Life of Pi: Chapters 9-17

This reading portion goes over the themes of animals and religion.
Chapter nine covers what flight distance is, and how reducing flight distance allows for animals to be healthy. It leads into book ten, which talks about how animals must have a perfect place to live in order to be at peace, and they will be content to stay put. An anecdote in chapter 11 of a female leopard which hid for 10 weeks, and basically left its zoo in order to be comfortable with its surroundings.
These three chapters seem to sort of form one idea together. It develops the importance of being in a place where you are comfortable and then you will be content with your existence. It was a little boring at this section, and truth be told I took a nap before resuming with the rest of the reading.
Chapter 12 seems like an incomplete idea. It goes from the narrator's fear of how Pi gets agitated by his memories into how the author dislikes spicy food.
I did not understand why this particular chapter was put where it was. While it separated the ideas of inferiority and superiority from that of surroundings and safety, it had little to do with either topic.
Chapter 13 talks about how circus trainers only have control since they establish it as their territory, and makes himself the alpha male. The trainer must make  sure the lions know that they are inferior, and fill their minds with fear. Chapter 14 further describes this idea with pointing out how often the star of the show is the omega animal. It gets protection from the trainer by being compliant, and it is demonstrated in all sorts of animals.
Chapter 15 stresses the ideas of religion. It describes the various religious artifacts around Pi's house with the Virgin Mary, Ganesha, Krishna, Shakti, and Christ being celebrated in various ways. I found this chapter to be beautifully written with vivid descriptions, but confusing with a barrage of descriptive and religious words.
Chapter 16 delves into Pi's first experience with Hinduism and some of its basic ideas with Brahman and atman and Auntie Rohini bringing him to a temple as a baby. Chapter 17 also talks about religion from Pi's point of view, but rather about Christianity. Pi's family had gone to Munnar and Pi went to a christian church and met with Father Martin. Pi explains his confusion with Christianity and how there is only one real story to it. Pi talks about how he met Jesus, and how he feels that Jesus is a sorry excuse for a god for he suffers as a human, and lacks fantastic powers as the Hindu gods have, but rather talks and spreads ideas. The chapter ends with a comparison between the fast religion of Christianity and the slow religion of HInduism, and how Pi finds out that he is/ can be Christian if he so chooses.