Character Sketch - The Life of Pi

By Nick.

While most of us live happy lives, others in different parts of the world suffer much more than we do. In the book “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, the main character - Pi Patel - is no exception to this. His adventures begin when his family dies in a sinking ship. The only thing that helped him survive was nothing but critical thinking and the company of a Bengal tiger.

1. “My suffering left me sad and gloomy.” Pg. 3 - Here we know that he came from a past, a past so dark that you cannot comprehend it. It is explained a good way into the book.

2. “I can imagine an atheist’s last words: ‘White, white! L-L-Love! My God!’” Pg. 70 - It is true that Pi has an interest in religion in the book, it’s just not a common occurrence in the book.

3. “Yet there will always be animals who seek to escape from zoos.” - Pi has been observed to care for animals, and to animals, a zoo is akin to a prison.

4. “That is God as God should be.” - Another quote alluding to Pi’s (slightly-) deep interest in Religion.

5. “Life goes on and you don’t touch tigers.” - Pi makes a quote about life and Tigers here.