Point of View

The large majority of Life of Pi is written in the first person, from Pi's point of view. First person is the classic and still remains the most commonly used point of view. It was important in this story to have it told from Pi's point of view because it makes the story more intimate. The reader hears the story of Pi's adventure right from its source, getting the action and adventure, but also the internal struggles and the thoughts and feelings he had during the ordeal. The disadvantage of first person point of view, from a reader's perspective, is that the reader is told only what the main character wants to tell. This disadvantage is a well-used tactic for the author of Life of Pi because he uses it to create the book's twist at the end when Pi offers up the alternate, animal-free story...