Life Of Pi Character Analysis

Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is a novel that tells the story of an Indian boy named Piscine (Pi) Patel. He is the protagonist who tells the story through his point of view. He and his family travel on a ship called the Tsimtsum to travel from India to Canada. This ship also contains many animals since Pi’s family owns a zoo. Unfortunately, a ship wreck occurs, killing Pi’s family and he is left as the only survivor. He is stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, orangutan, zebra and a Royal Bengal Tiger for around 227 days. Throughout the book, Pi struggles to survive this long journey and faces many life or death situations. Yann Martel expresses the growth of characters and the importance of the themes and settings in the novel, Life of Pi. In this novel, the characters

The main characters in the novel are Pi Patel and Richard Parker, a Royal Bengal Tiger. These two spend the most time with each other on the lifeboat in the story, since the other animals die earlier on. This bond between a boy and an animal makes the story enjoyable. Pi is from India and he and his family went on a ship to go to Canada, where they are going to live. Pi is also very religious and turns to god during the hardest times on the lifeboat. For example, when he is very hungry he states, “...bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to god.” (Page 284). Yann Martel most likely added the fact that Pi is very religious to create an emotional attachment to readers who are also pious. The author also allows the readers to have emotional connections towards Pi because one must feel nervous when the ship wreck occurs or sad when Pi finds out his family is dead. Richard Parker has dominance over the lifeboat in the beginning, but later on Pi trains him to not attack him. Eventually, Pi gains dominance. Though at first Pi and Richard Parker are foes, throughout the story they become close. Pi even tells the reader this by saying,