Pi faces a series of obstacles during his journey of survival at sea. His call to adventure begins when he is awakened during a storm and realizes the ship he is traveling on is sinking. He crosses the threshold into a new world when he is cast into a lifeboat alone with Richard Parker. Pi draws on mentors from his past who taught him skills like swimming that help him endure threats like hunger, thirst, and the tiger. After many trials, Pi is rescued and returns to the normal world, but he has been transformed by his experience and gains the freedom to fully live through telling his story.

2. The Hero’s Journey Re-Cap
× The Hero’s Journey is a
pattern of narrative identified
by the American scholar
Joseph Campbell that appears
in drama, storytelling, myth,
religious ritual, and
psychological development. It
describes the typical
adventure of the archetype
known as The Hero.

3. Introduction
× This Power Point will go over the key components of Pi’s
Journey
× Please go over your own notes to see where you went wrong
or did not provide enough detail
× This will be an important component of the exam
× This will not include everything you need to know about
Pi’s Journey. Please make sure you ask Ms. L if you need any
additional clarification.

4. The Call to Adventure
Definition:
“The hero begins in a mundane situation of normality from
which some information is received that acts as a call to head off
into the unknown.” (-Wikipedia)

5. The Call to Adventure
× Right off the bat we have a complicated and debatable topic about
when Pi was actually called to the adventure.
× A lot of students think Pi’s call to adventure comes when his Father
decides to pack up the family and move.
× However, it can also be argued that there is a different call. Remember,
we are examining the HERO’S journey, not the hero’s family’s journey.
× In order to identify the call to adventure be sure to focus specifically
on the Hero and his or her individual journey.
× In Pi’s case, the journey centered around his time on the Life Raft with
Richard Parker. So when was he specifically called to the adventure?
× We’ll get back to this question after a quick tangent...

6. The Call to Adventure -
Notes
× Sometimes the Hero's call to adventure is
actually a call:
× (like when Neo from The Matrix literally
receives a telephone call).
× Sometimes the call is a more figurative
proposition:
× (like when Shrek from Shrek needs to go on
an adventure to get his swamp back from
the fairy tale creatures).
× Sometimes the call is forced upon the
protagonist
× (like when Jonah from The Bible gets
swallowed by the whale).

7. The Call to Adventure
× So what’s the other moment
that could be considered
Pi’s call to adventure
× The answer: When he
wakes up during the storm
and leaves his room on the
Tsimtsum.

8. So Ms. L, which one is the
correct answer?
× I’m inclined to argue that the
second answer has more
credibility when put
together as a whole journey.
(I’ll explain why on the next
page)
× That being said, over the
years of teaching this novel
and The Hero’s Journey, I
have had so many strong
arguments presented to
support the first theory too.
× Therefore, either answer can
be correct as long as it is
thoroughly justified with
very specific examples.
× This PowerPoint presentation
will be providing answers to
support the second theory.
× After reading it, if you are
still convinced that the first
theory is the correct one then
that is completely fine. Just
make sure you have strong
examples to support your
points in something like an
exam essay *cough* hint
*cough*

9. Call to Adventure -
Rationale
× Pi’s Call to Adventure came
when he was already on
board the Tsimtsum.
× Although Pi and his family
had already embarked on a
journey towards a different
life, it was not Pi’s journey.
× Had the Tsimtsum not sunk,
Pi and his family would have
carried on a relatively normal
life. True, there would have
been some adjustments to
their daily routine and their
concept of normal, but life
wouldn’t be drastically
different. Pi himself wouldn’t
be much different.
× Although Pi would be in a
new place, he still would
have had his family and his
routines. His foundation
would still be in place.
× Therefore, when Pi awoke
and went up top the ship to
see what was going on, this
was his call to adventure.
× This was the moment that
signified the beginning of Pi’s
own personal adventure.
× This was the moment where
his concept of normal would
never again be the same.
Where his foundation was to
be completely shaken and
pulled out from under him.

10. The Call to Adventure –
God Like Being
× But what about the bullet point
about the “god like figure”? How
does that work its way into this
section?
× Good question! In addition to
considering WHAT the call to
adventure is, you also want to ask
yourself WHO is instigating this
call?
× In Pi’s case the storm and disaster
are representative of a god like
force.
× God called Pi on the journey by
waking him up during the storm.

11. Decision- Acceptance or
Refusal of The Call
× From time to time the Hero’s do
actually refuse to go on the
adventure. However, their
wouldn't be a story if the Hero
didn’t go on the journey... so in
the end, one way or another,
they always accept the journey.
× In Pi’s case, he didn’t just go
back to bed. He didn’t
consciously agree to go on the
journey, but he also didn’t
refuse it.
× Arguably, he does later accept
the call by not simply giving up
by jumping in the water and
drowning himself.

