Pi puts his ordeal in context by listing famous castaway survivals and then states his own: he survived 227 days at sea, more than seven months.

Pi explains that staying alive depended on keeping busy. Pi describes an “average day” structured around repeated prayers, feeding Richard Parker, inspecting the raft and lifeboat (especially knots and ropes), tending the solar stills, fishing, curing strips of fish, organizing supplies, and preparing for night.

Pi notes that mornings usually felt easier than late afternoons, when empty time pressed in. Unpredictable events frequently broke the routine: rainfall stopped everything as Pi rushed to collect and store water, turtle visits demanded attention, and Richard Parker’s movements and moods forced constant accommodation.

Beyond necessity, Pi spends long hours watching Richard Parker because the tiger is a powerful distraction and Pi’s only companion. Over time Pi also stops scanning for ships; after five or six weeks, the habit nearly disappears.

Finally, Pi says survival required forgetting: although the ordeal had start and end dates, Pi avoided counting days because time “is an illusion that only makes us pant.” What remains are scattered sensory memories, encounters, and routines that Pi cannot reliably place in order.