Life of Pi Discussion Questions
Discuss the significance of the following quotations from the story to the plot, theme, character, and/or tone.
1. “I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he’s not careful.” (ch. 1)
2. “Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans.” (ch. 5)
3. “Memory is an ocean and he bobs on its surface.” (ch 12)
4. “To me, religion is about our dignity, not our depravity. (ch. 25)
5. “Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten. But I don’t recall that I had a single thought during those first minutes of relative safety. I didn’t even notice daybreak. I held on to the oar, I just held on, God only knows why.” (ch. 57)
6. “You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better.” (ch. 49)
7. “But there’s more to it. I will come clean. I will tell you a secret: a part of me was glad about Richard Parker. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger” (ch. 57)
8. “Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn’t be more simple, nor the stakes higher. Physically it is extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing. You must make adjustments if you want to survive. Much becomes expendable. You get your happiness where you can. You reach a point where you’re at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, andyou feel you’re the lockets person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish.” (ch. 78)
9. “The cook on the Tsimtsum was a Frenchman.” (ch. 99)
10. “As an aside, story of sole survivor, Mr. Piscine Molitor Patel, Indian citizen is an astounding story of courage and endurance in the face of extraordinary difficult and tragic circumstances. In the experience of this investigator, his story is unparalleled in the history of shipwrecks. Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.” (ch. 100)
Discuss the merits of the topics below. Support your answers with examples and quotes from the novel.
1. How are chapters 21 and 22, although very short, at the core of the novel?
2. Does this story “make you believe in God,” as the author asserts it will?
3. By the end of the story, the reader knows that Pi and Richard Parker are one and the same. Explain how the “reality” of Richard Parker keeps Pi alive for over seven months at sea.