Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Life of Pi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival
Religion and Faith
Storytelling
Boundaries
Summary
Analysis
Pi lists other famous shipwreck survivors, and says that he ended up surviving 227 days at sea. He says that keeping a busy routine was the key to his survival. He lists his daily chores and activities, which included feeding himself and Richard Parker, praying, and keeping his raft and equipment properly functioning. Pi also spends hours just observing Richard Parker. Pi soon gives up looking for ships on the horizon, and he comes to forget the passing of time, which he says helps him to survive. This makes all his memories blur together, however.
The longest surviving castaway (at the time of Life of Pi’s publication) is Poon Lim, a Chinese sailor who lived on a raft for 133 days. The book’s following chapters are brief episodes that break up the monotony of Pi’s ordeal. Even though he has a routine of repetitive acts, Pi is still constantly on the verge of death, as there is no “routine” way of procuring food and water, even though he and the tiger must regularly eat and drink.
Themes
