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How to teach The Life of Pi
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A Ticking Mind Guide
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B. Pinnuck
Table of Contents
GENERAL BACKGROUND
3
THE INDIAN CRISIS
HINDUISM
CHRISTIANITY
ISLAM
3
4
4
5
THE PLOT
6
THE HERO JOURNEY
6
THE CHARACTERS
10
PI
RICHARD PARKER
THE THREE WISE MEN
MR KUMAR (THE BIOLOGY TEACHER)
THE PATEL FAMILY
TOMOHIRO OKAMOTO & ATAURO CHIBA
CHARACTER ACTIVITIES
12
13
THE THEMES
19
TRUTH
BELIEF
ORDER & REASON
SURVIVAL
THEME ACTIVITY
19
20
21
22
23
THE TECHNIQUES
24
LISTS
FACTS
HUMOUR
IMAGERY
TECHNIQUE ACTIVITY
24
26
27
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
28
THE TITLE
ESSAY TOPICS
28
28
QUOTES
30
MASTER LIST OF QUOTES
30
FURTHER RESOURCES
34
LIST OF WEB LINKS
14
15
16
17
34
[B. Pinnuck]
[Ticking Mind]
7
Background to Life of Pi
The Indian Emergency (1975-1977)
The mid-1970s were troubled times in India. p78
Mrs. Gandhi finally got the best of Father. p78
Long-term, bad politics is bad for business. p79
At the beginning of the novel, Pi remembers his childhood in Pondicherry with
fondness and a sense of peace and fascination at living in a zoo. However, the
reality for Indians at this time was a far different one from the imagined world of
Pi. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India at this time and she enacted
several controversial decisions. This period of time came to be called the Indian
Emergency because it was a period of time in which the Constitution of the
country was suspended and police were given extraordinary powers such as the
arrest and detention of political activists and curfews upon the population. The
entire opposition party was arrested and private and public media forms were
used as political propaganda. Many slums were cleared, leaving great sections of
the population homeless and men underwent forced vasectomies as part of a
‘family planning’ program. It was these leadership decisions that lead to Pi’s
father deciding to leave the country and take the Patel family to Canada
Hinduism
‘The universe makes sense to me through Hindu eyes’ p48
‘I owe to Hinduism the original landscape of my religious imagination’ p50
‘Any Hindu god can do a hundred times better’ p55
Much of contemporary Indian society is composed of Hindus, yet Hinduism is not
one, homogenous religious group; it is formed of diverse traditions and is
tolerant of differences in religious belief and practice, much as Pi is himself.
Generally speaking, there is some commonality in belief across Hindus, with
most believing in reincarnation and practicing vegetarianism. Hinduism has a
vast body of texts that discuss theology, philosophy and mythology and it is
probably for this reason that Pi says he owes ‘to Hinduism the original landscape
of [his] religious imagination’. While Hindus worship Brahman as the one
supreme being, there are other and varied deities that play a part in Hinduism.
Some of the more popular deities are Shiva (the pure one), Vishnu (the
preserver), Krishna (the human incarnation of Brahman) and Shiva (the
destroyer). In the course of the text, Pi beseeches these gods for their qualities.
There are also other deities, or avatars that are much more closely associated
with animals: Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the tortoise), Varaha (the boar),
Narasimha (the man-lion) , Ganesha (with the head of an elephant) and
Hanuman (who lead a monkey army).
Christianity
‘What a downright weird story. What peculiar psychology’ p53
‘It had a reputation for few gods and great violence. But good schools’ p53
‘The Christians have been here for a long time – Saint Thomas, Saint Francis Xavier,
the missionaries and so on’ p75
As a former French colony, Pondicherry had accepted many Christians into its
ethnic mix, and as Pi makes clear, he attended a Christian school. With the
relationship between God and Jesus Christ bearing at least a superficial
resemblance between Brahman and Krishna (see above), it is easy to see how
Christianity was not a great leap of faith for Pi, particularly as preached by the
gentle and patient Father Martin.
Islam
‘Why, Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise…Hot weather yoga for Bedouins’
p60.
‘It is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion’ p61.
‘I loved my prayer rug…I’m sorry I lost it’ p76.
Although a relatively new faith (in comparison with Hinduism and Christianity)
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and follows the monotheistic
tradition of Christianity (and Judaism). The follows of Islam are referred to as
Muslims and their leaders are Imams. Mohammed, the great prophet of Islam
was a political and military leader, as well as the founder of this religion. Prayer
must be performed at least five times daily to form a personal connection with
God or Allah. After Hinduism, Islam is the most popular religion in India.
Although Islam has been a part of India’s history for centuries, with prominent
politicians and actors being among its adherents, there is still a great deal of
controversy regarding conversion to this religion because of the perception that
Hinduism is the natural religion of Indians and Islam is a foreign religion. This is
