Discussion Topic

Character Relationships in The Pigman

Summary:

In The Pigman, John and Lorraine's relationship evolves from friendship to romance, highlighted when they dress in Mr. Pignati's clothes and share their first kiss. Their involvement with Mr. Pignati begins as a prank, but they form a familial bond due to mutual loneliness. Mr. Pignati offers them a sense of belonging, becoming a father figure, while they fill his life with joy. John and Lorraine meet on a school bus, sharing laughter that sparks their friendship. They write their story as a tribute to Mr. Pignati and to cope with his death.

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In The Pigman, what clues indicated John's feelings for Lorraine in 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 a closeness with Mr. Pignati (The Pigman). He becomes a friend and a much needed father figure to both John and Lorraine. When Mr. Pignati has a heart attack and must stay in the hospital, he offers his home to both teens to stay in. It is during this time that John and Lorraine see each other in a different light. One evening, they dress up in Mr. Pignati's and his late wife's clothes and play the roles as husband and wife. Here, they share their first kiss.

During the romantic dinner, they look at each other by candlelight and Lorraine tells us that it is first time she really feels alive. In chapter 12 she reveals another clue realizing John likes her based on his appearance.

I also knew he liked me a lot but only as a friend or a dreamboat with a leak in it. But now suddenly he was wearing shaving lotion, combing his hair, and fighting with me.

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Why did Lorraine and John get involved with Mr. Pignati in The Pigman?

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 based on a neighborhood address. While speaking to Mr. Pignati, she realizes how lonely Mr. Pignati is. Unfortunately, Mr. Pignati is not only lonely but trusting, so he is more than willing to donate to their fraudulent "L & J Fund." Lorraine and John make arrangements to pick up their ten dollar donation the following day.

When John and Lorraine go to his house the next day, Lorraine has second thoughts about pranking Mr. Pignati. She realizes that he lives alone in an untidy home, and she is also fearful about what he could do to them. While visiting him, Mr. Pignati shows them his collection of pig figurines and invites them to go with him to the zoo the following day. 

The relationship between Mr. Pignati, John, and Lorraine develops because of their collective loneliness and isolation. By confiding in one another, they develop a support system that all of them lack. Their relationship is ultimately destroyed by John and Lorraine's betrayal of Mr. Pignati's trust because they not only throw a party in his home, but disrespect his private belongings that symbolize his life with his deceased wife. 

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Why did Lorraine and John get involved with Mr. Pignati in The Pigman?

Lorraine and John get involved with Mr. Pignati (the Pigman) through a random telephone prank.  They choose him to follow because they are social outcasts themselves and do not have the best intentions for befriending Mr. Pignati.  Basically, they want to take advantage of him by chronicling their interactions.  They feel this gives them an advantage.  The story was written in 1968, so it is a version of cyber-bullying. 

Going beyond the surface, the two become involved with him for several reasons.  It allows John and Lorraine to form a bond through a shared secret oath.  This gives them sense of belonging and fills, in part, the loneliness of being outcast.  Mr. Pignati, being random, is another key aspect of the story because it hints the two teens are not quite as rebellious as one might imagine.  It would be easier to pick a student from school for example, but by picking a random person they decrease the risk of an authority figure catching them.  This indicates they are exited by the rebelliousness of the action, but still scared of the consequences. 

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Describe the relationship between Mr. Pignati, Lorraine and John in 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, and Lorraine's home life is equally abusive. Her mom is convinced that all men are evil, and she constantly criticizes anything and everything about Lorraine. John and Lorraine might be able to make up for rough home lives with solid, loyal friends. However, the text shows that both John and Lorraine are never going to win a school popularity contest. Mr. Pignati is lonely, so John's presence and Lorraine's presence in his life fills a void that he has been missing for years. Conversely, Mr. Pignati is a father figure of sorts that fills in the space that their own home lives are missing. While the relationship does look like a family through most of the book, I hesitate to strongly stamp Mr. Pignati with the "father figure" label. I hesitate because Mr. Pignati often behaves more like an older brother than a father. He is not quick (if ever) to reprimand John or Lorraine. He might show disappointment, but that is about as far as his reprimands go. He is simply too playful too often, and that forces a really cool role reversal in the story. John and Lorraine become the adults in Mr. Pignati's life.

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How did John and Lorraine from The Pigman meet?

In The Pigman John and Lorraine attend the same high school. They meet for the first time on the school bus one morning. Lorraine's a bit of a loner; none of the boys are interested in her and no girl will even so much as talk to her. But John's different. For one thing, he has the most incredible eyes, like something you'd see in an Egyptian pyramid.

And John's not just different; he's also a tad unusual. When he sits down next to Lorraine on the bus, he starts laughing out loud for no particular reason. Lorraine is hugely embarrassed. She's also quite upset because she thinks, for all the world, that John's laughing at her. So she tells him to stop; she doesn't want to be seen sitting next to a "lunatic." John replies that he is a lunatic.

