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Gita Patel is Pi’s mother, a warm, loving woman who cares deeply about her sons. She often comes across as reserved and down-to-earth, but, when necessary, she does not shy away from standing up for her children. Her unwavering maternal strength is a quality that Pi particularly admires in his mother as it allows him to feel safe. He even goes so far as to compare his mother to “the sun above,” an image which reinforces just how much he values her presence in his life. Mrs. Patel repeatedly stands up for Ravi and Pi when she believes that her husband is being too tough on them. She shields them from the gruesome tiger encounter that Mr. Patel forces the children to watch, and she defends Pi when he insists that their son put an end to his interests in multiple religions. Although she does not feel particularly connected to Hinduism or Baptism, the faiths of her own childhood, she does not want to deprive Pi of something that brings him joy purely because it is unconventional. Mrs. Patel may try to guide him toward a more traditional path, but she stops short of forcing a particular belief system onto him. This gentle approach, along with encouraging his curiosity through their shared love of books, allows Pi to grow into the well-rounded individual whose faith gives him the strength to survive 227 days at sea.
Unlike Pi’s father and brother, Mrs. Patel has two different fates depending on which version of the story the reader believes. In the main narrative, Mrs. Patel, who felt a profound sense of loss when it came to leaving her beloved country, drowned when the Tsimtsum sank. When Pi offers the Japanese officials an alternative version of events, however, she takes the place of Orange Juice, the majestic orangutan who initially survives by floating on bananas. This narrative maintains the image of her as a protective figure as she defends Pi from the brutality of the Cook for as long as possible. In the end, she sacrifices her life in an attempt to give her son his best chance at survival.
