited to the zoo. He is a flat character.
·
Father Martin: Father Martin is Pi’s Christian priest
mentioned little. He is a flat character.
·
The
Hindu Pandit: The Pandit is Pi’s Hindu leader and he is a flat character.
·
Meena Patel: Meena
is Pi's wife and is a Flat and Static Character.
·
Sailors: Two sailors throw Pi onto the lifeboat. This is all we know
about them.
·
Richard
Parker: Richard Parker is a large Bengal tiger
from the Pondicherry zoo. He is the largest worry in Pi’s survival on the
lifeboat. He is a well rounded tiger.
·
Orange
juice: Orange Juice is an orangutan from the
Pondicherry zoo. The Hyena killed her and Pi was very sad. She was a flat and
static orangutan.
·
Zebra:
The Hyena killed The
Zebra with the broken leg. The zebra was a flat and static character.
·
Spotted
Hyena: The Hyena is a
mean ruthless killer who has already killed Orange Juice and the Zebra. The
hyena is a round character.
Point
of View
The story is
told in first person by Pi himself. Pi being the protagonist and the narrator
allows us too understand Pi’s thinking on a new level of intimacy: we are
making strong connections with Pi. Writing in first person also gives a level
of believability to the story and a large backdrop of knowledge. While reading
the story we are able to make connections with Pi and other characters.
Setting
The setting of
the story started in Pondicherry, India; Pi’s hometown but has moved to a
lifeboat in the middle of Pacific Ocean. The lifeboat is twenty-six feet long
and has a lot of the colour orange.
The Author’s style
Yann Martel’s
writing is very informational and descriptive. Martel tends to start thoughts
often and change them regularly making his writing a little confusing at times.
Martel likes writing journal type entrees and starting new chapters with new
thoughts and ideas.
Statement
of Themes
The themes in the story so far are survival and religion.
The whole story is focused on Pi’s survival and his religious views are helping
him survive on the lifeboat. The theme of adaptability is also showing up quite
regularly.
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