Student Question

How do the characters, Pigman, Lorraine, and John, change throughout the story?

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Throughout the story, John and Lorraine experience significant personal growth. John starts as a rebellious troublemaker with issues concerning authority and a lack of adult care. Through his relationship with the Pigman, he learns about love, responsibility, and the importance of relationships. Lorraine, initially shy and lacking self-confidence due to her mother's emotional abuse, gains confidence and is inspired to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, influenced by her friendship with John.

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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 really solid insight into how each character is mentally and emotionally developing throughout the story.

When the story begins, readers see John as a mischievous troublemaker of a kid. He does not care what other people think about him, and he has a huge problem with authority. That is why he sets off firecrackers in the bathroom and antagonizes substitute teachers. I believe that John's attitude and actions result from the fact that the important adults in his life don't care about him. John's dad thinks it is hilarious that his son is going to grow up to be an alcoholic. By the end of the story, John has changed a great deal. Through his...

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relationship with the Pigman, John has learned what it feels like to be loved. He has also learned what it feels like to hurt and disappoint an important adult in his life. John feels horrible for the party he hosted and the resulting sadness it caused the Pigman. Losing the Pigman also changed John. It really showed him that relationships are important and have to be cherished and cared for.

In some ways, Lorraine learned the same lessons as John, but Lorraine's changes are also distinct from John's changes. Lorraine's home life is equally as messed up as John's home life. Her mother is equally abusive, but in a different way. Lorraine's mother is constantly criticizing Lorraine, and that results in Lorraine being very shy and having almost no self-confidence. She has hopes and dreams, but she doesn't really have enough confidence to pursue those dreams; however, by the end of the book, she has learned from John how to be a bit more confident in herself. When the book ends, readers feel that her dream of someday becoming a writer just might come true. This is bolstered by the fact that she and John are the ones "writing" the book we have been reading.

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How do Lorraine and John change throughout The Pigman?

John and Lorraine are similar in a lot of ways. They both have horrible home lives. Lorraine's mother is emotionally abusive and is always telling Lorraine how ugly she is, and John's dad is as equally horrendous as a parent. Both John and Lorraine are excellent liars and do not really have a heart for the feelings of anybody else; however, all of that changes after they meet the Pigman.

At the start of the story, readers are introduced to John, and he is a troublemaker of a kid. He has huge problems with authority, and this is probably why he sets off firecrackers in the bathroom and antagonizes substitute teachers. He simply doesn't believe that adults care about him, and that's true until the Pigman enters his life. Through that relationship, John learns what it is like to be loved and cared for by an adult.

John also has to learn the hard way what it feels like to disappoint that same adult. John feels horrible for hosting the party that caused Mr. Pignati so much sadness. Unfortunately, the book ends far too quickly for readers to really see deep and meaningful changes in John, but we do feel confident that John is now ready to start taking responsibility for his actions as well as take into account how his actions will impact people around him.

Lorraine learns a lot of the same lessons as John; however, her changes are distinct from John's changes. Despite having the world's most pessimistic mother, Lorraine has hopes and dreams. What Lorraine lacks is the confidence to pursue those dreams, but that changes by the book's conclusion. She learns from John how to be a little more confident in herself, and readers are left with the sense that she will pursue her dream of one day becoming a writer. We can feel confident about Lorraine achieving her goal, as she and John are the people that are "writing" The Pigman.

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