Overture is a musical composition and introduction to opera, ballet or oratorio.
The actors of the play have to take their places when an overture begins and then wait for the rise of the curtain. After the curtain rising the play starts.
When hearing an overture, the audience can get an idea of music that would be in the play.
The novel's narrator in order to help him recover from his sadness and gloom tells him that he is the owner of his life, and this resonates to him and makes him question himself about certain things. The animal that pi chooses to study for the thesis is a sloth and he chooses this animal because it has a calm and quiet temperament.
