What is you impression of Richard Parker before his identity is revealed? How does the personification of Richard Parker affect Pi’s story? How did you react to Pi’s speech about losing everything and being in hell? What theological point is Martel trying to make by having Pi alone?

When we first learned that Pi’s ship had sunk and he was in a life boat, he was calling out to Richard Parker, trying to encourage him to swim to the life boat. When Richard Parker got closer to the boat Pi realized that he didn’t want to have Richard Parker on the boat with him. He suddenly switched from trying to help Richard Parker to trying to drown him. The reason for this sudden change became clear when it was revealed that Richard Parker was a three year old, 450 pound Bengal Tiger. Before Richard Parkers identity was revealed I thought though that the reason Pi changed his mind from wanting to help him on the boat to trying to facilitate his death was because he was a bully from school. I thought that Pi initially wanted to help Richard Parker onto the boat because he didn’t want to be alone but then realized that he would rather be alone than share a boat with a cruel bully. The personification of the tiger affects the story because it is foreshadowing the anthropomorphism of Richard Parker as the ordeal at sea continues.

Before Pi came to his senses about Richard Parker’s identity, he makes a speech about how unfair it is that he is to suffer in hell with no account from heaven. Then he asks Richard Parker why he can throw a question farther that he can pull in an answer. When I read this speech I was overcome by pity for Pi. He felt like he was living in hell and, despite living his life and remaining faithful, he received no explanation from heaven. He was never told what he did wrong. When he asked why he could throw a question farther than he could pull in an answer, I felt empathetic towards him. I, and likely every other person on the planet, have had questions that can never be answered. I have wonderen why we are here, how we got here, where are we going and many other immposible question. These questions can be religious or scientific but everyone asks them. Pi's speech is a great part of the novel because it is another part of Life of Pi that a religious person and an atheist could read and both get the same meaning out of it. By having Pi alone, Yann Martel is showing that Pi’s ordeal is to be a test of faith. God has placed Pi alone on the boat to see if Pi will cast God aside, or keep his faith that god will not abandon him, but will give him what he needs to survive.