The Pigman Questions and Answers
The Pigman
What are the three omens in Chapter 6 of The Pigman? What does Lorraine think they mean?
The three omens that Lorraine thinks she sees at the zoo are the lady selling peanuts, the peacock, and the kid sitting outside the vampire bat exhibit. She thinks the omens are saying that bad...
The Pigman
In The Pigman, how has John’s relationship with his parents affected his life?
A child's relationship with his parents is essential in the formation of future relationships and behaviors. John's parents seem out of touch with him because of their age (his nickname for his mom...
The Pigman
In "The Pigman," what does Lorraine's mother look like, and what does she think of men?
Presumably, Lorraine's mother is a fairly attractive woman, or, at the very least, she was at one point. The narrator does not give readers a lengthy physical description of Mrs. Jensen, but we are...
The Pigman
Why is Norton so curious about Mr. Pignati in the book The Pigman? How does John react to Norton's questions? Why?
Norton is curious about Mr. Pignati because he wants to exploit the old man. He wonders if the Pigman "has...got anything worth stealing", and is excited when John tries to divert his interest by...
The Pigman
How does Mrs. Conlan feel about John's drinking and smoking?
Mrs. Conlan unfortunately doesn't do much about letting her opinion on John's drinking and smoking be known. She does things like interrupt every argument with a trivial offer of a pleasantry or...
The Pigman
What did John's father give him when he was 10 years old?
Readers can find the answer to this question near the very end of chapter nine. Chapter nine, narrated by John, is where the readers see John trying to figure out why exactly he is the way that he...
The Pigman
In Zindel's The Pigman, what is Lorraine's nightmare about? What incident does the dream foreshadow?
In Lorraine's nightmare, the pig room beckons to her. Despite her apprehension, she is irresistibly drawn to it by unseen forces. In her dream, Lorraine screams for John, but there is no answer....
The Pigman
How do the Pigman, Lorraine, and John change throughout the story?
Both John and Lorraine change a great deal over the course of the book. What is great about this book is that the chapters alternate between those two characters telling the story, so readers get...
The Pigman
How does Lorraine’s description of the librarian, Miss Reillen, illustrate Lorraine’s compassion in "Pigman"?
John bluntly introduces Miss Reillen, the librarian, by explaining that the kids call her "the Cricket" because she "is a little on the fat side, but that doesn't stop her from...
The Pigman
Why in the book The Pigman did Lorraine and John get involved with Mr. Pignati?
Lorraine and John first become involved with Mr. Pignati when they are prank calling people. Lorraine is supposed to choose a phone number randomly from the phone book, but she chooses a number...
The Pigman
How did Mr. Pignati die at the end? What happened at the end other than his death?
Readers are not actually told the cause of death for Mr. Pignati. We aren't even given a decent description of his final moments in order to check for signs and symptoms of a cause of death. We...
The Pigman
Briefly describe the three omens that Lorraine refers to in Chapter 6 of The Pigman by Paul Zindel. What do the omens...
Chapter 6 in Paul Zindel's The Pigman is when John and Lorraine meet Mr. Pignati at the Baron Park Zoo. Lorraine doesn't like zoos anyway because she can't stand seeing the animals locked up and...
The Pigman
How is hyperbole used in The Pigman?
The narrators, John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen, tell us the story of themselves and the Pigman in an immensely funny style. Hyperbole, which involves exaggerated claims that aren't meant to be...
The Pigman
Why were John and Lorraine arrested in Pigman?
John and Lorraine are not actually arrested, because Mr. Pignati declines to press charges. When the police arrive at the party, however, everyone else had run away except for Lorraine and John,...
The Pigman
How might Conchetta Pignati have died in The Pigman?
Mrs. Piganti died of natural causes, probably from a sudden illness because she died before her husband. Although Lorraine is convinced that Mr. Pignati killed his wife and buried her body in the...
The Pigman
Who is Mrs. Jensen in Paul Zindel's novel The Pigman?
Mrs. Jensen is Lorraine's miserable mother in Paul Zindel's The Pigman. Mrs. Jensen is depicted as a cynical, pessimistic woman, who is extremely insecure, hypocritical, and suspicious of her...
The Pigman
How do John and Lorraine describe Norton and Dennis?
