Developmental Assets In Paul Zindel's The Pig Man

How do developmental assets affect you? In The Pigman, a young-adult fiction novel by Paul Zindel, these assets are used continuously. The Developmental Assets are 40 research-based, assets that influence young people's lifestyle and development. It was created in 1990 by the search institute to help young people develop positively. This helps them become caring, responsible, and productive adults. Although some might believe John will have trouble being successful in the future because he lacks restraint, John will grow up to be a successful adult because he possesses responsibility, positive peer influences, and has developed restraint. To start, John will be a successful and contributing adult because he accepts responsibility for his actions, this is to be accountable for your actions, which is an important trait to have in life. For example, “There was no one else to blame anymore. No Bores or Old Ladies or Nortons, or Assassins waiting at the bridge. And there was no place to hide--no place across any river for a boatman to take us.” (Zindel 166).

This is important to growing up to be a successful adult because you have a good role model to follow. For example, “I tried to explain to him how dangerous it was, particularly smoking, and even went to the trouble of finding a case history similar to his in a book by Sigmund Freud. I almost had him convinced that smoking was an infantile, destructive activity when he pointed out a picture of Freud smoking a cigar on the book's cover.”(Zindel, 8) Therefore, this shows that Lorraine has or tries to have a positive peer influence on John, and her determination to do it. Also, according to John, “I took a puff on the cigarette, and I could hear Lorraine's voice saying I was killing myself.” (Zindel,163) This shows that Lorraine can influence John in a way that he will remember and hopefully follow. This impacts his and positively pressures him to do the right