Character analysis and contribution
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
○ As a teenager, he renames himself Pi
○ Fish-like/swimming pool
○ Pi refers to sea as “guilty pleasure”
● Not just a shortened version of Piscine
○ An allegorical figure with multiple levels of meaning.
● π = value of the circumference of a circle (related to the circle of life) – representing
eternity Pi is also an informal British term meaning “pious”. (devoutly religious)
● “All religions are true. I just want to love God.”
● born in Pondicherry, India
● He has a deep affinity with religion from a young age, and practices Hinduism,
Christianity, and Islam
● His faith and knowledge of animal psychology help him survive 227 days at sea in a
lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger
● The adult Pi is described as a small, slim man, with dark hair and eyes and an
expressive face
● He grows up in Pondicherry but now lives in Canada
● Pi studies Zoology and Religion at the University of Toronto
Richard Parker
● A three-year-old Bengal tiger who is Pi’s only companion at sea.
● Captured as a cub and transferred to the Pondicherry Zoo, which is owned by Pi’s
father.
● Becomes Pi’s nemesis (enemy/rival) as well as his reason to carry on living.
● He has a human name as the result of a clerical error in which the real name of the tiger,
Thirsty, and the name of his captor, Richard Parker, are accidentally reversed.
● In Part 3, a story is presented to the Japanese officials showing Richard Parker as Pi’s
alter ego (a person’s alternative personality)
● Although Richard Parker was actually the lowest in rank compared to Pi (omega vs
alpha), his raw power is the center of Pi's story, as Pi struggles each day to make it until
the end of the day without being eaten by him.
● Unfamiliar with the new setting, the ocean, Richard Parker allowed Pi to be his master,
but let his killer instincts overweight from time to time.
● At the end of the story, Richard Parker ran into the jungle without looking back at Pi,
which can be interpreted that wild animals will always be wild, no matter how hard you
try to domesticate it. RP disappeared in Pi’s psyche because Pi did not need him
anymore to survive
● On a deeper level, Richard Parker represents Pi's mental strength to survive the great
tragedy, as he was present from the beginning to the end of the adventure. He also
represents the savage part of Pi that comes out when he is in desperate need to survive,
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
○ As a teenager, he renames himself Pi
○ Fish-like/swimming pool
○ Pi refers to sea as “guilty pleasure”
● Not just a shortened version of Piscine
○ An allegorical figure with multiple levels of meaning.
● π = value of the circumference of a circle (related to the circle of life) – representing
eternity Pi is also an informal British term meaning “pious”. (devoutly religious)
● “All religions are true. I just want to love God.”
● born in Pondicherry, India
● He has a deep affinity with religion from a young age, and practices Hinduism,
Christianity, and Islam
● His faith and knowledge of animal psychology help him survive 227 days at sea in a
lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger
● The adult Pi is described as a small, slim man, with dark hair and eyes and an
expressive face
● He grows up in Pondicherry but now lives in Canada
● Pi studies Zoology and Religion at the University of Toronto
Richard Parker
● A three-year-old Bengal tiger who is Pi’s only companion at sea.
● Captured as a cub and transferred to the Pondicherry Zoo, which is owned by Pi’s
father.
● Becomes Pi’s nemesis (enemy/rival) as well as his reason to carry on living.
● He has a human name as the result of a clerical error in which the real name of the tiger,
Thirsty, and the name of his captor, Richard Parker, are accidentally reversed.
● In Part 3, a story is presented to the Japanese officials showing Richard Parker as Pi’s
alter ego (a person’s alternative personality)
● Although Richard Parker was actually the lowest in rank compared to Pi (omega vs
alpha), his raw power is the center of Pi's story, as Pi struggles each day to make it until
the end of the day without being eaten by him.
● Unfamiliar with the new setting, the ocean, Richard Parker allowed Pi to be his master,
but let his killer instincts overweight from time to time.
● At the end of the story, Richard Parker ran into the jungle without looking back at Pi,
which can be interpreted that wild animals will always be wild, no matter how hard you
try to domesticate it. RP disappeared in Pi’s psyche because Pi did not need him
anymore to survive
● On a deeper level, Richard Parker represents Pi's mental strength to survive the great
tragedy, as he was present from the beginning to the end of the adventure. He also
represents the savage part of Pi that comes out when he is in desperate need to survive,
