Life of Pi Analysis

Everything and Nothing is AllegoricalThe greatest temptation in the history of mankind is to read Life of Pi as an allegory. It's so easy, right? Each surviving animal matches up with a human survi...

1960-1976. Pondicherry, India; the Pacific Ocean; Mexico; CanadaIt's easy to forget the circumstances surrounding the Patel family's departure from Pondicherry, India. Once we're on the ocean with...

First Person (Peripheral Narrator), First Person (Central Narrator)Martel chooses a very complex point of view for Life of Pi. Or rather, multiple points of view. We start out in First Person (Cent...

Adventure, Magical Realism, Philosophical Literature, PostmodernismThere's no doubt that Life of Pi follows in the footsteps (or wake) of the great high-seas adventure novels. Its author, Yann Mart...

Humorous, Playful, Philosophical, UnflinchingSometimes a teacher will say a work of literature "is actually quite funny if you think about it." You know right away it's a ploy. For example: "Hamlet...

Average Stuff, Then Really PrettyIn some ways, Martel has his cake and eats it too. He's written a book with unpretentious, casual language that's also capable of stunning lyricism. You'll be mosey...

The title, of course, refers to our protagonist Pi, whose full name is Piscine Molitor Patel. Pi's name has a few rich associations in the novel. For starters, there's π, the "elusive, irratio...

You might find it a little odd, after pages of adventure, despair, and hope, to encounter a sort of Japanese comedy duo at the end. However, the two investigators ask Pi some important questions an...