Vivid Views – Life of Pi

Question: What point of view does the author use? Does the author use point of view primarily to reveal or to conceal?  Explain.

In the book Life of Pi the author decides to use first person point of view to tell the story. Since the book talks Pi’s life story, I feel like using first person makes the story easier to tell. In the book, Pi has many conversations with various groups of people and he also has a lot of conversations with himself in his head. Using first person also helps clarify what’s going on in the book because the story is being told from the person who was experiencing the events that were taking place.

The author used first person point of view primarily to reveal.I say this because there is a lot of detail in the book, which means the author explained the story he is telling very clearly so the reader and/or audience could have a better image of whats going on in the story. Since there was a lot of flash backs and flash forwards,using first person point of view really helped reveal things and made the story flow in more understanding way and gave a better idea of what’s going on in the book.

“He ticked my name off. And looked at the next boy. ‘Mansoor Ahamad’, said Mansoor Ahamad. I was saved. ‘Gautham Selvaraj’, said Guatham Selvaraj. I could breathe. ‘Arun Annaji’ said Arun Annaji. A new beginning” (p.23).

I picked this quote because it helps you understand whats going on in that part of the book more clearly . The quote shows how the author used first person to give the reader a better look on what Pi is thinking and also what’s going on around him.

Using first person point of view really helped the story flow very smoothly in the book, and helped the reader gain more understanding of whats going on.

Man vs. Nature- Life of Pi

Question: What is a “conflict” in literature?  What is the main conflict in your book?  Which type of conflict is it: character vs. character, character vs. nature, character vs. society, character vs. self, or character vs. technology?  Explain.

In literature, a conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The main conflict that took place in my book was when the Ship pi and his family were on ( going from India to Canada) ended up sinking during a storm which caused Pi’s family and the people on the boat to die.

The type of conflict that took place was character vs. nature. After the boat sank and Pi survived by staying on a life boat, he faced many obstacles with nature since he was stranded on the Atlantic Ocean. While being stranded, Pi had to struggle to keep himself alive by providing his own food, water, and shelter during intense weather until he made it to shore. After eating all the supply food he realizes that he needs to provide his own, which causes him to attempt and catch fish from the ocean. For water, Pi finds a few solar devices that changes salt water to regular water which helped him stay hydrated. Making a decent shelter was a challenge since the boat was moving a lot since there was waves and the extreme weathers that took place. He resolved that problem by being creative and using his supplies and unnecessary boat parts to make him a decent shelter.

“There was also noises coming from beneath me, from the water, sudden flapping sounds and swishing sounds that were over and done with in an instant. The battle of life was taking place there too. The night passed, minute by slow minute” (p.119).

This quote shows that it was hard for Pi to process the fact that he’s stranded and it is going to be a long complicated trip. He doesn’t know if he’s going to make it through but he tries his best and doesn’t give up, although the struggle he’s going through is real.

Countless Surroundings-Life of Pi

Question: What is the setting of the story?  Does the setting create an obstacle for the characters? How?

The Settings of the story took place in various different places , since the book was written about his life which has to do with the name of the book (Life Of Pi) and he travels during the book (1960-1976). During the beginning of the story the setting took place in Pondicherry, India since Pi (the main character) was born and raised there. In the beginning of the book it talked about how Pi was raised and his religious beliefs which had a big impact throughout the book. Throughout the book the settings changed due to the fact that Pi and his family planned on moving from India to Canada .

The setting does create an obstacle for the characters towards the beginning of the book. While Pi and his family were off on a ship to move from India to Canada, the ship ended up sinking and caused everyone (including Pi’s family) to drown and die, which left Pi stranded in the Pacific Ocean through out most of the book. It was an obstacle because Pi then had to try to survive by making it on shore while riding in a life boat,in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

     “I watched the Ship as it disappeared with much burbling and belching. Lights flickered and went out. I looked about for my family, for survivors, for another lifeboat, for anything that might bring me hope. There was nothing. Only rain, marauding waves of black ocean and the flotsam of tragedy. (p.107)”

This quote helps describe how the setting created an obstacle for the character because it was the last time Pi saw the ship he rode on with his family and is now stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean.

Characters Growth- Life of Pi

Question: Are any of the characters a developing character, changing over time?  Explain how the character changed in the story. (What were they like before? What were they like after?  Who or what changed them?)  Was the change a large or a small change?  Is the change believable for the character in his/her situation?

In the book the developing character is Pi. He changed in various different ways throughout the story, he started off as a child that didn’t really know about the ways of life and what is required to be done in order to live it successfully. While at school he would be really shy to talk to others and insecure of his beliefs.

Since pi lived in India at the time, he was raised having strong religious beliefs towards Allah (God) since he was  considered their savior and if he believed in God then he’ll make it a long way throughout life. At first he didn’t really believe in the “follow god” rule , but throughout the book he realizes how much his religion and what they believe is important.

The change in his development was large because all the different events made him go from a lost insecure person to a more woke and confident person.

“I struggled to shore and fell upon the sand. I looked about. I was truly alone, orphaned not only of my family, but now Richard Parker, and nearly,I thought of God. Of course, I wasn’t. This beach, so soft firm and vast, was like the cheek of god, and somewhere two eyes were glittering with pleasure and a mouth was smiling at having me there. (p.258)”

This quote took place when Pi finally made it to the island of Mexico. He talks about how he was glad he believed in himself and his religious beliefs and a big impact by saving him though prayer. At the end he thanks God for having his back throughout the adventure.

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