probably why Pi’s imam lives in an area he describes as ‘rundown and poor’ p58.
The Plot
There are many ways you can think about the plot of The Life of Pi. Certainly the
premise of a boy and a tiger being trapped together on a lifeboat, adrift in the
pacific, is a highly unique story. However, in other ways it is also a conventional
hero journey where a hero must overcome his fears in order to defeat an enemy.
By thinking about the story as a hero journey, it helps us to identify the journey
Pi goes on, what he fears and what he achieves. The main events of the story are
below. Look through them and then arrange them into the categories of the
hero’s journey (see attachments).
Pi learns to swim
Pi has people call him Pi instead of Piscine
Pi’s favourite teacher is Mr Kumar, a biologist
Pi adopts Hinduism, Catholicism and Islam
Pi’s three teachers from each of his three religions accidentally meet
Pi’s father decides to sell the zoo and move to Canada
The Tsimstim cargo ship sinks
Richard Parker, a hyena, a gorilla and a zebra all escape along with Pi onto a
lifeboat
The hyena kills the injured zebra
The hyena kills the gorilla
Richard Parker kills the hyena
Pi makes a raft that drifts behind the lifeboat
Pi discovers the rations on the lifeboat
Pi decides to let Richard Park die of starvation
Pi decides to establish himself as the dominant ‘tiger’ on the lifeboat
Pi catches fish
Pi eats raw fish
Pi successfully becomes the dominant ‘tiger’ on the lifeboat
Pi survives a storm at sea
Pi and Richard Parker become desperately malnourished. Pi is certain that he
will die.
Pi comes across another blind person in the ocean. Richard Parker eats him
The lifeboat drifts to an algae island inhabited only by meerkats
Richard Parker and Pi regain their health on the island
Pi ‘tames’ Richard Parker, teaching him to do tricks
Pi discovers that the algae island is a predatory
Pi escapes from the algae island
The lifeboat washes up on the short of Mexico
Two Japanese officials interview Pi and do not believe his story
Pi and his family travel on the ship Tsimtsum along with many of the animals
from the zoo
The Characters
Activity: Listed here is a selection of some of the more important characters in
the novel. Look through them and circle the ten characters (or couples) who you
think are most important to the events of the novel. Be ready to explain why.
Pi:
After a happy childhood, with supportive and loving parents, Pi is left to fend for
himself when the Tsimtsum sinks. The narrative of his childhood is told in his
voice, and the summaries of his life as an adult are told through an assumed
voice of the author. The varied religions of Pi help him to understand and survive
his plight, and as an adult religion continues to play a major role. His
understanding of the biological world is juxtaposed with his faith-based musings
and it is through this understanding that he creates a sense of reason in his
otherwise frighteningly random experience.
Key Quotes:
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‘I chose the sloth because its demeanour – calm, quiet and introspective –
did something to soothe my shattered self’ p3
‘I have nothing but the fondest memories or growing up in a zoo’ p14
‘He became my favourite teacher...It was my first clue that atheists are my
brothers and sisters of a different faith’ p28
‘A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was sown
in me’ p47
‘Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day.
I will put in the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will
not die.’ p148
Key passages:
pp 86-87, pp 189-192, pp 208-209, p223, pp238-240, pp256-262
What’s your point of view?
Considering the quotes and passages above, what is your view on the statements
below?
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
Pi only survives his ordeal because of his faith
Pi’s survival challenges us to believe
Richard Parker:
From the outset, Richard Parker is humanised: his name is ambiguously human
and during the scene when he is rescued by Pi, it only becomes clear after he is
rescued that he is a tiger. Even his name gives Richard Parker the illusion of
humanity in the beginning and is one of the many sources of humour in the
novel. Richard Parker becomes central to Pi’s survival, and when viable land is
reached, he immediately disappears. During their sojourn on the fantastical,
carnivorous island, it is observation of Richard Parker that helps Pi to deduce
this peculiar ecosystem.
Key Quotes:
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‘I had a wet, trembling, half-drowned, heaving and coughing three-yearold adult Bengal tiger in my lifeboat’ p99
‘I was so obviously outmatched by Richard Parker that it wasn’t even
worth worrying about’ p135
‘I beheld Richard Parker from the angle that showed him off to greatest
effect’ p151
‘It was Richard Parker who calmed me down’ p162
‘in a moment of insanity brought on by hanger...I looked Richard Parker
dead in the eyes’ p222
‘I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously’
p285
Key passages to think about:
pp97-100, pp 132-133, pp162-166, pp205-207pp210-211
What’s your point of view?
Considering the quotes and passages above, what is your view on the statements
below?


