Early in the novel, we discover that Pi majored in religious studies and zoology, with particular interests in a sixteenth-century Kabbalist and the admirable three-toed sloth. In subsequent chapters, he explains the ways in which religions and zoos are both steeped in illusion. Discuss some of the other ways in which these two fields find unlikely compatibility. How does scientific language and classification fit in with Pi’s father’s world view (whose life was saved by modern medicine)? How might the different religions explain the world for Pi? NOTE: If you’re interested in this topic, keep track/take notes: as we read through the novel, how might different faiths or worldviews explain what happens to Pi? Does one faith or worldview explain it best? What is the role of the lists of supplies and the survival guidebook in the novel?
