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Discussion Posts: Life of Pi Post Category
Discussion Period: March 25 – March 31, 2008

Discussion Questions:

1. In his introductory note Yann Martel says, “This book was born as I was hungry.” What sort of emotional nourishment might Life of Pi have fed to its author?
2. Yann Martel recalls that many Pondicherry residents provided him with stories, but he was most intrigued by this tale because Mr. Adirubasamy said it would make him believe in God. Did Pi’s tale alter your beliefs about God?
3. Yann Martel sprinkles the novel with italicized memories of the “real” Pi Patel and wonders in his author’s note whether fiction is “the selective transforming of reality, the twisting of it to bring out its essence.” If this is so, what is the essence of Pi?
4. Pi’s full name, Piscine Molitor Patel, was inspired by a Parisian swimming pool that “the gods would have delighted to swim in.” The shortened form refers to the ratio of a circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. Explore the significance of Pi’s unusual name.
5. How might the novel’s flavor have been changed if Pi’s sole surviving animal were the zebra or Orange Juice? (We assume that if the hyena had been the only surviving animal, Pi would not have lived to tell us his story.)
6. Among Yann Martel’s gifts is a rich descriptive palette. Regarding religion, he observes the green elements that represent Islam and the orange tones of Hinduism. What color would Christianity be, according to Pi’s perspective?
7. How do the human beings in your world reflect the animal behavior observed by Pi? What do Pi’s strategies for dealing with Richard Parker teach us about confronting the fearsome creatures in our lives?
8. Besides the loss of his family and possessions, what else did Pi lose when the Tsimtsum sank? What did he gain?
9. Why did Pi at first try so hard to save Richard Parker?
10. Do you agree with Pi’s opinion that a zoo is more like a suburb than a jail?
11. How did you react to Pi’s interview by the Japanese transport ministers? Did you ever believe that Pi’s mother, along with a sailor and a cannibalistic cook, had perhaps been in the lifeboat with him instead of the animals? How does Yann Martel achieve such believability in his surprising plots?
12. The opening scene occurs after Pi’s ordeal has ended. Discussing his work in the first chapter, Pi says that a necktie is a noose, and he mentions some of the things that he misses about India (in spite of his love for Canada). Would you say that this novel has a happy ending? How does the grown-up version of Pi contrast with his little-boy scenes?