Life of Pi Part 2, Chapter 38 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Pi moves back in time a little bit – he explains the events leading up to Chapter 37's dramatic opening.
  • Pi tells us the ship sails with no problems for days. (Though Ravi saw men working on the engines and said something was wrong with them.)
  • Pi hears an explosion during the night. He shakes Ravi to get him up, but Ravi turns looks at Pi sleepily and turns over.
  • Pi also decides not to wake his parents.
  • Once on the deck, the wind and rain don't seem that bad. But one side of the ship is listing badly, the ship is groaning, and no one's out on the deck. All of a sudden, an Indian wild ox – from the hold below – bolts past. Something is terribly wrong.
  • Pi finally sees some sailors up on the bridge. They make a quick decision, give Pi a lifejacket, and throw him overboard.