John is friends with Norton and Dennis before meeting Lorraine. They take her on as the fourth friend in their group and include her in drinking beer with them in the cemetery at a place called...
The Pigman
In Paul Zindel's The Pigman, what is ironic about Miss Stewart's living room?
In chapter two of Zindel's The Pigman, Lorraine discusses a couple of the female teachers and happens to share an anecdote about the typing teacher Miss Stewart. Apparently, Lorraine had gone to...
The Pigman
What was John's news about Mrs. Pignati in Chapters 6-8 of The Pigman?
John’s news is that Mrs. Pignati was dead. When John tells Lorraine that Pigman’s (Mr. Pignati’s) wife was dead, she is suspicious. To her, he is just a funny, harmless old man. “His wife’s...
The Pigman
Who is Miss Reillen in Paul Zindel's "The Pigman"?
Miss Reillen is the librarian at Franklin High School, where John and Lorraine are students. Since both John and Lorraine have seventh-period study at the library, they see Miss Reillen everyday....
The Pigman
Describe the main conflict in Paul Zindel's The Pigman.
The conflict of a story is defined as the struggle between opposing forces. One way to simplify the struggle is to determine if it is man vs nature, man vs man, man vs self, or so on. For John and...
The Pigman
Describe Mr. Pignati's best friend.
Mr. Pignati is so lonely from missing his dead wife, Conchetta, that he befriends Bobo, a baboon, at the local zoo. Bobo is an ugly, mean baboon, but Mr. Pignati finds him endearing and treats...
The Pigman
Describe the relationship between Mr. Pignati, Lorraine and John from Zindel's The Pigman.
Mr. Pignati, John, and Lorraine essentially function as a family unit. Mr. Pignati's wife has died, so he is all alone. John's home life is awful. His father is a drunk that verbally abuses him,...
The Pigman
In Zindel's The Pigman, how does Mr. Pignati show his affection for John and Lorraine?
In Zindel's The Pigman, Mr. Pignati shows affection for John and Lorraine in many ways. He's like the grandfather neither one of them ever had. First, when he meets them at the zoo in chapter 6, he...
The Pigman
In Chapter 4 of The Pigman, what is Norton like in Lorraine's point of view?
From Lorraine's point of view, Norton Kelly is TROUBLE. She says that he "has eyes like a mean mouse, and he's the type of kid who thinks everyone's trying to throw rusty beer cans at him". He's...
The Pigman
What threat does Norton make when he invites John for a beer at Moravian's Cemetery?
It's no secret that John and Norton are enemies. "Lorraine told you she thinks Norton and I hate each other. It's true," (90). Although John may drink and smoke, he's a good person at heart. Norton...
The Pigman
How does John mature throughout The Pigman?
When we are first introduced to John, he thinks very little of how his actions might have consequences. He considers himself a bit of a "bad boy" with a devil-may-care attitude. In general, he has...
The Pigman
Who is Dennis in The Pigman?
Dennis Kobin is a friend of John and Lorraine. He is usually paired with Norton Kelly, and the two are described as "demented", and are always causing trouble. Of the pair, Dennis is the...
The Pigman
How does Mr. Pignati treat John and Lorraine during their first visit?
John and Lorraine's first visit happens in chapter five after they have conned Mr. Pignati over the phone into giving them money for a fake charity. They show up to collect the money from the poor...
The Pigman
In The Pigman, what clues did Lorraine have that John liked her? Chapters 10-12.
John and Lorraine shared a friendship since the moment he sat next to her on the bus. It is not until chapter 11, when we discover that John has romantic feelings for Lorraine. Both have developed...
The Pigman
From Zindel's The Pigman, what is the fruit roll? Describe the one time when the ''fruit roll'' was not successful.
The answer to this question can be found in chapter 1 of Paul Zindel's The Pigman. This chapter is narrated by John, and he begins the chapter by telling readers that he hates school. Actually, I...
The Pigman
How does Lorraine explain the reason for her mother's attitude toward men in chapters 10, 11, and 12 of The Pigman?
The chapters in Paul Zindel's The Pigman alternate between narrators John and Lorraine, so nothing is said by John about Lorraine's mother in chapter 11. Chapter 10, however, is where Lorraine...
The Pigman
Please help me find examples of two literary terms in The Pigman, by Paul Zindel.
