Part 1, Chapters 33–36 Summary and Analysis
Chapter 33
Summary
Pi shows the author photos from his past. The author notes that Pi is smiling in the photos taken since his rescue but that his eyes tell a different story. There are only four photos from India which Mamaji sent to Pi. None are of his family, and Pi can hardly remember what his mother looks like.
Analysis
The fact that a picture of Richard Parker is part of Pi’s family memorabilia symbolizes the role animals play in Pi’s identity.
Chapters 34–35
Summary
These chapters describe the efforts the Patel family went through as they tried to leave India. Chapter 34 is a comic review of the main bureaucratic and economic obstacles; in chapter 35, the Patels, especially Mrs. Patel, say their emotional farewells to their country.
Analysis
The contrast between Americans and Indians in chapter 34 shows how fully Pi will be out of place in his new land (and how much he already knows it). In chapter 35, the description of Pi’s mother and India blend: he is leaving his motherland behind.
Quotes
Things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it. (Chapter 35)
Pi thinks this looking back at the family’s departure from India. It is a lightly philosophical statement that covers a world of pain.
Chapter 36
Summary
The author meets the rest of Pi’s family: his son, daughter, cat, and dog.
Analysis
The author compares Pi’s house to India in its ability to hide souls, a suggestion he has made a new motherland of his own here. The fact that Pi’s family includes animals further underscores that he leads a zoomorphic life: animals are people to him, and vice versa.
Expert Q&A
In Martel's Life of Pi, what life-changing decision does Pi's father make at the end of Part One?
At the end of Part One, Pi's father decides to sell the Pondicherry Zoo due to India's political and financial instability and move the family to Canada. This involves selling the animals to various international zoos. The Patel family boards the Japanese ship Tsimtsum on June 21, 1977, marking a significant cultural shift as they leave their ancestral home for an unfamiliar country. This decision sets the stage for the life-changing events that follow.
What is the name of the ship in Life of Pi?
The ship in Life of Pi is named the Tsimtsum. It is a Japanese cargo ship used by the Patel family to transport their zoo animals from India to North America. The ship's sinking leads to Pi's survival story. The Tsimtsum's significance is highlighted again when Japanese officials investigate the shipwreck, prompting Pi to tell them two versions of his story, exploring themes of faith and perception.
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Part 1, Chapters 22–32 Summary and Analysis
Part 2, Chapters 37–46 Summary and Analysis
