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 and his family left India on a Japanese cargo ship called the Tsimtsum, departing on June 21st, 1977. Pi describes his mother’s sadness at leaving India, and how she tried to stock up Indian cigarettes (even though she didn’t smoke), as she was so worried about entering a wholly unfamiliar territory.
We don’t spend much time with Pi’s family, but Gita’s last actions are poignant and show a strong love for her homeland. The Tsimtsum appears now, as Pi is about to experience that “contraction” of God’s presence.
Themes
