Short Essay On The Pigman

The Pigman

The Pigman, written by Paul Zindel, is a very interesting and distinct read. The two main characters, John and Lorraine, attend the same high school and become great friends. Drinking and smoking are the weekly avocations of John, whereas Lorraine’s mother causes Lorraine to be mortified, shy, and self conscious because she is always pointing out her flaws. Also, John prevaricates to his parents often, among other things. John and his parents do not have a good relationship, and his relationship with his father is antagonistic. During the story, John and Lorraine play a game of prank calling random numbers with their friends, Dennis and Norton. Dennis shows proficiency when prank calling and holds the record of two hours and twenty six minutes. While playing the game, Lorraine selects a number that belongs to Mr. Pignati, although, John and Lorraine like to refer to him as “The Pigman”. Lorraine disguises herself as a charity worker,

The next day, John and Lorraine call Mr. Pignati, as they are filled with guilt. Mr. Pignati is very quiet on the phone, and they explain how they acted in an infantile manner. They plead for forgiveness while Mr. Pignati is silent. They offer to meet him at the zoo and Mr. Pignati accepts. Once they arrive, they go over the exterior of the zoo, but notice something is different. Bobo is not present in the zoo. An employee informs them that Bobo passed away. The employee is quite smug, and adds that Bobo left putrid stenches. This is when Mr. Pignati loses it. He starts to tremble and he falls to the ground. John quickly checks for a pulse and is alarmed at the fact that there is not one. John asks for help, but there is nothing anyone can do. Unfortunately, Mr. Pignati is dead. John and Lorraine are filled with guilt and believe that they “killed” Mr. Pignati. The ambulance wheels Mr. Pignati away as John and Lorraine say