Classic Fiction

Zindel, Paul. 1968. The pigman. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Summary: John and Lorraine are two emotionally alienated teenagers who become friends. Their personalities are different but they share the common trait of insecurity. John gets into a lot of trouble, and Lorraine wants to avoid trouble but somehow they stick together. Both of them have issues with their parents and John acts out by smoking, drinking and setting off firecracker bombs at school. He is always thinking up ways to break the rules while Lorraine tries to convince him to change. During one of John’s crazy schemes the teens meet an older gentleman, Mr. Pignati, who is a widower and very lonely. They take advantage of Mr. Pignati because he is willing to let them do so. As the story progresses they become more involved with this eccentric man whom they have nicknamed Pigman after his collection of fake pigs. When Mr. Pignati goes into the hospital the teens visit him, but decide to hold a party in his home without permission. The house is trashed and Mr. Pignati returns home from the hospital unexpectedly during the party. Later, they try to make amends with the older gentleman by taking him to the zoo to visit his favorite baboon Bobo. When he discovers that Bobo has died, he dies suddenly right in front of John and Lorraine. How the teens deal with their guilt over the Pigman’s death makes for a complicated but interesting tale.

Analysis/Impressions: This classic young adult fiction book was a bit of a groundbreaker at the time when it was written. It shows teens with very real problems as they are trying to survive emotionally. While the book was written in 1968 it does not seem dated in the way it is written and can still appeal to young adults today.

The story is narrated by John and Lorraine, alternately, in chapters. In this way, we are able to understand both points of view. It is written as a type of journal or written record of their experiences with the Pigman.

We begin to understand early in the book that both of these young people feel unappreciated at home. Their parent’s are self absorbed and have little to offer their children. Lorraine’s father is dead and this makes her feel another sort of abandonment. It is easy to understand why they would seek to find significance in other ways. In John’s case, his penchant for trouble seems to be one way of acting out to get attention. While Lorraine doesn’t like trouble, she is drawn to John and seeks to help him figure out why he is always in trouble.

The Pigman becomes a sort of father figure to the two young people. Even though the teens take advantage of him financially, they become attached to him and feel a real sense of guilt when he dies. The teens also fill a need for the lonely older man.

The characters of John and Lorraine are well developed. While John could be classified as a juvenile delinquent, we also see that on the inside he struggles with the same need for significance as most other young people. His parents are wrapped up in their own world and don’t notice John unless he gets in trouble. Lorraine is an intelligent but terribly insecure young woman, who lives with her overworked single mother who doesn’t have the time or energy to nurture her.

The main topics of this book seem to revolve around the emotional, mental and behavioral challenges of the two protagonists. This well written story honestly portrays the struggles the two teens are having at home, and shows us the reasons why they are making the choices they do. This emotional realism can speak to young people, even those who may not have the exact same problems as John and Lorraine.

Death is also an important theme in this book. Lorraine tells John that smoking will kill him. He doesn’t seem to care. Toward the end of the book as John is telling his part of the story, he writes “Maybe I would rather be dead than to turn into the kind of grown-up people I knew. What was so hot about living anyway if people think you’re a disturbing influence just because you still think about God and Death and the Universe and Love." (Zindel 1968, 163)

Although romance isn’t the main issue in this story we do see that there is some attraction between John and Lorraine. While initially, it seems that they are opposites who are attracted because of their differences, we begin to see that they are both needy and each needs what the other has to offer. We see the potential for this to develop into something more, especially in the scene where they were dressing up in costumes at the Pigman’s house. We see the sexual tension even though nothing happens between them.

One thing we look for in realistic young adult novels is the universal challenge of developing maturity and social skills. For John and Lorraine the challenge was a bit more daunting. Even so, they begin to mature, at least emotionally, when they begin to take ownership for some of the wrong things they have done. As John states at the end of the book, “We had trespassed too—been where we didn’t belong, and we were being punished for it. Mr. Pignati had paid with his life. But when he died something in us had died as well.” (Zindel 1968, 166) Later he says “Our life would be what we made of it—nothing more, nothing less." (1968, 166)

This thought provoking novel is recommended for ages 12 and up.

Review Excerpts:

"Headline news…remarkable…Zindel has written a story that will not be denied." -- Publishers Weekly via Amazon

"This is a shocker of a book. Startling and truthful and vivid." -- Young Readers’ Review, via Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Pigman-Paul-Zindel/dp/0060757353/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226776678&sr=8-1