The Pigman
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| The Pigman | |
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| Author | Paul Zindel |
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| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Youth novel |
| Publisher | Harper Trophy |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 166 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-06-075735-9 |
| Followed by | The Pigman's Legacy |
The Pigman is a book for young adults written by Paul Zindel, first published in 1969. There is a sequel called The Pigman's Legacy.
This novel tells the story of two high school sophomores, John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen, who are disenchanted with their parents and life in general. However, their lives change when they meet an eccentric old man whose nickname is "The Pigman".
[edit] Plot summary
Along with Lorraine and other friends, John invents a "telephone marathon", in which participants close their eyes, point at a random name in a telephone book, and call that number, trying to stay on the line as long as possible. They contact a Mr. Pignati, and Lorraine pretends she's collecting for charity. He pledges and invites them to his home to collect the money.
Pignati proves to be a happy, musical elderly man who invites them to explore his house. He claims his wife Conchetta is visiting relatives in California, but John finds her funeral bill and knows she is dead. Pignati's treasured memories of her are preserved in her collection of glass and china pigs. This is how they nickname Mr. Pignati, "The Pigman". He also introduces the kids to his "best friend" Bobo, an unpleasant old baboon in the city zoo, whom he sees as a person.
John and Lorraine, who are unable to communicate with their own parents who often bag and mistreat them, become very close to Mr. Pignati; he understands them and wants them to be happy. He also buys them numerous presents, such as roller skates at Beekman's department store.
John and Lorraine play dress up in Mr. and Mrs. Pignati's clothing and the reveal their feelings for each other with a kiss. Lorraine says that she has loved John for a few months and he must feel the same for him to have kissed her. Both John and Lorraine start to dress better when they go to school and when they hang out together. This was the first time Lorraine was happy to be alive.
Mr. Pignati suffers a heart attack while he, Lorraine, and John were roller-skating around the house. Mr. Pignati asks John and Lorraine to care for the house and to visit Bobo while he's in the hospital and John and Lorraine take care of it but they are both left alone.
Notified that Pignati is about to leave the hospital, John wants to give a party before turning the house back over to him. The party gets out of control, ending in violence and destruction, and Mr.Pignati comes home to find his house ruined and his wife's pig collection smashed. The next day, Lorraine and John take him to the zoo, only to find that Bobo has died. Mr. Pignati suffers another heart attack and dies on the spot. This was a very tragic event for John and Lorraine because they felt guilty and felt it was their fault for his death, but in a way it brings them closer and their true feelings for each other begin to emerge. Read "The Pigman's Legacy" if you wish to follow the romance and adventures of the unforgetable characters John and Lorraine.
