| A teenaged boy discovers the power of storytelling to make life bearable. Early on, he renames himself "Pi". While still a teenager in his native India, he finds himself deeply attracted to not one but three religions. He becomes a devoted follower of all of them, much to the consternation of his religious teachers. His father is a zookeeper, and growing up at the zoo, he comes to see it as a place of refuge for the animals, away from the stress and brutality of life in the wild.
The heart of the story begins when his family decides to immigrate to Canada. While crossing the Pacific with their animals, their ship sinks. Much of the remainder of the book consists of Pi telling how he was left alone to survive on a life boat with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and a Bengal tiger. Through courage and resourcefullness, Pi manages to make it back to land after 227 days at sea. Although the story is tragic, it is told in a humorous tone that makes the ordeal bearable. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - very sensitive (sigh) Time/era of story - 1960's-1970's Animal story Yes Kind of animal: Internal struggle/realization? Yes Struggle over Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Coping with loss of loved one(s) Yes Loss of... Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - water adventure Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - natural phenomena How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 9 () Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - India The Americas (not US): Yes The Americas: - Mexico Water? Yes Water: - lifeboat - lost at sea Island? Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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