Both Jamal and Pi are Indian boys that grew up in two totally separate areas. Pi grew up in a moderately wealthy area and Jamal grew up in the slums on India. This just emphasises what the CASTE system did to India and how vast the gap is between the rich and the poor.
Pi, who also has an older brother, Ravi, was bullied in his younger years, and you can say that Jamal was also bullied, but he was picked on by his older brother Salim.
Both characters had hard lives but both in a different sense. Pi had to adapt to his surroundings in order to survive living out at see with a tiger. Jamal had to adapt to living without a mother on the streets in Mumbai. Both characters, did what they had to do in order to survive their environments. Both Pi and Jamal were forced to grew up very quickly.
Both characters had to endure losing their parents. Pi lost his parents when the boat sank and Jamal lost his mother when the Mumbai riots occurred in India. Pi’s parents didn’t because of a freak accident whereas Jamal’s mother was murdered.
Latika is what kept Jamal going everyday and the thought of finally getting to be with her made him keep on fighting to stay alive in the slums of India. Pi had his religion and the thought that he would be rescued one day kept him hanging on for dear life.
– Karly
Jonnycats on Indians and other large cats 