Life of Pi ~ Grade 12 Notes
The author: Yann Martel
● He was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain, to Emile and Nicole Martel.
● He spent his childhood living in a variety of different countries, including
● Costa Rica, France, India, Iran, Mexico, Turkey, Canada and the United
● States.
● Yann attended Trent University from 1981 to 1984, but graduated from
● Concordia University with a BA in philosophy in 1985.
● He worked many different odd jobs – librarian, tree planter, dishwasher,
● security guard, and parking lot attendant.
● At the age of 27, he committed himself to writing.
● Martel travelled to India to work on a third novel, realized the novel was
● going nowhere – but then he remembered something he had read before,
● and the idea of Life of Pi came to him.
● Life of Pi was published in 2001 – he was awarded the Man Booker prize
● and the novel became an international best seller.
Characters
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
● The narrator and protagonist.
● Known as Pi.
● He is a small, slim man, with dark hair and eyes and an expressive face.
● He grew up in Pondicherry, but in his teens left for Canada with his family.
● He is deeply interested in religions, and considers himself a Hindu, Christian,
● and Muslim.
● At the University of Toronto he double-majors in Zoology and Religion.
● He survives 227 days at sea before he is rescued.
Richard Parker
● He is a three-year-old Bengal tiger who is Pi’s only companion at sea.
● He was captured as a cub with his mother, and ended up in the Pondicherry
● Zoo.
The author
● He is unnamed in the text, but throughout he included descriptions of his
● interviews with Pi, and Pi as he is now in Canada.
Santosh Patel
● He is Pi’s father.
● He ran a large hotel in Madras, before moving to Pondicherry to found and
● direct the Pondicherry Zoo.
● He has an intuitive understanding of his animals, and a great respect for
● them.
● He considers himself a modern, secular businessman, and so is surprised by
, ● Pi’s religious pursuits.
● He dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
Gita Patel
● She is Pi’s mother, a normally calm and unruffled woman.
● She is a big reader, but unlike Pi takes no interest in religion.
● She dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
Ravi Patel
● Pi’s older brother.
● He is different from Pi – popular, a talented sportsman.
● He is a merciless teaser.
● Ravi is the captain of the cricket team.
● He dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
The Frenchman
● He is another castaway, who meets Pi while rowing while they are both
● suffering from blindness.
● He tries to kill and eat Pi.
● He steps into Richard Parker’s territory and is killed.
Orange Juice
● She is an orangutan who survives the shipwreck to end up in the lifeboat with
● Pi.
● She is forlorn over the loss of her beloved son.
● She dies in a fight with the hyena.
Satish Kumar (teacher)
● He is Pi’s biology teacher at Petit Seminaire.
● He is an active communist, and a weird-looking man with a bald and pointy
● head.
● He is Pi’s favourite teacher, and the first avowed atheist that Pi ever meets.
● A great fan of the zoo, he sees it as his temple.
Father Martin
● A kind priest who Pi meets in Munnar.
● He serves as Pi’s introduction to Christianity.
● He tells Pi the story of Christ’s death on the cross.
● He explains that it was all inspired by love.
Satish Kumar (baker)
● He is a Muslim mystic and a baker.
● He has the same name as Pi’s favourite biology
● teacher.
● He teaches Pi about Islam.
● He is poor, but very kind and generous.
● He is so plain-looking that Pi does not always
● recognize him.
Francis Adirubasamy (Mamaji)
The author: Yann Martel
● He was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain, to Emile and Nicole Martel.
● He spent his childhood living in a variety of different countries, including
● Costa Rica, France, India, Iran, Mexico, Turkey, Canada and the United
● States.
● Yann attended Trent University from 1981 to 1984, but graduated from
● Concordia University with a BA in philosophy in 1985.
● He worked many different odd jobs – librarian, tree planter, dishwasher,
● security guard, and parking lot attendant.
● At the age of 27, he committed himself to writing.
● Martel travelled to India to work on a third novel, realized the novel was
● going nowhere – but then he remembered something he had read before,
● and the idea of Life of Pi came to him.
● Life of Pi was published in 2001 – he was awarded the Man Booker prize
● and the novel became an international best seller.
Characters
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
● The narrator and protagonist.
● Known as Pi.
● He is a small, slim man, with dark hair and eyes and an expressive face.
● He grew up in Pondicherry, but in his teens left for Canada with his family.
● He is deeply interested in religions, and considers himself a Hindu, Christian,
● and Muslim.
● At the University of Toronto he double-majors in Zoology and Religion.
● He survives 227 days at sea before he is rescued.
Richard Parker
● He is a three-year-old Bengal tiger who is Pi’s only companion at sea.
● He was captured as a cub with his mother, and ended up in the Pondicherry
● Zoo.
The author
● He is unnamed in the text, but throughout he included descriptions of his
● interviews with Pi, and Pi as he is now in Canada.
Santosh Patel
● He is Pi’s father.
● He ran a large hotel in Madras, before moving to Pondicherry to found and
● direct the Pondicherry Zoo.
● He has an intuitive understanding of his animals, and a great respect for
● them.
● He considers himself a modern, secular businessman, and so is surprised by
, ● Pi’s religious pursuits.
● He dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
Gita Patel
● She is Pi’s mother, a normally calm and unruffled woman.
● She is a big reader, but unlike Pi takes no interest in religion.
● She dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
Ravi Patel
● Pi’s older brother.
● He is different from Pi – popular, a talented sportsman.
● He is a merciless teaser.
● Ravi is the captain of the cricket team.
● He dies in the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
The Frenchman
● He is another castaway, who meets Pi while rowing while they are both
● suffering from blindness.
● He tries to kill and eat Pi.
● He steps into Richard Parker’s territory and is killed.
Orange Juice
● She is an orangutan who survives the shipwreck to end up in the lifeboat with
● Pi.
● She is forlorn over the loss of her beloved son.
● She dies in a fight with the hyena.
Satish Kumar (teacher)
● He is Pi’s biology teacher at Petit Seminaire.
● He is an active communist, and a weird-looking man with a bald and pointy
● head.
● He is Pi’s favourite teacher, and the first avowed atheist that Pi ever meets.
● A great fan of the zoo, he sees it as his temple.
Father Martin
● A kind priest who Pi meets in Munnar.
● He serves as Pi’s introduction to Christianity.
● He tells Pi the story of Christ’s death on the cross.
● He explains that it was all inspired by love.
Satish Kumar (baker)
● He is a Muslim mystic and a baker.
● He has the same name as Pi’s favourite biology
● teacher.
● He teaches Pi about Islam.
● He is poor, but very kind and generous.
● He is so plain-looking that Pi does not always
● recognize him.
Francis Adirubasamy (Mamaji)
