Author: Yann Martel
Date Published: 2001
Meaning of the Title: It is not The Life of Pi because no particular life is supported. It is about the multiplicity of life and, in the end, the reader is left to choose which of Pi's lives to believe.
Setting: India, Canada, Pacific Ocean, Mexico
Genre: Novel
Protagonist: Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
Antagonist: Richard Parker; nature; internal struggle
Mood: Wondrous, spiritual, desperate, satisfied
Point of View: First person, changing from fictional author to Pi
Tense: This story is written in past tense.
Climax: When Pi tells a second story and challenges the Japanese men to choose the better story
Outcome: Both men admit the first story is better
Major Theme: The importance of telling/living the better story
Minor Themes: Science coexisting with religion; religious syncretism
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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