Discussion Topic
Norton calling Lorraine a "screech owl" and John's defense in The Pigman
Summary:
In The Pigman, Norton calls Lorraine a "screech owl" to insult her, highlighting his rude and abrasive nature. John defends Lorraine by standing up to Norton, demonstrating his protective feelings towards her and solidifying their friendship.
Why does Norton call Lorraine a "screech owl" in chapter 9 of The Pigman?
A screech owl is known for its high-pitched, loud, and annoying call. Norton probably calls Lorraine a screech owl because of these well-known qualities. However, Norton's derogatory term is unfounded because Lorraine doesn't go around screaming like a screech owl. Norton most likely uses the term because he is jealous that Lorraine has been monopolizing John's time recently. A screech owl would certainly claim someone's attention in the wild if a person heard it screeching. Similarly, Norton may feel that Lorraine has caught too much of John's attention.
Norton also knows that John and Lorraine have been spending time at Mr. Pignati's house, which makes him wonder why two teenagers would hang out with an old man. Norton's interest in the old man is to steal from his home, though, as shown in the following passage:
"'Has he got anything worth stealing?' Norton clarified, his eyes beginning to get mean...
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and sneaky like an alley cat about to jump on a bird" (100-101).
When John won't tell Norton about the possible loot he could steal from Mr. Pignati's house, Norton attacks Lorraine in an effort to discredit John's association with her.
"Norton had reached a new peak of ugliness that day with the afternoon sun shining down on him. He paused a minute, then took a sip of his beer. 'Well, what are you and that screech owl going over there for?'" (101).
If Norton can make John feel ashamed for hanging out with Lorraine, then he thinks John will help him steal some valuable items from Mr. Pignati's house. Remember, Norton only calls Lorraine a screech owl after John refuses to provide information about Mr. Pignati's property; therefore, Norton calls Lorraine a screech owl because he is mad John won't help him steal from Mr. Pignati.
In "The Pigman", why did John defend Lorraine when Norton called her a screech owl?
There are two reasons. First, he doesn't like Norton. Norton is always making fun of people. Lorraine is John's best friend, so it angers John and he gets defensive. He calls Norton names is return to give him a taste of his own medicine and make him think twice about disrespecting her again.
To go even deeper though, John seems like he has even deeper feelings for Lorraine beyond friendship. Their friendship is a curious one to begin with since they are such opposites, but when they spend time at the Pigman's house, the reader can see a romantic relationship being formed. Of course, the kiss is the obvious example of this, but the way they interact afterwards, John's bossing her around and their bickering back and forth like husband and wife, shows the reader he cares for her on another level which is why he felt he had to stand up for her against Norton.
Norton calls Lorraine a screech owl in chapter 9 of Paul Zindel's book The Pigman. That is about halfway through the book, and by that time John and Lorraine have become fairly good friends. They have become good friends with each other and with The Pigman himself. What started off as a prank call to Mr. Pignati wound up starting off an odd, but fruitful, relationship between the three characters. The best answer that I can give you for why exactly John defends Lorraine from Norton, is that John is friends with Lorraine and respects her. He doesn't like it when somebody bad mouths her. John especially doesn't tolerate that kind of talk from Norton. John doesn't really care much for Norton.
"He is so low on the scale of human evolution he belongs back in the age of the Cro-Magnon man."
In fact, John's thoughts about Norton are so low that John ends the chapter by thinking the following line.
That was the Pigman, and I knew I’d kill Norton if he tried to hurt the old man.