Life+of+Pi+-+Questions+to+consider

Back to Literature [|Discussion of the differences between the two stories presented, and how they are portrayed in the book and in the film,]
 * Discussion Questions - [|LitLovers] **

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. Pondicherry is described as an anomaly, the former capital of what was once French India. Do you think the town made a significant difference in Pi's upbringing?

3. In the Author's Note, Mr. Adirubasamy boldly claims that this story "will make you belive in God," and the author, after researching and writing the story, agrees. Did Pi's tale alter your beliefs about God?

4. Chapters 21 and 22 are very short, yet the author has said that they are at the core of the novel. Can you see how?

5. Early in the novel, we discover that Pi majored in religious studies and zoology, with particular interests in a sixteenth-century Kabbalist and the admirable three-toed sloth. In subsequent chapters, he explains the ways in which religions and zoos are both steeped in illusion. Discuss some of the other ways in which these two fields find unlikely compatibility.

6. In the Author's Note, Martel wonders 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 and of his story?

7. There is a lot of storytelling in this religious novel. Is there a relationship between religion and storytelling?Is religion a form of storytelling? Is there a theological dimension to storytelling?

8. 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, the number 3.1415926..., a number that goes on forever without discernable pattern, what in mathematics is called an irrational number. Explore the significance of Pi's unusual name.

9. One reviewer said the novel contains hints of //The Old Man and the Sea//, and Pi himself measures his experience in relation to history's most famous castaways. How does //Life of Pi// compare to other maritime novels and films?

10. How might the novel's flavor have been changed if the sole surviving animal had been the zebra with the broken leg? Or Orange Juice? Or the hyena? Would Pi have survived with a harmless animal or an ugly animal, say a sheep or a turkey? Which animal would you like to find yourself with on a lifeboat?

11. In chapter 23, Pi sparks a lively debate when all three of his spiritual advisors try to claim him. At the heart of this confrontation is Pi's insistence that he cannot accept an exclusively Hindu, Christian, or Muslim faith; he can only be content with all three. What is Pi seeking that can solely be attained by this apparent contradiction? Is there something commmon to all religions? Are they "all the same"? If not, how are they different? Is there a difference between faith and belief?

12. What do you make of Pi's assertion at the beginning of chapter 16 that we are all "in limbo, without religion, until some figure introduces us to God"? Do you believe that Pi's faith is a response to his father's agnosticism?

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. Besides the loss of his family and possessions, what else did Pi lose when the Tsimtsum sank? What did he gain?

16. Nearly everyone experiences a turning point that represents the transition from youth to adulthood, albeit seldom as traumatic as Pi's. What event marked your coming of age?

17. How do Mr. Patel's zookeeping abilities compare to his parenting skills? Discuss the scene in which his tries to teach his children a lesson in survival by arranging for them to watch a tiger devour a goat. Did this in any way prepare Pi for the most dangerous experience of his life?

18. If shock hadn't deluded him, do you think Pi would have whistled and waved at Richard Parker? What would you have done?

19. Pi imagines that his brother would have teasingly called him Noah. How does Pi's voyage compare to the biblical story of Noah, who was spared from the flood while God washed away the sinners?

20. Is //Life of Pi// a tragedy, romance, or comedy?

21. Pi defends zoos. Are you convinced? Is a zoo a good place for a wild animal?

22. What did you think of Pi's interview with the investigators from the Japanese Ministry of Transport? Do you think Pi's mother, along with a sailor and a cannibalistic cook, were in the lifeboat with him instead of the animals? Which story do you believe, the one with animals or the one without animals? When the investigators state that they think the story with animals is the better story, Pi answers "Thank you. And so it goes with God." What do you think Pi meant by that? How does it relate to the claim that this is a story "that will make you believe in God"?

23. The first part of the novel starts twenty years after Pi's ordeal at sea and ends with the words "This story has a happy ending." Do you agree?

(//Questions issued by publisher//.) //Life of Pi// by Yann Martel is one of those books that becomes richer when you can discuss it with friends. These book club discussion questions on //Life of Pi// will allow your book club to delve into the questions Martel raises.


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 * 1) Pi believes that animals in a zoo are no worse off than animals in the wild. Do you agree with him?
 * 1) Pi considers himself a convert to Christianity, Islam and Hinduism? Is it possible to practice all three faiths faithfully? What is Pi's reasoning in not choosing one?
 * 1) Pi's story of surviving on a lifeboat with zoo animals is rather incredible. Did the far-fetched nature of the story ever bother you? Was Pi a convincing storyteller?
 * 1) What is the significance of the floating islands with the meerkats?
 * 1) Discuss Richard Parker. What does he symbolize?
 * 1) What is the connection between zoology and religion in Pi's life? Do you see connections between these fields? What do each of the fields teach us about life, survival and meaning?
 * 1) Pi is forced to tell the shipping official a more credible story. Does his story without animals change your view of the story with animals?
 * 1) Neither story can be proved one way or the other, so Pi asks the official which story he prefers. Which do you prefer? Which do you believe?
 * 1) Throughout //Life of Pi// we hear about interactions between the author and adult Pi. How do these interactions color the story? How does knowing Pi survives and has a "happy ending" with a family affect your reading of his survival account?
 * 1) What is the significance of the name "Pi?"
 * 1) Rate //Life of Pi// on a scale of 1 to 5.

Shmoop.com [|Questions:] More questions by theme can be found [|here] **Themes:** Religion, Literature and writing, Man and the Natural World, Spirituality, Suffering, Science, Fear, Mortality, Madness [|Summary and Analysis] [|Multiple Choice Questions] [|Answers and topic questions] [|Centre for the Book Discussion questions] [|ENotes - questions and answers]
 * 1) It seems like Pi wants us to believe in his first version of his survival at sea. You know, the version with the tiger. But does this version essentially count as a lie? Are there times when you should tell "a dry, yeastless" version? Meaning: does fiction have a limited place in society?
 * 2) By the way, which version of Pi's survival at sea story do you choose to believe in? Why?
 * 3) It's odd to suddenly remember that both Pondicherry, India, where Pi is from, and Canada, where the author is from, were both French colonies. In the worst examples of colonization, one culture destroys another. Can one story – not necessarily "the better story" – colonize another? Martel also mentions Darwin a few times in the novel. Would you say that stories, like species, also battle it out for survival? That the best story survives?
 * 4) Pi realizes he can only survive Richard Parker if he uses his smarts to manipulate the tiger. How is this book one big praise song to the mind and to the mind's resilience? How is it not? How does Martel qualify this praise?
 * 5) Pi develops a deep friendship with Richard Parker. Can you think of other intense bonds between people and animals? What do these bonds say about compassion and empathy? About our abilities as humans to project?
 * 6) Do you believe Pi forgets all too quickly about his family? Can we criticize Pi for not talking about the loss of his brother and his parents? Or does the alternate story at the end explain his silence?