Every novel uses literary devices to some extent, and Paul Zindel's The Pigman is no exception. I have included a link to the eNotes Guide to Literary Terms so you can see the wide range of...
The Pigman
Why does John hate school in the Pigman?
In The Pigman by Paul Zindel, John Conlan tells the reader that he hates school in the opening paragraph of the novel; however, he doesn't give specific reasons for his feelings. Instead, he...
The Pigman
What is the difference between the way John's father and Mr. Pignati treat John in The Pigman?
In Paul Zindel's novel The Pigman, both John and Lorraine lack attention and affection from their parents. John's father is a trader on the stock exchange, and his high-stress job has taken a...
The Pigman
What is an example of a metaphor from The Pigman?
In addition to the solid metaphors provided by the previous answer, a good example of a metaphor can be found in chapter 13. Chapter 13 is one of the chapters that is narrated by John, and it is...
The Pigman
In The Pigman by Paul Zindel, what does John write on the table?
In the first chapter of Paul Zindel's The Pigman, John is the narrator and he is typing on a typewriter in the school's library. He introduces himself by giving examples of rebellious things that...
The Pigman
Where is Lorraine's father in Paul Zindel's The Pigman?
Lorraine's father is not in the story. He died six years before the events of the story take place. Lorraine doesn't even remember anything about her father, because Lorraine's mother legally...
The Pigman
What did Bobo the baboon die of in The Pigman?
Bobo the baboon apparently died of pneumonia. After Mr. Pignati comes home from the hospital to find his house trashed because of a party that John and Lorraine had thrown there, the two teenagers...
The Pigman
What is John's impression of Mr. Pignati when he and Lorraine first visit his house in The Pigman?
When John and Lorraine first visited the Pigman's house, John was blown away by how happy the old man seemed to be to see them, even though it was the first time they had met. He says, "...the...
The Pigman
Why does John think Norton acts so tough in The Pigman?
Readers should look near the beginning of chapter 9 for this answer. Chapter 9 is one of the chapters that is narrated by John, and John admits that Lorraine is correct about John's feelings toward...
The Pigman
In The Pigman, why does Lorraine hate the Baron Park Zoo?
There are a couple of reasons why Lorraine is not a fan of Baron Park Zoo. Firstly, she doesn't like seeing all the creatures kept in captivity just so that people can gawk at them. Secondly, she...
The Pigman
In The Pigman, why do you think John liked going to the cemetery, and why did Lorraine accept the gifts from Mr....
The cemetery is where John and his friends go to drink, so it is kind of a hang out for them where they can do things they aren't necessarily supposed to do and not get caught. John also finds the...
The Pigman
In The Pigman, why did John and Lorraine invite so many people?
In The Pigman, by Paul Zindel, John and Lorraine are having a party at the Pigman's house, but it gets out of hand. There are about forty people there, some of whom weren't even invited, and of...
The Pigman
How does John react to Norton's questions?
Norton is one of John and Lorraine's classmates who discovers that they have been spending a lot of time with Mr. Pignati. Since Norton has developed a talent for stealing things, John does not...
The Pigman
Explain how John and Lorraine’s relationship changes the night they stay at Mr. Pignati's house. What might it imply...
The night that John and Lorraine's relationship changes is the night they stay at Mr. Pignati's house alone. They dress up in the clothes they find, and Lorraine cooks dinner. There are a lot of...
The Pigman
John in The Pigman is introduced as someone who likes to play pranks. What explanation does he give for his actions?
The answer to this question relates to John's family and his parents, and the way that they live such a boring life. His father in particular wants John to work in the stock exchange, like he does,...
The Pigman
From Paul Zindel's The Pigman, why do Lorraine and John think Norton is disturbed?
John and Lorraine believe that Norton is a big reason for Mr. Pignati's death. In order to establish their case, they bring up Norton's childhood experiences with dolls as proof of his disturbed...
The Pigman
In Zindel's The Pigman, what is Lorraine's mother like?
Lorraine's mother is a single mom who works fulltime as a hospice nurse. When Lorraine was little, her mother had just gotten a divorce from her cheating husband when he was involved in a car crash...
The Pigman
Why do you think Lorraine bought her mother stockings with Mr. Pignati's money in "Pigman"?
I think Lorraine bought her mother stockings with the Pigman's money because she knows her mother needs some, and, despite their differences, she loves her mother and wants to help her...
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