This bizarre statement makes Lorraine nervous, so much so that she drops one of her books on the floor. She's incredibly annoyed at John, wishing that his eyeball would explode and that a big cat would get at his neck. But John laughs out loud again. This time, Lorraine joins in and soon both of them are laughing like crazy. On that weird, wonderful morning on the school bus, a friendship is born.

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How did John and Lorraine become friends in The Pigman?

John and Lorraine attend the same high school, so it is perhaps inevitable that they'd meet at some point. Their first meeting takes place on the school bus one morning. John sits next to Lorraine and immediately starts laughing for no apparent reason. As well as being embarrassed, Lorraine is rather upset at this. Just about everyone else laughs at her, and it seems that John is like all the others. She tells John to stop laughing, as she doesn't want to be seen sitting next to a "lunatic." John replies that he is indeed a lunatic.

Now, as well as being embarrassed and upset, Lorraine is getting quite nervous, and she drops one of her books on the floor. Furious at John, she wishes that his eyeball would explode and that a big cat would get at his neck. John dissolves the tension by laughing out loud again. This time, Lorraine joins in, and the two start laughing like mad together. A strange new friendship has just been born.

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Why are Lorraine and John writing The Pigman?

The book's opening "oath" tells readers a bit about the answer to this question:

Being of sound mind and body on this 15th day of April in our sophomore year at Franklin High School, let it be known that Lorraine Jensen and John Conlan have decided to record the facts, and only the facts about our experiences with Mr. Angelo Pignati.

John and Lorraine finish the book's opening oath by telling readers that nothing but the truth is being recorded in the following pages. We have no idea who John, Lorraine, or Mr. Pignati is at this point, but the first two chapters of the book then inform readers that John and Lorraine are writing the book's very pages for two general reasons. First, the book is somewhat of a tribute to Mr. Pignati and the relationship that the two protagonists established with him. The second reason for writing the book is that the writing process is essentially a coping mechanism to help John and Lorraine deal with their feelings about Mr. Pignati, their experiences with him, and his death. Lorraine's first chapter (chapter 2) flat out tells readers that she and John feel compelled to write down the events of the last few months. They want to write them down while the details are fresh and before they decide to repress all of those emotions.

It’s just that some very strange things have happened to us during the last few months, and we feel we should write them down while they’re fresh in our minds. It’s got to be written now before John and I mature and repress the whole thing.

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Why are Lorraine and John writing The Pigman?

John and Lorraine are telling the story of the Pigman, Mr. Pignati, whom they met and grew to care about. The story is told by both of them, so that you get two perspectives on the events. In some ways, they are trying to make sense of the relationship they had with the Pigman, and his death.

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What are Lorraine's feelings towards John in The Pigman?

Lorraine's feelings for John change slightly through the novel.  At the beginning of the story, it is clear that Lorraine thinks of John as a friend.  She thinks he is an attractive friend, but there are no romantic feelings there. . . yet.  

Because Lorraine is John's friend (one of his few actual friends), she cares about what happens to John.  She wants to protect him.  She mainly wants to protect him from himself too.  John is a certifiable drunk, and he is a compulsive liar.  Lorraine goes with him on a lot of schemes like the phone call game, but she most definitely tries to put the brakes on his scheme to have a party at Pignati's house.  

Eventually, Lorraine's feelings for John begin turning toward romantic inclinations.  

“John, stop it now. I’m not kidding.” She started laughing again right in my arms, but I stopped it by putting my lips on hers. It was the first time we had ever kissed. When I moved my lips away from hers, we just looked at each other, and somehow we were not acting anymore.

Their relationship doesn't move much beyond that initial kiss, because the story's conflict gets in the way.  

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What do John and Lorraine do the day after meeting Mr. Pignati in The Pigman?

In Paul Zindel’s novel The Pigman, John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen are two teenagers who enjoy doing pranks together. Lorraine chooses Mr. Angelo Pignati’s phone number out of the telephone book and prank call him with a story about raising money for charity. Part of the prank is to keep the person on the line for a long time, which Lorraine successfully does with Pignati. The next day, children arrange to go to his house, which is nearby, to collect the ten dollars he has offered.

Pignati’s house is rather messy, but he is smiling, friendly, and welcoming to them. He tells them that his wife is out of town. In addition to food, he offers the young people wine. His hobby is collecting figures of pigs, which he also shows them. At his suggestion, the next day the three of them go together to the zoo, where he goes frequently.

The teenagers skip school to go on the zoo outing, they see a number of animals, including a peacock. In the Primate Building, Pignati takes them to meet Bobo, a baboon. Although Lorraine thinks that the animal looks ugly and vicious, Pignati speaks about Bobo as his best friend. The teenagers go off on their own for a while, and when they return, Pignati is still throwing peanuts to Bobo. John and Lorraine then provoke some other primates to scream, creating a chaotic situation.

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