Life of Pi Lesson Plan

Why do you think Yann Martel chooses to open the book with a story from the author's life? Do you think this story is true?

It may be unclear to readers -- and this is clearly intentional -- but the Author's Note is pure fiction. The "author" of the note, who steps into the narrative several times through the novel, is also a character created by Martel. But there are few clues to indicate this from the start, so you may not want to tip Martel's hand too strongly here, as the Author's Note plays into the novel's overall themes of narrative reliability and the subjectivity of truth. Compare to epistolary novels from the 19th century, such as Frankenstein, that use framing...