Life of Pi Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 1 Chapter 8 Summary

Part 1 Chapter 8 Summary

Pi's father had a sign near the entrance of the zoo that read, "Do you know which is the most dangerous animal in the zoo?" Next to the sign was a curtain with a mirror behind it. Zookeepers consider man the most dangerous threat to the zoo. The danger is manifest in man's cruelty toward the animals. Pi goes on to list incidences of foreign and dangerous objects that have been fed to zoo animals throughout history. Fortunately, at his father's zoo, they had few incidences of animal cruelty. Pi tells the story of a snake charmer who tried to steal a cobra and a woman who dangled her sari in the lion's cage thinking they ate only meat.

Pi's father taught him that the second greatest danger in the zoo was anthropomorphism. We try to see in the animal what we want to see in ourselves, for better or...
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