Discussion Topic
John's attitude towards school in The Pigman
Summary:
In The Pigman, John exhibits a dismissive and rebellious attitude towards school. He often skips classes, plays pranks, and shows little interest in his studies, reflecting his broader sense of disillusionment and desire to rebel against authority figures.
In Chapter One of The Pigman, what line indicates John doesn't hate school as claimed?
I would say that more than one line shows John's attitude, and that both are found near the end of the chapter. When he's discussing the substitute teacher, he says the guy was "so enthusiastic" that they couldn't disrupt him. That tells me he doesn't hate school; he hates the boredom involved. However, the single line that most completely shows his change is the first line of the last paragraph: "But I gave up all that kid stuff now that I'm a sophomore." Why, if he still hates it so?
Why does John dislike 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 describes the types of things he does as a result of his hatred for school: sets off bombs in the bathrooms and orchestrates supercolossal fruit rolls,...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
(chapter 1).
One may conclude that John hates school because he's bored by it, hence the reason he tries to infuse excitement into the days by setting off bombs and rolling fruit down the classroom aisles. Lorraine explains further, " ...even when we were in Miss Stewart's typing class, he had to do something unusual all the time-- like type a letter in the shape of an hourglass. That's the kind of thing he does," (7).
Lorraine also brings up a good point in suggesting that maybe John is simply unhappy: "He pretends he doesn't care about anything in the world, and he's always ready with some outrageous remark, but if you ask me, any real hostility he has is directed against himself," (10). The reasons behind John's unhappiness may stem from his home life.
His father is an alcoholic and his mother is a clean freak. These character traits keep John from having a healthy relationship from either parent. Furthermore, his only sibling, Kenneth, is a successful business man who John is constantly compared to, even though it's an unfair comparison because John is still an adolescent, not a grown man. John never really discusses these issues in his chapters, but the reader gleans a lot of information from the information provided by Lorraine.