Religion

In this novel several relgions are pressed upon in some manner. The most important are Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Pi had a interest in many different religions so he asked about all, and got different peoples perspective on each. This helped him stay alive on the boat because it gave him something to believe in and keep him alive. Religion plays an important role in many peoples' lives because it is a security thing to believe that someone is more powerful than you. And that someone created you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism -Hinduism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity- Christianity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam- Islam