A Day No Pigs Would Die Character Analysis

The theme of the book “A day no pigs would die” is the changes of a boy growing to a man and coming-of-age. The main character, Robert Peck, is at a stage in his life that he must mature. He is challenged and is coming-of-age to uphold important responsibilities. He must learn to accept responsibilities, assume new roles, and take charge in situations. These factors come into the book to help Robert grow as a person and mature into a man. Robert proves his maturity and his coming-of-age through his ability to accept his responsibilities. For example, he knows he is responsible to help feed his family and make income. This can be seen in Chapter 14 when his beloved pet pig is butchered because of it’s inability to provide income. This shows his ability to accept his responsibilities and not squander money on a pig that would never produce offspring or

An example of this is when Robert took control of getting the funeral ready. Robert had no hesitation and made the necessary errands instead of relying on his elders. He had proven that he had come of age to take charge and be willing to finish responsibilities. Robert’s mother expressed that “she was glad to have him to handle things” and “she couldn’t have done it without him”(Peck, 143). Robert’s mother was able to trust Robert to take care of the duties that she may not have been able to take care of without his willingness and maturity. Robert matured throughout the story and came of age to take over his father’s farm. The theme of the story is not just observed through the life lessons of Robert, but the lessons of everyday people. “A Day No Pigs Would Die” is a great story with a theme that can be understood by all. Everybody must come of age and Robert shows this threw his acceptance of new responsibilities, ability to assume new roles, and ability to take charge in