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 develops a method of slightly asphyxiating himself, which creates a pleasing sensation. He takes a piece of cloth (which he calls his “dream rag”), wets it with seawater, and drapes it over his face as he rests. He has strange thoughts and dreams in this state, and time seems to pass by more swiftly.
The dream rag is another incarnation of Pi’s penchant for storytelling and religious faith – choosing a pleasant fiction over a cruel, boring reality.
Themes
