For sophomores John and Lorraine, the world feels meaningless; nothing is important. They certainly can never please their parents, and school is a chore. To pass the time, they play pranks on unsuspecting people. It's during one of these pranks that they meet the "Pigman"--a fat, balding old man with a zany smile plastered on his face. In spite of themselves, John and Lorraine soon find that they're caught up in Mr. Pignati's zest for life. In fact, they become so involved that they begin to destroy the only corner of the world that's ever mattered to them. Originally published in 1968, this novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel still sings with sharp emotion as John and Lorraine come to realize that "Our life would be what we made of it--nothing more, nothing less."
I really enjoyed this book. It was very fun to read, and unique. I liked how Paul Zindel told the story from the two kids sides. It kept me guessing the whole time. It was set in a town, where many high school kids lived and hung out. Most of the time, the kids enjoyed setting bombs in the bathroom, disrupting class, and prank phone calls. But their rank calls were put to an end when they called Mr.Pignati. or the Pigman. Two sophmores, John and Lorraine, called him as a fake charity, looking for donations. They went there, and the three soon became friends. The Pigman was very lonely. His wife "went on vacation to California," as he said. He collects glass pigs, and spends time at the zoo with the monkeys. Then, one day, while John and Lorraine were roller-skating with the Pigman, he had a heart attack.
Mr.Pignati was fine, but he had to spend a few days in the hospital. So, Lorraine and John try to throw a party for Mr.Pignati's return.But things get way out of hand. The girls mess up the Pigman's wife's clothes (who turns out to be deceased). The guys make the place into a dump, and break his pigs. The Pigman returns, and falls into a deep depression.
John and Lorraine want to make the Pigman feel better. So, they take him to the zoo. They go straight to the monkey house, and Mr. Pignati starts calling for Bobo, his favorite monkey friend at the zoo. A man tells them that Bobo died, and Mr. Pignati gets even sadder. As John and Lorraine turn to leave, Mr. Pignati collapses, and dies.
The book was very sad, i thought, but it was a good book.
writes,
Two bored and lonely high school sophomores from dysfunctional, apathetic families are searching for acceptance, attention, and contentment. They find that for which they yearn in each other and in Angelo Pignati, a lonely, unusual, gentle man who collects ceramic pigs. Upon encountering the pigman, as they referred to him, by randomly calling people in the phone book, John and Lorraine are bewildered by his kindheartedness, candidness and attentiveness to them. The three atypical friends share simple pleasures, including visits to the zoo to feed Bobo, the vicious baboon that the pigman had previously been visiting and feeding on a daily basis. Sadly, in an effort to maintain the approval of their peers, John and Lorraine violate the pigman's trust. The pigman does forgive them, but the disappointment he feels lingers until it is exacerbated by the additional devastation of Bobo's death.
Although long-winded and slow-moving at times, Zindel adds realism to his characterizations by writing this story in the first person. He begins his story with a signed pact between John and Lorraine and continues the story in the first person, alternating between chapters narrated by John and others by Lorraine. The use of typical teen dialect makes the characters very appealing to young adults, although the subject may not be of much interest. Zindel effectively uses the repetition of the theme of pigs throughout his plot, a strong archetypal symbol of the selfishness that is the demise of the teens. The integral settings, from the exotic atmosphere of the zoo to the eccentric home of the pigman, fill the reader with intense images that reinforce the impact of the story. Although the style, characters, and settings are intriguing, the weak denouement lacks the impact that would make for a more memorable impression.
writes,
For two adolescents, the world seemed unimportant, worthless, due to theire type of life. These two adolescents, John and Lorraine, are different; John would over-age himself and drink beer and pull pranks on people; school was useless/ meaningless on his point of view. While Lorraine would think of school like something neutral, and she is always kind (in a way). During there normal live's, they meet a man that totally changed their life7 gave it a twist, this was Mr. Pignati (A.K.A Pigman). Both of them become so involved with him, that they almost forget about their way of living before meeting him; life would never be the same for John and Lorraine after meeting "The Pigman."
