Narrative Thread # 1: Father’s admonitions to stay away from the tiger in the zoo
Throughout chapter eight, Pi’s father teaches him not to go near animals like tigers because they are incredibly dangerous. He does this by allowing a tiger to brutally kill a goat right before his, Ravi’s and Pi’s eyes. Pi’s father says, “Tigers are very dangerous…I want you to understand that you are never – under any circumstances – to touch a tiger, to pet a tiger, to put your hands through the bars of a cage, even to get close to a cage. Is that clear?” (44). This quotation and example illustrates the fact that tigers are extremely dangerous, and that any contact with them can cause serious bodily harm. Not only does this thread foreshadow what is to come for Pi, but it also develops and changes throughout the novel, as Pi eventually is stuck on a life boat with a tiger and does not have a choice whether or not…show more content… It is an irrational number because it cannot be expressed as a fraction. It is also a constant, never ending number. In changing his name, Pi goes from being a complete joke to being a significant “number” – perhaps a little bit irrational, but constant as well. Pi’s name relates to whom he truly is as a person, as some things in life are just too troubling to accept and learn, just as some of the things Pi must endure throughout his life. For example, Pi has a difficult time accepting the death of his family, and he has hallucinations of his mother being on the boat with him. Overall, it is fair to conclude that this thread develops throughout the novel because as Pi is stuck on the life boat, he begins to question who he truly is. When Pi starts to question who he is as a person, he finds it difficult to learn who he truly wishes to be. Through this, Martel is trying to communicate the importance of being true to one’s