All of the Book Life of Pi

[Helen]

This is a group for our book report, here we can have discussions and post questions.

[Peter]

What discussions or questions?

It is an allegory for religion or self-determination.

Or, more likely, a mastubatory sorta self-help book.

[Helen]

Any discussions

[Denise]

Doesn't the book list questions in the back for review and discussion? Been a few years since I've read it so I don't remember.

Could start with something like, how does the name Pi relate to the story symbolically given that in math Pi is irrational?

What is the significance of the animals the author chose to be in the boat with Pi?

yadda yadda, good luck with the book report and future discussions

[Illiterate]

I like the one relating the characters name and the mathematical idea of Pi being an irrational number.
After reading the book, of course with then first few pages you realize the true etiology of Pi's name.

However its relation to the mathematical concept can not be overlooked and the nature of the story can make people wonder exactly what is rational and what isn't.

If one wants to strictly think of Pi in the mathematical sense. The number goes on and on. It is not rational. Not neatly divisible . . So to make sense of Pi - we shorten it. Because we can not relate to a never ending continuous number, we turn Pi into a number we can use...... 3.14. That's Pi...or is it?

Consider this when trying to rationalize which story you prefer - the one with animals or the one with animals. The irrational, unyielding, uncomfortable to deal with story may in fact be the one closest to the truth.