The Main Character

I am currently on page 41 of Life of Pi and will be analyzing the protagonist Pi. Pi, or Piscine Molitor Patel is a man who grew up in Pondicherry, India. Named after a pool, Pi was constantly made fun of during his childhood as his name often sounded like “Pissing Patel” (Martel, 20). He adopted the shortened name of “Pi” but continued to live tormented by his older brother, Ravi’s, achievements. He accepted his fate that “like all younger brothers, I would suffer from following in the footsteps of a popular older sibling” (Martel, 21). This indirectly implies that Pi was not a popular kid and perhaps kept to myself during his studies. He may have grown up with confidence issues as he compared myself and his actions to Ravi which may foreshadow an event later on in his life. In addition, religion played a major role throughout Pi’s life. We learn that he becomes a student of religion and zoology. When his faith was challenged he said “Religion will save us […] Since when I could remember, religion had been very close to my heart” (27). He was raised surrounded by faith and faith is what has led and will continue to lead him throughout his life. In regards to his studies, he found himself “a very good student, if I may say so myself. I was tops at St. Michael’s College four years in a row” (Martel, 5). He is knowledgeable and rather “book smart”. This knowledge will later be tested as his life moves towards the events which take place in the ocean.

I think the character of Pi is quite interesting. He was raised in a zoo, surrounded by faith, and knowledgable about animals. I have two older brothers and I often find myself living in their shadows just as Pi felt with Ravi. I am anxious to see how all this background character knowledge on Pi will play a role in his personal development.  



Here is Pi portrayed in the movie Life of Pi:




I have attached a link to another blog which further discusses the theme of water throughout the novel:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/litblog/2010/10/02/the-theme-of-water-in-life-of-pi/



Comments

  1. Tyler HeinzFebruary 14, 2019 at 7:04 PM

    This is a great, in-depth analysis of the main character in the novel. The backstory of Pi really sets up a good stage for Pi to succeed and do something great. As a reader you almost want him to win after hearing the terrible things of his childhood, from bullying to living in his brother's shadow. He is smart and faithful, which is something I like to see in people. I also really like the background of your blog and how it relates to the ocean adventure.

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