12. Crossing the Threshold
× The threshold is the barrier between two worlds. Frequently
this barrier is metaphorical, but sometimes it is quite
tangible (as in the case of the mirror in the Chronicles of
Narnia or the well in Alice of Wonderland).
× The threshold is the first “step” into this entirely new world.
× The hero cannot return to his original world without going
on the journey.
× The world he came from will also never be the same

13. Crossing The Threshold
× In Pi’s case, the threshold can be argued as the moment the
crew members release Pi and throw him into the lifeboat.
Oh look at that… another
similarity to Jonah

14. Crossing the Threshold
× Here is a great answer by Laura, one of your fellow
students:
× The idea of The Crossing of the First Threshold is that the
hero is leaving his ordinary world behind. Pi says,
“Richard Parker, can you believe what has happened to us?
Tell me it’s a bad dream. Tell me it’s not real. Tell me I’m still
in my bunk on the Tsimtsum and I am tossing and
turning...” (Martel 107). This quote shows that Pi has crossed
out of what is ordinary, and into an adventure. Everything
has changed. Life will never again be the same.

15. Preparation
× In this point I provided three guiding bullet points (Mentors, skill
and knowledge, and Allies) and you needed to relate them back to
the concept of preparation.
× For example, How did each mentor impact on his preparation?
What did they teach Pi that he would later use on his journey?
× Pi had many mentors who contributed to his journey and his
survival. A specific example of a mentor would be Mamaji who
taught Pi how to swim. Let’s face it, if Pi didn’t have this basic
skill under his belt, the story would have ended a lot sooner (and a
lot more tragically).
× As you review your own answers, try to think of at least 2 other
examples of mentors AND how they impacted his journey (then
do the same with knowledge/skills and allies)

16. Hints
× — Acquired knowledge or skills:
— - How did Pi learn about the
dangerous nature of Tigers?
× — Allies:
— - Orange Juice

17. The Obstacles
× Pi faces a tremendous amount of obstacles throughout his
time on the lifeboat.
× Here are a couple highlights:
× Pi killing and eating a fish for the first time. This was a huge
mental obstacle for Pi to overcome.
× The endless list of physical obstacles (sun, rain, hunger,
thirst)
× The biggest seemingly insurmountable obstacle: not being
eaten by Richard Parker.

18. The Temptress
× The Temptress/Tempter–this relates to allure. Typically, this
is synonymous with the seductress. (Unfortunately ladies,
woman often end up as man’s downfall in The Hero’s
Journey). In Life of Pi there is no “seductress” character.
Therefore, you could argue that Martel did not include this
element because Pi was so busy trying to survive he didn’t
have the time or ability to be seduced or distracted by
anything else.
× However, a few students picked up on some very advanced
concepts (with detailed examples) suggesting the Ocean was
a temptress relating to Pi’s thirst) and also The Island which
Pi was literally tempted to live at forever.

19. Supernatural Aid
× The Island was also an example of Supernatural Aid
because had it NOT been a crazy carnivorous island, Pi
likely would have given up and lived there forever.
Therefore, the island actually propelled the journey.

20. The Rescue/Return from
Without
× Eventually our Heroes always return to the “normal” or “original”
world.
× Wendy leaves Never Never Land to grow up
× Alice leaves Wonderland
× Shrek returns to his swamp
× Neo exits The Matrix
× However, the Heroes always come back changed – and rightly so!
Nothing will ever be the same as it was at the beginning.
× This is where the Hero once again crosses the threshold and leaves
the adventure

21. The Rescue
× In Pi’s case, the rescue comes when he is quite literally
rescued off the coast of Mexico.
× Pi physically crosses the threshold when he leaves the
lifeboat (remember how entering the lifeboat signified the
crossing of the first threshold)
× Another important thing to note is that Richard Parker also
left – he walked away from Pi never to be found.
× Thus, not only did Pi leave the “other” world but the other
world left Pi

22. Master of Two Worlds
× Yann Martel includes this piece of the journey in such an
interesting way. Pi literally describes two different worlds as he
retells the story of his adventure.
× One of the stories is totally unbelievable in the real world while
the other is – although gruesome – more much realistic (again, in
terms of a world very similar to the one you and I live in).

23. The Freedom to Live
× Pi moves on with his life...
× He has a career...
× A family...
× A life.
× However, his true Freedom to
Live brings the whole story
full circle to the very
beginning of the author’s
note.
× In telling his story, he is truly
given the freedom to live.

24. The End
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