Pi only survives his ordeal because of his relationship with Richard
Parker
Pi mourns Richard Parker as the last link with his former life and family
The Patel Family
Santosh, Gita and Ravi are at the centre of Pi’s early years, providing him with
the stories that help flesh out Pi’ almost mythical childhood. From the
improbable name he is given, to his upbringing at the zoo, his love of storytelling and their bemused acceptance of his religions, the Patel’s inform Pi’s
existence. Ravi’s prowess at sports further confirms Pi’s sense of himself as the
quiet and bookish sense of himself and while Ravi has a ‘field day’ of his
brother’s religion, his parents accept this part of him with bemusement and
laughter.
Key Quotes:
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‘Ravi was already there, and like all younger brothers, I would suffer from
following in the footsteps of a popular older sibling’ p21
‘If Mother, normally so unruffled, so calm, was worried, even upset, it
meant we were in serious trouble’ p32
‘Father saying “Never forget this lesson” as he looked on grimly’ p35
‘what can you do when you love your father? Life goes on and you don’t
touch tigers’ p39
‘Father saw himself as part of the New India – rich modern and as secular
as ice cream’ p65
‘My baptism was a slightly awkward affair. Mother played along nicely,
Father looked on stonily, and Ravi was mercifully absent because of a
cricket match’ p77
‘They were dead; I could no longer deny it.’ p127
Key Passages:
pp 32-39, pp 71-74 p76, p 127
What’s your point of view?
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
Because of his interest in the interaction of animals and humans at the
Pondicherry zoo, Santosh lays the groundwork for Pi’s survival.
Pi’s childhood is almost as unbelievable as his survival.
The Three Religious Leaders and The Biology
Teacher
These four men are central to Pi’s sense of himself and to the belief systems that
underpin his life. While each hold their own tenets of life to be true, Pi
incorporates each of them into his own. While we don’t know the name of the
Hindu pandit who guides Pi through the religion of his childhood, he is important
for the sense of symmetry he provides. It is interesting that there are three
religious leaders, echoing the three wise men of Christian tradition; there is a
similar symmetry in the naming of the two Mr Kumars – the biology teacher and
the Muslim mystic.
Key Quotes:
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‘Mr. Kumar was the first avowed atheist I ever met’ p25
‘He became my favourite teacher at Petit Seminaire and the reason I
studied zoology at the University of Toronto. I felt a kinship with him’ p28
‘Love. That was Father Martin’s answer’ p54
‘It was a good smile he gave me. The smile of Christ’ p58
‘So it went the first time I saw a Muslim pray – quick, necessary, physical,
muttered, striking’ p60
‘it pleased me that this pious baker, as plain as a shadow and of solid
health, and the Communist biology teacher and science devotee...carried
the same name’ p61
Key Passages:
pp25-28, pp51-57, pp64-70, pp83-84
What’s your point of view?


While the ‘three wise men’ introduce Pi to different faiths, they are
irrelevant to his personal belief.
The two Mr. Kumars echo the thoughts in Pi’s own head in their
interaction at the zoo.
Tomohiro Okamoto & Atsuro Chiba:
These two characters only appear in the final section of the novel: Part III. Mr
Okamoto is part of the Japanese Ministry of Transport and Mr Chiba is his junior.
Their journey to meet Pi is fraught with comedy, as retold by the anonymous
narrator of the italicised segments and this sets the scene for the subsequent
interview. Although these characters are highly comic within the text, they serve
the purpose of raising doubt as to the likelihood of Pi’s story. Up until this
interview, the reader is not invited to doubt Pi’s story – both the narrative in the
voice of Pi and the italicised sections present this story as ‘true’ in Parts I and II.
However Okamoto and Chiba ask Pi to give them an alternate story of survival,
which he is able to do. As readers we are therefore asked to evaluate Pi’s story
through this interview.
Key Quotes:
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‘Mr Okamoto: “Very interesting.”/ Mr Chiba: “What a story.” p291
‘Mr Patel, we don’t believe your story’ p292
‘We believe what we see’ p294
‘It’s an incredible story’ p296
‘we want the “straight facts”, as you say in English’ p302
‘The explanation for the sinking of the Tsimtsum is at the bottom of the
Pacific’ p316
‘The story with the animals is the better story’ p317
Key Passages:
pp 292-293, pp299-301, pp311-312
What’s your point of view?


At the end of the interview, even Okamoto and Chiba are persuaded that
Pi’s original story must be true.
Okamoto and Chiba demonstrate to us that Pi’s story of survival is only a
fantasy, and the reality of his survival is less amazing.
Character Activities
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C1 - Character Profiler:
The strategy requires students to brainstorm roles that a character fulfils in a
text and attributes of those roles. Unlike other brainstorming activities, this one
requires students to brainstorm with particular types of words (i.e nouns, verbs,
adjectives and adverbs). In this way, it allows students to get a better sense not
only of how a character functions in a text but how that character is
characterized.
1. Have students draw up the following table:
Character
Role (Noun)
Verb
(What
actions do
they do in
performing
their roles)
Adverb
(How do they
do these
actions)
Adjective
(words to
describe
them in their
role)
Character
Name
2. Have students pick roles that each character fulfils in the play. They can
use the list below for stimulus and you can add to the list as is appropriate
for the text you are studying.
Father
Husband
Brother
Son
Heroine
Employer
Employee
Leader
Friend
Witness
Traveller
Master/Authority Figure
Mother
Wife
Daughter
Sister
Lover
Professional
Student
Relative
Enemy
Victim
Storyteller
Survivor
Family Member
Betrayer
Peacemaker
Counsellor
Hero
Citizen
Role model
Group member
Community member
Perpetrator
Protagonist
3. For each role students must now brainstorm verbs (actions the
characters take in that particular role), adverbs (how they perform these
actions) and actions (words to describe what they are like and what they
do in their roles).

Character Attributes:
Using the table below, identify and list characters that show positive character
traits and negative character traits. Characters might show both positive and
negative character traits.
Positive Character Traits
Selfless
Resilient
Finds humour
Flexible
Logical
Team Oriented
Curious
Reasonable
Calm
Caring
Takes responsible risks
Effective Communicator
Listens
Innovative
Imaginative
Collaborative
Interdependent
Empathetic
Plans
Questions
Capitalises
Negative Character Traits
Selfish
Gives us
Doesn’t laugh
Inflexible
Illogical
Works alone
Not Curious
Irrational
Impulsive
Uncaring
Irresponsible
Ineffective communicator
Doesn’t listen
Not innovative
Uncreative
Doesn’t use others
Does not need others
Fails to understand others
Spontaneous
Unquestioning
Unresourceful
Absorbs
Notices
Reasons
Revises
Takes nothing in
Oblivious
Unreasonable
Continues to do things the same way

Character Attributes 2
List the 5 attributes that are most important to Pi’s survival on the raft

Character Attributes and Values
Sometimes characters have attributes that they specifically nurture as part of
their outlook on life. Their attributes represent values they have about how they
believe it’s important to live life. Often these attributes and values come through
most clearly when characters undertake important actions. Look through all the
important events from the plot activity. List five values that come through
strongly from the actions that Pi undertakes.

