Nice little twist at the end, something that satisfies a writer's soul. Martel brings up the notion of story, and what is fiction and what is truth as Pi retells his story briefly to a group who interviews him when he is washed up on shore and saved.
By changing the elements of his original tale to eliminate the magical realism of the animals, and an island that eats life, he is more readily believed. However, the tale is not quite so entrancing. The struggle of man against man is dramatic; the struggle of a single man against the natural enemies of beast and sea and sun is more exciting.
Perhaps this is where Pi's religious faith comes in; the notion of choosing his god by the elements of power, strength, love, or whatever, knowing that the colorful beauty of Hinduism holds its appeal for him. We choose to believe in what can be seen many different ways, by our own needs.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology