Chapters 22–24

Summary

Together these three chapters sum up Pi’s confusion regarding the role of faith and meaning in the world. Chapter 22 briefly suggests that the atheist is closer to faith than the agnostic. Chapter 23 describes the time all of Pi’s religious teachers met him at the same time, with his family, and had a nasty argument over which faith he followed and which was better. Chapter 24 describes how Ravi teased Pi for his attempt to follow multiple faiths.

Analysis

Chapter 23 is a deeply ironic commentary on the conflict between the ideals espoused by religion and their practices. They are all supposedly paths of love and paths to truth, but when their representatives meet, they squabble like spoiled children—or like the territorial animals Pi has previously described.

Chapters 25–28

Summary

These four chapters all detail various assaults upon religion. Chapter 25 speaks in general terms about the need to defend God from the inside. Chapters 26 and 27 describe Pi’s parents’ attempts to distract Pi from religion and to put religion within human constraints. Pi’s family laughs at him, then comes, eventually, to a kind of truce with his faith.

Analysis

These chapters show Pi as already isolated, already a strange animal among those that he loves but that do not understand him, as he will be on the lifeboat.

Quotes

The water trickled down my face and down my neck; though just a beaker’s worth, it had the refreshing effect of a monsoon rain. (Chapter 28)

This description of Pi’s baptism indicates that religion and water are linked for him and that both are refreshing and life-giving, as they will be on the lifeboat.

Chapter 29

Summary

Mr. Patel decides to move the family out of India (to Canada) due to political upheaval in India.

Analysis

In this chapter, Pi learns his life will be changing forever. He makes explanations for it, and for his father’s actions, without realization that his explanations echo the reasons that animals escape their cages.

Chapter 30

Summary

The author meets Pi’s wife.

Analysis

The author realizes both that Pi is no longer alone—that he has formed a new family—and that he has missed many signs of Pi’s character. He is not as keen an observer as he thought or as life has made Pi become.

Chapter 31

Summary

The two Mr. Kumars both come to the zoo, where they view the animals, meet one another, and each feed the same zebra.

Analysis

The zebra is marked by harsh contrast: black and white. The colors should not go together, but they are only superficial differences. Likewise, though one is pure faith and one pure reason, both Mr. Kumars meet the animals with the same sense of wonder, showing the underlying similarities between these worldviews.

Chapter 32

Summary

Pi explains zoomorphism: animals adopting other, different animals (or humans) as their own.

Analysis

This entire chapter is a meditation on Pi’s relationship with the animals in the lifeboat, especially, of course, Richard Parker. He should be prey for a tiger, or kill it for protection, but instead he comes to love the tiger.