Choose from ONE of the following questions and write a formulated response:
-Due Friday, October 2nd by Midnight.
1. The idea of survival is a major component in the novel. What does this novel project about what it means to survive?
2. Besides the loss of his family and possessions, what else did Pi lose when the Tsimtsum sank? What did he gain?
3. Chapters 21 and 22 are very short, yet the author has said that they are at the core of the novel. Explain how this might be true.
4. The two Japanese officials who interview Pi don’t believe that he really landed on a man-eating island. When they say that carnivorous trees and fish-eating algae do not exist, Pi responds, “Only because you’ve never seen them.” What does this exchange say about human understanding of what is real and possible?
5. Do you believe Pi forgets all too quickly about his family? Can we criticize Pi for not talking about the loss of his brother and his parents? Or does the alternate story at the end explain his silence?
