Page 22 - Magazine

first person (central narrator) since the author, who is not Pi, tells the story as
if he is Pi.

This style of narrating makes the book seem real, even though it is fiction. It would
be easy to recognize that this was a work of fiction if it was just written from pi’s
point of view, but by giving the author a personality and a back story, it makes it
seem more real. The author is given a personality right at the beginning of the book
when he describes his first book not doing well, “the book did not move.” (v) The
author’s point of view also makes Pi seem more real. The author describes Pi and
his home and his family in a way that Pi wouldn’t be able to. He gives a very
detailed description of Pi. “He's a small, slim man—not more than five foot five…”
(8)

The benefit to writing as a central narrator from Pi's point of view is that he can get
into Pi's head. This helps give logic to Pi's unrelatable choices such as practicing
three religions. This also makes it much easier time gain empathy from your
audience, since they end up spending so much time in Pi's mind. Lastly, this too
brings the story to life because it makes the character seem real to the reader by
allowing them to listen to their voice for long periods of time.

Literature I – Magazine