Study Guide: Life of Pi
1. Background Information
● Author: Yann Martel
● Published: 2001
● Genre: Adventure, Philosophical Fiction, Survival Story
● Setting: India, the Pacific Ocean, and Canada
● Themes: Survival, religion and faith, the power of storytelling, and human-animal
relationships.
2. Plot Summary
Life of Pi is the story of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi), a young Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat in
the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker after a shipwreck. It combines a
survival narrative with philosophical reflections on religion and the nature of truth.
Key Events:
1. Introduction in Pondicherry:
○ Pi grows up in Pondicherry, India, exploring spirituality through Hinduism,
Christianity, and Islam.
○ His family owns a zoo, teaching Pi about animal behavior.
2. The Voyage and Shipwreck:
○ Pi’s family decides to move to Canada, bringing zoo animals on a Japanese
cargo ship.
○ The ship sinks due to an unknown cause, leaving Pi as the sole human survivor
on a lifeboat.
3. Life on the Lifeboat:
○ Pi finds himself sharing the lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and
Richard Parker (the tiger).
○ The hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan, and Richard Parker kills the hyena,
leaving only Pi and the tiger.
○ Pi uses his knowledge of animal behavior to establish dominance and survive.
4. Survival Journey:
○ Pi survives for 227 days by rationing food and water, fishing, and relying on his
faith.
○ Encounters include a carnivorous algae island and another blind castaway.
5. Rescue and Ambiguity:
1. Background Information
● Author: Yann Martel
● Published: 2001
● Genre: Adventure, Philosophical Fiction, Survival Story
● Setting: India, the Pacific Ocean, and Canada
● Themes: Survival, religion and faith, the power of storytelling, and human-animal
relationships.
2. Plot Summary
Life of Pi is the story of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi), a young Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat in
the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker after a shipwreck. It combines a
survival narrative with philosophical reflections on religion and the nature of truth.
Key Events:
1. Introduction in Pondicherry:
○ Pi grows up in Pondicherry, India, exploring spirituality through Hinduism,
Christianity, and Islam.
○ His family owns a zoo, teaching Pi about animal behavior.
2. The Voyage and Shipwreck:
○ Pi’s family decides to move to Canada, bringing zoo animals on a Japanese
cargo ship.
○ The ship sinks due to an unknown cause, leaving Pi as the sole human survivor
on a lifeboat.
3. Life on the Lifeboat:
○ Pi finds himself sharing the lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and
Richard Parker (the tiger).
○ The hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan, and Richard Parker kills the hyena,
leaving only Pi and the tiger.
○ Pi uses his knowledge of animal behavior to establish dominance and survive.
4. Survival Journey:
○ Pi survives for 227 days by rationing food and water, fishing, and relying on his
faith.
○ Encounters include a carnivorous algae island and another blind castaway.
5. Rescue and Ambiguity:
