'Life of Pi' - THE NARRATIVE The Author’s note 1.Yann Martel, an unsuccessful author living in Canada, travels to India to attempt writing a new novel while staying at a northern tea plantation 2.His new novel is a failure however, so he travels south, where, in Pondicherry, he meets an elderly man, Francis Adirubasamy who tells him he knows of someone who can tell him a story “that will make him believe in God” 3.On returning to Toronto, the author meets the adult Pi who agrees to tell him his story, a story which becomes the author’s new novel, but written in Pi’s voice Part One 4.Pi describes how as a young boy he enjoyed growing up in Pondicherry living at the zoo that his father owned and managed 5.Pi relates how he is named after a French swimming pool and was taught to swim by Francis, a family friend 6.Pi learns many things about animals and zoos, especially about how to respect them for what they are 7.Pi, born and raised a Hindu explains how he also came to be a Christian and a Muslim, and how all three religions are of great importance to him 8.Pi and his brother Ravi are shocked to hear that their father, tired of the political situation in India has decided to sell the zoo and emigrate by boat to Canada, selling some of the zoo animals on the way Part Two 9.To Pi’s horror, the cargo ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and he is the sole survivor in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker 10.After the hyena has killed the zebra and the orangutan and is, in turn, killed by Richard Parker, Pi is now alone with the tiger on the lifeboat 11.Pi builds a raft attached to the lifeboat as he knows that he will be killed and eaten by Richard Parker and only returns to the lifeboat for water and rations from the lifeboat’s locker 12.Pi soon realizes that if he is to survive he needs to tame and train Richard Parker so as he can return to the lifeboat safely, a task he successfully accomplishes 13.Together the two survive periods of hunger and thirst, seasickness, a frightening storm, boredom and being close to death 14.Yet Pi can still marvel at being alive and appreciate the wonders of the ocean, while trusting in God and maintaining his daily prayers 15.Not long after the despair of a ship not rescuing them and a ghostly encounter with a blind Frenchman in another lifeboat, they encounter a hospitable but cannibalistic island which Pi knows he and Richard Parker must leave 16.Finally they are washed ashore on a beach in Mexico where Richard Parker disappears in to the jungle before Pi can thank him Part Three
The Japanese interviewers do not believe Pi and so he tells them an alternative version of his story and
then challenges them as to which is the “better” story-the one with the facts or the one with the animals 20.In conclusion we learn that the Japanese investigator who writes the report has chosen the story with the animals in it
The Author’s note
1. Yann Martel, an unsuccessful author living in Canada, travels to India to attempt writing a new novel while staying at a northern tea plantation
2. His new novel is a failure however, so he travels south, where, in Pondicherry, he meets an elderly man, Francis Adirubasamy who tells him he knows of someone who can tell him a story “that will make him believe in God”
3. On returning to Toronto, the author meets the adult Pi who agrees to tell him his story, a story which becomes the author’s new novel, but written in Pi’s voice
Part One
4. Pi describes how as a young boy he enjoyed growing up in Pondicherry living at the zoo that his father owned and managed
5. Pi relates how he is named after a French swimming pool and was taught to swim by Francis, a family friend
6. Pi learns many things about animals and zoos, especially about how to respect them for what they are
7. Pi, born and raised a Hindu explains how he also came to be a Christian and a Muslim, and how all three religions are of great importance to him
8. Pi and his brother Ravi are shocked to hear that their father, tired of the political situation in India has decided to sell the zoo and emigrate by boat to Canada, selling some of the zoo animals on the way
Part Two
9. To Pi’s horror, the cargo ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and he is the sole survivor in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker
10. After the hyena has killed the zebra and the orangutan and is, in turn, killed by Richard Parker, Pi is now alone with the tiger on the lifeboat
11. Pi builds a raft attached to the lifeboat as he knows that he will be killed and eaten by Richard Parker and only returns to the lifeboat for water and rations from the lifeboat’s locker
12. Pi soon realizes that if he is to survive he needs to tame and train Richard Parker so as he can return to the lifeboat safely, a task he successfully accomplishes
13. Together the two survive periods of hunger and thirst, seasickness, a frightening storm, boredom and being close to death
14. Yet Pi can still marvel at being alive and appreciate the wonders of the ocean, while trusting in God and maintaining his daily prayers
15. Not long after the despair of a ship not rescuing them and a ghostly encounter with a blind Frenchman in another lifeboat, they encounter a hospitable but cannibalistic island which Pi knows he and Richard Parker must leave
16. Finally they are washed ashore on a beach in Mexico where Richard Parker disappears in to the jungle before Pi can thank him
Part Three
The Japanese interviewers do not believe Pi and so he tells them an alternative version of his story and
then challenges them as to which is the “better” story-the one with the facts or the one with the animals
20. In conclusion we learn that the Japanese investigator who writes the report has chosen the story with the animals in it