Discussion Topic
John's mother leaving the dinner table in The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Summary:
In The Pigman by Paul Zindel, John's mother leaves the dinner table because she is upset by the conversation and John's behavior. Her departure signifies her inability to cope with family conflicts and her tendency to avoid confrontation.
Why did John's mother leave the dinner table in chapters 7-9 of The Pigman?
The answer to this question can be found in Chapter Seven of this great novel. John describes the way that he was able to leave his house easily in order to meet Lorraine and go to Mr. Pignati's house. The poor relationship he has with his father gives him ample reason to be able to leave home and walk off in anger, and this is what happens when his father, nicknamed "the Bore" by his son, starts getting at John over the dinner table. His mother's normal reaction to such events is to leave, as is shown when John explains her actions:
"I have to get the dessert," the Old Lady said, violently polishing a teaspoon and dashing out to the kitchen. She always gets terrified if it looks like my father and I are going to have any type of discussion.
Thus, ostensibly, John's mother leaves the table to...
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fetch dessert, but really, we know that she cannot handle any overt conflict between her husband and son, and as a result leaves the table to avoid witnessing yet another fight between them.
In Paul Zindel's The Pigman, why does John's mother leave the dinner table?
In chapter 7 of Paul Zindel's The Pigman, John sits down to have dinner with his parents. John's father is mad at him because he glued the lock on the telephone shut. When his parents asked him about it the day before, John denied having anything to do with it. John is the only child at home, though, so of course he did it. His parents are just very upset that John is such a handful to control. He's not obedient, nor is he very respectful to his parents. This creates tension between the three of them on a daily basis.
While at dinner, John's mother congratulates his father for selling "more than three hundred lots" at work that day. John isn't impressed, but this opens up an opportunity for his father to talk to him about responsibility and getting a job. This makes his mother uncomfortable because she knows that a rough discussion is coming. As an excuse to leave the room and avoid the approaching conversation, John's mother says that she has to go get dessert. John says the following about his mother:
"She always gets terrified if it looks like my father and I are going to have any type of discussion. A suitable pause occurred after Hyper left the room, and then he started in" (69).
Notice that John calls his mother "Hyper." This suggests that she is generally nervous about discussions between John and his father, so this is why she leaves the table.