They sell their zoo and arrange to transfer the animals to zoos across North America. His religious zeal concerns his parents, but the teenage Pi explains to them that “I just want to love God.”ĭue to political strife in India, Pi’s parents decide to relocate the family to Canada. Although he was raised as a vegetarian Hindu, he explores Islam and Christianity and decides to become a Hindu, Muslim and Christian. Meanwhile, Pi’s discovery of religion sets him on a spiritual path that will become an important recurring theme throughout the story. His observations of animal psychology set the groundwork for the later story. He grows up closely observing the animals in the zoo and he also discovers religion. Part One begins in Pondicherry, where Pi recounts his childhood as the son of a zookeeper. The presence of the narrator adds an element of realism to the novel, even though readers are aware that the story is a work of fiction. To give readers a glimpse of the adult Pi’s life in Toronto. The anonymous narrator is a separate character who only occasionally inserts himself into the story, largely The Author’s Note also frames Pi’s story as a retelling. With an Author’s Note, which explains how the author came across Pi’s incredible story. Life of Pi is divided into three parts based on location: Toronto and Pondicherry the Pacific Ocean and the Benito Juárez Infirmary in Tomatlán, Mexico. In addition, she points out that Scliar spends 17 out of 99 pages on the lifeboat, while Martel devotes more “narrative space to the concept” with 211 out of 354 pages. Nazism while Martel’s novel is a narrative exploration of faith and storytelling. In “‘Hollow at the core’: Deconstructing Yann Martel’s Life of Pi,” she argues that Scliar’s novella is an allegory for Scholar Florence Stratton conducted an in-depth analysis of each book and argued against the accusation of plagiarism against Martel. Although he was flattered, Scliar told the New York Times that Martel “used that idea without consulting me or even informing me.” Martel later recognized Scliar in his Author’s Note, thanking himįor providing the “spark of life” for his novel.

Borrowing the same premise caused some tension with Scliar after Martel has also admitted that he was inspired by the premise of Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar’s novella Max and the Cats (1981), about a boy stranded on a lifeboat with a jaguar.

Searching for a “capital ‘S’” story, he was inspired by the abundance of animals and religion he encountered. In an interview with PBS, Martel shared that “the idea of a religious boy in a lifeboat with a wild animal struck me as a perfect metaphor for the human condition.” While on a trip in India, (Edinburgh’s Canongate published the first UK edition in 2002). It was rejected by at least five London-based publishing houses before the Canadian publisher Knopf took a chance on it

Life of pi by yann martel