Pie Chart Profiler
From the above activity, come up with five values that are most important to Pi.
Now, draw a circle on a large piece of paper. Take your five values for Pi and
allocate them a section of pie in the circle. Allocate them according to how
important you think they are to Pi (i.e the most important value becomes the
biggest piece of pie, the least important value is the smallest piece of pie).
Annotate each piece of the pie chart to justify why you allocate each value the
size of pie that you did.

Character comparison and contrast
“So the Taiwanese sailor is the zebra, his mother is the orang-utan, the cook
is…the hyena – which means he’s the tiger!” p. 311 Chiba and Okamoto both
interpret the story Pi tells them at the end of the book as symbolic rather than
real. To a certain degree this is also how the book has been presented to the
public. Look at Appendix A – on the whole what do you notice about the book
covers? Why have the book covers been presented the way they have?
Clearly Pi and Parker are compared and contrasted at some level. Look back
through the list of character attributes you listed for Pi. Go through each of these
and think about Richard Parker – does he share the attribute, or does he have an
opposite attribute?
Also, look at how the author presents Pi in the ‘interviews’ he does with him at
the start of the novel. Think about the attributes Pi is given in these interviews –
would you say Parker is more or less similar to Pi in these interviews?
Teaching the Themes and Ideas
Activity: Identifying important themes
Below is a list of words which could be potential themes from the novel The Life
of Pi. Look through the list and identify which four words you think best identify
the themes from the play. Next to each of the words you may also list other
words which you believe are sub categories of the main word.
Survival
Truth
Storytelling
Innocence
Religion
Captivity
Faith
Instinct
Ritual
Relationship between man and beast
Authority
Imagination
Order
Wonder
Spirituality
Truth
Freedom
Reason
Grief and loss
The meaning of life
The will to live
Science
For each theme, list a further three words or phrases that either:
a) are different words or phrases for that theme (can use other words from
the above list) or
b) describe aspects of the theme or important ideas within the theme (can
use words from the above list).
For each of these further three words or phrases write a sentence which begins:
An important idea this theme explores is [insert word or phrase] which is about
[provide brief explanation of how the theme is looking at a particular idea]
Activity: Below is a list of themes as well as important quotes. Look through the
list and do the following two things:
1. Come up with an alternative title or name for each theme
2. For each theme, list at least two examples of important incidents and events
in the novel.
3. List important characters that are used to demonstrate each theme. What
do they do, not do, think or feel to show this theme?
Truth Pi’s narrative stretches our credulity at all times and in Part III when he says
‘neither [story] makes a factual difference to you’ (317) Martel is playing upon
this unbelievability. Martel attempts to make this story as factual as possible,
with lists and zoological facts woven into the narrative, but at the same time, he
challenges our understanding of the world, using Pi’s idea that there is a‘measure
of madness’ (41) in all living things that lifts life from ‘dry yeastless factuality’
(302) into something that transcends quantifiable fact into truth. In Life of Pi,
truth is not something that can be measured or made into facts, but is sometimes
impossible and full of contradictions.
‘My majors were religious studies and zoology’ p3
‘muddled agnostics who didn’t know which way was up, who were in the thrall of
reason, that fool’s gold for the bright’ p5
Life ‘is something bright, loud, weird and delicate as to stupefy the senses’ p15
‘in that elusive, irrational number with which scientists try to understand the
universe, I found refuge’ p24
‘all living things contain a measure of madness’ p41
‘lack imagination and miss the better story’ p64
‘measure of madness that moves life in strange but soaring ways’ p85
‘Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up’
p107
‘in a moment of insanity brought on by hunger…I looked Richard Parker dead in
the eyes’ p222
‘at moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thinking, to entertain thoughts that
span the universe’ p233
‘what a fanciful island’ p257
‘love is hard to believe…life is hard to believe’ p297
‘you want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm what you already
know’ p302
Incidents and events:
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18 How to teach Life of Pi
Belief –
In Life of Pi, belief is clearly differentiated from factual knowledge, but is closely
related to the protagonist’s idea of truth. Pi has many and varied forms of belief
and he does not see that these are necessarily contradictory. Having been raise
on the epic stories that comprise Hindu faith this character suggests that ‘the
paths to liberation are numerous’ (49). Atheism is described by Pi as a belief
since an atheist will ‘go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then
they leap’ (28). The only people this protagonist avowedly has no patience for
are agnostics because they do not subscribe to any belief system and therefore
‘lack imagination’ (64).
‘muddled agnostics who didn’t know which way was up. Who were in the thrall of
reason’ p5
‘no sound reason for believing anything but our sense experience’ p27
‘his house is a temple’ p45
‘a germ of religious exultation’ p47
‘a plague upon fundamentalists and literalists!’
‘it is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion’p54
‘The presence of God is the finest of rewords’ p63
‘I was a practising Hindu, Christian and Muslim’ p64
‘Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love’ p208
Incidents and events:
Grief and loss:
Although Pi’s sense of loss is often masked by the lengths he takes to survive, it is
nevertheless always present in this narrative.
‘when you’ve suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable
and trifling’ p5
‘zoos are no longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same problem’ p19
‘memory is an ocean and he bobs on its surface’ p42
‘I felt a great emptiness within me’p101
‘I felt the night within me’ p102
‘With that second sunset, disbelief gave way to pain and grief’ p127
‘Dumb with pain and horror’ p131
‘the feeling is truly unbearable’ p148
‘all around me as flatness and infinity’ p160
‘I never forget to include this fish in my prayers’ p183
‘despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out’ p209
‘everything suffered’ p238
‘I pray for his soul every day’ p256
‘in both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer’ p317
Incidents and events:
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20 How to teach Life of Pi
Survival:
At its heart, this is a tale of survival, of the things that make one person survive.
Understanding the relationship between Richard Parker and Pi is key to at least
part of his survival.
‘measure of madness that moves life in strange but saving ways’ 85
‘you must take life the way it come at you and make the best of it’ p91
‘this story has a happy ending’ p93
‘fear and reason fought over the answer’ p108
‘I discovered at that moment that I have a fierce will to lie. It’s not something
evident, in my experience. Some of us give up on life with only a resigned sigh.
Others fight a little, then lose hope. Still others – and I am one of those – never give
up. We fight and fight and fight. We fight no matter the cost of the battle, the losses
we take, the improbability of success. We fight to the very end. It’s not a question of
courage. It’s something constitutional, an inability to let go. It may be nothing
more than life-hungry stupidity’ p148
‘It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the
very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness’ p162
‘I survived 227 days’ p189
‘I kept myself busy. That was one key to my survival’ p190
‘And I survived because I made a point of forgetting’ p191
‘Only death consistently excites your emotions, whether contemplating it when life
is safe and stale, or fleeing it when life is threatened and precious’ p217
‘I returned to life’ (on the island), p269
Incidents and events:
Activity: Understanding the point of the themes through a link diagram
1. On a large piece of paper list 4 theme in the 4 corners. In the centre of the
page draw two circles. In one – write ‘Pi. In the other, write ‘the meaning
of the novel.’
2. You must now link the themes to examples and the two circles in the
centre. You must create 16 annotated links which follow the instructions
below.

(link this example to a theme) Something a character does that the reader
or Pi feels is wrong or questionable in the novel is… x2

(link this example to a theme) Something a character does that the reader
or Pi feels is right or praiseworthy in the novel is…x2

(link an example to a theme) A turning point in the plot which shows this
theme is… x4

(link an example of one theme to another theme) This example is also an
example of this theme because…x2

(link two themes) This theme is related to another theme because…x2

(link to the character of Pi)This tells us something important about Pi’s
character or views and values because…x4

(link to the meaning of the novel)This tells us something important about
the message of the novel because…x4
Activity: Symbiosis Theme Chart
Pi is a fascinated observer of animals and nature. One thing he often talks about
is symbiosis – the dependent, intertwined relationship that different biological
entities can have with each other:
1. In the centre of a large piece of paper get students to write: ‘A meaningful,
symbiotic life’
2. Around the edges of the paper, get students to place three different sets of
name: Pi, Richard Parker, God/Nature.
3. Students should draw lines to connect each name with the other names.
What links them symbiotically – why do they need each other to survive?
4. Students should then link the names to the circle in the middle. What is
meaningful about life, in the view of Pi and the novel, for each of these
entities?
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22 How to teach Life of Pi
Teaching the techniques
Use of numbers and facts
Martel uses lists, zoological facts and numbers to increase our credulity and make
Pi’s survival somehow more plausible, within the realms of scientific possibility. The
use of numbers and lists also highlights Pi’s own need for order in his world.
However, numbers also have certain magical or mystical connotations.
There are 100 chapters in the book.
There are three parts to the book.
Pi devises ‘Plan Number Seven: Keep Him Alive’ p166
‘in that elusive, irrational number with which scientists try to understand the
universe, I round refuge’ p24
‘to be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centre of a circle’ p215
‘I am a person who believes in for, in the harmony of order’ p294
Key Passages:
pp145-146; pp190-191; pp203-205
Animals
Pi’s interest in the biological and zoological is of course, central to his character.
But Martel uses animals to further emphasise the factuality of his story. Animals
are stripped of emotions and Richard Parker’s interaction with Pi is one of
biological necessity. The co-dependence of ecosystems are often referred to in order
to highlight the wonder Pi feels for the world.
‘repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans’
p23
‘the trainer better make sure he always remains super alpha. He will pay dearly
if he unwittingly slips to beta’ p43
‘social rank is central to how it leads its life’ p44
ANIMALUS ANTHROPHMORPHICUS ‘the animal as seen through human eyes’
p31
‘in the normal course of things he should have killed the zebra’ p109
‘nature forever holds surprises’ p122
‘nature is preoccupied with balance’ p172
‘of interest to zoologists, I can report the following:’ p219
‘I made an exceptional botanical discovery’ p256
Key Passages:
pp163-164; p281
How does Chapter 13 establish an understanding of Pi’s survival, and why is it so
early in the book?
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24 How to teach Life of Pi
Humour:
Martel tells Pi’s tale with dry wit and the narration of Pi often relies upon pus
and word play. The absurdity of the relationship between the Misters Kumar, for
instance, is only outdone by the absurdity of the interview they conduct.
Islam is ‘hot-weather yoga for Bedouins’ p60
‘Mother was mum’ on the subject of religion’ p63
The naming of Richard Parker, p133
Pi opens a can ‘by dint of dinting’ p142
Survival manual is deficient in not addressing ‘ the establishing of alpha-omega
relationships with major lifeboat pests’ p168
‘mockery be damned, my urine looked delicious!’ p208
Key Passages:
pp80-84; p153; p187; pp292-293
How does the use of humour make us feel about the character of Pi?
Activity: Understanding symbols through associations
The Life of Pi is a story rich in symbolism. Below are some of the main symbols in
the book. Underneath this list is a series of word and at the end of this guide in
Appendix B is a series of pictures. Connect the words and pictures to the symbol
you most closely associate them with.

The lifeboat filled with animals

The island

Numbers and facts

Richard Parker
Freedom
Captivity
Order
Reason
Imagination
Authority
Prey
Capture
Creativity
Control
Wildness
Spirituality
Lost
Human nature
Eco system
Compromise
Food chain
Survival
Instinct
Loss
Truth
Mystery
God
Once you have finished associating words and pictures with each symbol
complete these sentences about each symbol:
With this symbol we associate images of/feelings of/ideas of…because…This
symbol represents aspects of (the character)/aspects of the theme…because…
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26 How to teach Life of Pi
Bringing it all together
1. Cut the words in each column out and place them in three piles.
2. Shuffle the cards
3. Draw a card from each pile. You use all three words or variants of the
words to construct a sentence about the play.
Topics
Yann Martel
Verbs
Explores
Terms
Wonder
Pi
Shows us
Order
Richard Parker
Demonstrates
Survival
The hyena
Illustrates
Instinct
The animals on the
lifeboat
Challenges
Freedom
Reflects
Imagery
Compares
Believability
Parallels
Extraordinary
Symbolises
Story within a story
Represents
Facts
Draws attention to
Faith
Rejects
Reason
Questions
Connection
Emphasizes
Madness
Centres on
Relationships
Religious belief
The narrative
Journey
The novel Life of Pi
The symbols in the story
The themes of the novel
Mr Chiba and Mr
Okamoto
Essay Topics
In the author’s note, M Adirubasamy claims that this story ‘will make you believe
in God.’ How does Pi’s story attempt to do this?
‘If I still had a will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker.’ Parker’s character is
in fact the most important character in the novel. Do you agree?
‘I am a person who believes in form, in the harmony of order.’ In each section of
the novel Pi sees a certain order imposes on the world and society around him.
Discuss.
‘Which is the better story?’ Storytelling is central to the narrative of The Life of Pi.
Explain and discuss.
Images of freedom and captivity are central to Life of Pi. Discuss.
In order to survive Pi needed to believe in God. To what extent do you agree with
this?
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28 How to teach Life of Pi
Quotes
Life ‘is something so bright, loud, weird and delicate as to stupefy the senses’ p15
‘animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity’ p16
‘zoos are no longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same problem.
Certain illusions about freedom plague them both’ p19
‘repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans’
p23
‘in that elusive, irrational number with which scientists try to understand the
universe, I found refuge’ p24
There is ‘no sound reason for believing in anything but our sense experience’
p27
Atheists will ‘go as far as the legs of reason will carry them – and then they leap’
p28
Animalus anthropomorphicus ‘the animal as seen through human eyes’ p31
‘all living things contain a measure of madness’ p41
‘and they expected to find – ha! What were they thinking’ p42
‘memory is an ocean and he bobs on its surface’ p42
‘social rank is central to how it leads its life’ p44
‘His house is a temple’ p45
‘a germ of religious exultation’ p47
‘a plague upon fundamentalists and literalists!’ p49
‘Love. That was Father Martin’s answer’ p54
‘it is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion’ p61
‘the presence of God is the finest of rewards’ p62
‘lack imagination and miss the better story’ p64
‘I was a practicing Hindu, Christian and Muslim’ p64
‘Perhaps Piscine is marching to a different drumbeat of progress’ p75
‘they were there all along, but I hadn’t seen them because I wasn’t looking for
them’ p80
‘measure of madness that moves life in strange but saving ways’ p85
‘You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it’ p91
‘This story has a happy ending’ p
‘something in me did not want to give up on life’ p99
‘I felt a great emptiness within me’ p101
‘I felt the night in me’ p102
‘had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given
up and let go of the oar’ p107
‘In the normal course of things he should have killed the zebra’ p109
‘Hope fed on hope’ p119
‘nature forever holds surprises’ p122
‘They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your
heart!’ p127
‘All my life I had known only a part of her’ p130
‘That is the plain empirical truth’ p130
‘I took stock of the lifeboat’ p137
‘the notion of details that become lifesavers’ p140
‘I had a plan and it was a good one. I only needed to survive to put it into effect’
p159
‘Only fear can defeat life’ p161
‘It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was
the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness’ p162
‘if he died I would be left alone with despair’ p164
‘what may seem like a detail to you was something which would save my life’
p170
‘It was the first sentient being I had ever killed’ p183
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30 How to teach Life of Pi
‘the dorado did a most extraordinary thing as it died…I felt I was beating a
rainbow to death’ p185
‘Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love’ p208
‘To be a castaway is to be at point perpetually at the centre of a circle’ p215
‘in a moment of insanity brought on by hunger…I looked Richard Parker dead it
the eyes’ p222
‘at moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thinking, to entertain thoughts
that span the universe’ p233
‘Everything suffered’ p238
‘I made an exceptional botanical discovery’ p256
‘What a fanciful island’ p257
‘I returned to life’ p269
‘the island was Gandhian’ p270
‘the island was carnivorous’ p281
‘the rest of this story is nothing but grief, ache and endurance’ p283
‘I am a person who believes in form, in the harmony of order’ p285
‘These things don’t exist.’ / ‘Only because you’ve never seen them.’p294
‘Hard to believe’ p296 &297
‘love is hard to believe…life is hard to believe’ p297
‘so you want another story’ p302
‘You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm what you already
know’ p302
‘dry, yeastless factuality’ p302
‘neither [story] makes a factual difference to you’ p317
‘so it goes with God’ p317
Further Resources:
A series of reading guide questions:
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/life_of_pi1.asp
Study Guides that can be purchased:
http://www.bookrags.com/Life_of_Pi
http://www.enotes.com/life-pi
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lifeofpi/
How to teach Life of Pi 31