The Pigman
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| Author | Paul Zindel |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young Adult literature |
| Publisher | Harper Trophy |
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Publication date
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1968-10-12 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 192 pages |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 58968588 |
| LC Class | CPB Box no. 2360 vol. 13 |
| Followed by | The Pigman's Legacy (1980) The Pigman & Me (1990) |
The Pigman is a young adult novel written by Paul Zindel, first published in 1968. Zindel wrote a screenplay, adapting the book for the stage and screen, but it was not taken up by any film maker. This dual perspective novel gives the reader two different sides to a story about such an important man. Both Lorraine and John use their opposite personalities and together create a powerful narrative. This book would go on to win numerous awards, those including the New York Times Outstanding Book of 1968, the ALA Notable Children's Book 1940–1970 the Horn Book 1969 Fanfare Honor List.
The novel is frequently assigned in elementary schools, middle schools, and some high schools as assignments for English classes. Although commonly taught, this book has been banned in certain areas for numerous reasons, some including offensive language and sexual themes.
The title of this young adult novel, "The Pigman," does completely accurately describe what this book portrays. The story of The Pigman describes the life and hardships of Angelo Pignati. Being portrayed as a simple old man, his life is more interesting and gratifying than seen at his first appearance. His nickname comes from his great collection of pig statues, some his prized possessions.The layered story of The Pigman portrays much more than a man with statues of animals, as these statues do not nearly begin to tell his story.
The novel begins with an "oath" signed by John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen, two high school sophomores, who pledge that they will report only the facts about their experiences with Mr. Pignati.
When John, Lorraine, and two teen troublemakers, Norton Kelly and Dennis Kobin, are bored, they make prank phone calls. The goal of the game is to see who can stay on the phone the longest. When it is Lorraine's turn, she picks out Mr. Pignati's phone number and pretends to be calling from a charity. After winning the game with a long conversation with him, Mr. Pignati offers to donate ten dollars. Against Lorraine's better judgement, she and John travel to his house to collect the funds. After hesitantly accepting "The Pigman's" offer of going to the zoo, a friendship begins to blossom between the three of them. He begins to take on the role of a parental figure for the two teenagers, something neither of them have.
John and Lorraine's visits become increasingly frequent, and during one such visit, they discover a document inside his room. After reading it, they realize The Pigman has been lying this entire time about where his wife has been. His wife, Conchetta, is dead, instead of being on vacation as The Pigman has stated numerous times. Soon, John and Lorraine visit The Pigman daily after school, and he showers them with gifts, food, and most importantly, the love and attention they do not receive in their own joyless homes. They reveal to him that they were never affiliated with any charity, and he reveals what they already know: that his wife is dead.
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Wikipedia