Pi
How many days did Pi survive on the lifeboat?
227 days (almost 7 months)
How does Richard Parker get on the lifeboat?
After the boat sinks, Pi rescues him and pulls him into the lifeboat.
Why doesn't Richard Parker just eat Pi?
He needs Pi to feed him and care for him - Pi has trained him.
A French sailor is also...
the Hyena and the French Cook
How does Richard Parker keep Pi alive?
Theme of Survival - Richard Parker keeps Pi alive by being a companion. He's not alone.
What actions that Pi takes does this quote refer to "Am I not a zookeeper's son?"
He decides to tame Richard Parker and be the Alpha/Tiger #1
How does his journey change Pi?
Pi's journey physically changes him - he is emaciated and ill when discovered in Mexico.
Mentally, he creates a version of himself to survive (Richard Parker??) that is released when he is saved.
In the second story, why does the cook say "that was the whole point!"
To use the injured man as bait for fish.
Pi and the Cook ate the supplies.
Who is this quote for: "What does a fruit eater know about killing?"
Orange Juice
"Survival has to start with me [...] a castaway's first mistake is to hope too much and do too little."
Pi makes the decision to survive by making descions, not waiting to be saved.
Why doesn't Pi understand agnostics
They are okay with not knowing and prefer the dry, yeastless factuality of life
How does the Tsimtsum (cargo ship) sink?
No one knows. There are no reports, no sos calls, no prior mechanical errors. It just sank.
Why does Pi give two versions of his story?
The officials do not believe his story with the animals.
How does Pi first bond with Richard Parker?
He throws a rat at him to eat.
What boundary does Pi cross that he is ashamed to tell us (the reader)
Eating the French Sailor.
He dries it and admits it's like any other meat.
"Memory is an ocean and he bobs on it's surface"
Yann Martel says this in Chapter 12. He's talking about Pi - he gets agitated (upset) telling his story. "Richard Parker still preys on his mind."
What are Pi's most valuable possessions on the lifeboat?
The whistle and the plastic bags.
What is the most dangerous animal in a zoo?
Man.
Peace and non-violence are central to Buddhism. Which animal/person is this?
The zebra/Buddhist sailor.
How does Pi use storytelling to shield us from the "truth"?
He creates new characters in place of real people to hide the violence.
He also creates fictitious versions of the stories to shield us and himself from the reality of humanity.
Why does Pi ignore the social rules of religion and follows more than one?
Pi just wants to love God. He is comfortable with doubt and he is comfortable with people not accepting his unorthodox view of life. Refer to his views on agnostics and hypocrites.
How many people does Pi meet in the water. Why don't they work together?
He meets a French Sailor. The Sailor tries to eat him, so Richard Parker kills him.
How does this novel make a person believe in God.
Belief is the most difficult thing a person can do. To sit with doubt is hard - ask any religious person, Pi says.
How can a person survive at sea for 227 days? Must be an act of God.
He's a tiger.
Do all the themes over lap?
Yes.