THE PIGMAN

1. THE PIGMAN CHAPTER 1-8

2. THE PIGMAN (CHAPTER 1-4) • Why are Lorraine and John writing this story? They are writing the memorial epic to tell about their relationship with Mr. Pignati while their memories are still fresh.

3. THE PIGMAN 2. List below each name the things you have learned so far about John and Lorraine: John: Handsome, green eyes, smokes, drinks, lies, prankster, poor relationship w/parents Lorraine: Self-conscious, compassionate, paranoid, not many friends, poor relationship w/mom

4. THE PIGMAN 3. Why was John known as the “Bathroom Bomber”? What was the “supercolossal fruit roll? John used to set off firecrackers behind the toilets in the school bathroom. Also he would organize the rolling of old apples down the classroom aisles when there was a substitute teacher.

5. THE PIGMAN 4. How does Lorraine seem to feel about John? List good & bad. Good things: He is handsome, likes to have fun, confident Bad things: He smokes & drinks too much, lies to make life more exciting, mocks his teachers

6. THE PIGMAN 5. How does Lorraine’s description of the typing teacher and the librarian show that Lorraine is compassionate? It shows she is compassionate because she feels sorry for the teachers because neither one could really help the situation they were in. For example, she says that the typing teacher keeps her sick mother in her living room so that she won’t miss out on anything while the teacher is actually missing out on a normal life. Also she says that the librarian really isn’t fat, but instead just “grew out of her clothes” and maybe doesn’t have money to buy new ones.

7. THE PIGMAN 6. Why is Lorraine so self-conscious? Her mother is constantly criticizing her to the point where she thinks she is overweight and ugly.

8. THE PIGMAN 7. What are John and Lorraine’s dreams for the future? John wants to be an actor and Lorraine wants to be a writer.

9. THE PIGMAN 8. Who is the “Marshmallow Kid”? How did he get that nickname? Norton got this nickname when he stole a bag of marshmallows from the grocery store, was caught, and the incident was reported in the newspaper.

10. THE PIGMAN 9. What is a “telephone marathon”? A game that John, Lorraine, Dennis, and Norton play where they pick random names out of the phone book and see how long they can keep the people on the phone.

11. THE PIGMAN 10. Why does Lorraine pick Mr. Pignati’s name from the telephone book? She notices that Angelo Pignati lives on Howard Ave. That is the next street over from where she lives so she thinks that she could maybe say she is from the Howard Ave. civic league or something like that.

12. THE PIGMAN 11. What does it mean when Lorraine says that John “prevaricates just for prevaricating’s sake”? She means that John just lies for fun and excitement.

13. THE PIGMAN 12. What does Lorraine learn about Mr. Pignati during their phone conversation? She learns that he loves jokes, his wife is away vising his sister in California, and he sounds lonely.

14. THE PIGMAN 13. Why does John get interested in Mr. Pignati? He gets very interested when he hears that Mr. Pignati is willing to send $10 to the L&J fund.

15. THE PIGMAN (CHAPTER 5&6) 14. Why doesn’t John want Norton to know about the L&J fund? He knows that Norton would really take advantage of the old man in some way.

16. THE PIGMAN 15. Describe John’s conflict with his parents. How do you think his relationship with them could be made better? His relationship with his parents is very strained. He seems to do things just to annoy his parents. All his mother is worried about is keeping the house clean. They compare him to his older successful brother.

17. THE PIGMAN 16. Describe Mr. Pignati. From what you’ve learned in Chap. 5, explain the book’s title, The Pigman. Mr. Pignati is always smiling and seems very happy. He loves telling jokes and enjoys John and Lorraine’s company. Mr. Pignati shows John and Lorraine the “pig” room and explains why the pigs are there. When he first met his wife, he gave her a pig to remind her of him. From then on she collected pigs.

18. THE PIGMAN 17. What kinds of problems does Lorraine have at home? Describe her mother. What suggests that Mrs. Jensen really does love Lorraine? Where is Lorraine’s father? Lorraine’s mother only seems concerned about herself and orders Lorraine around when she comes home from work. Her mother was once pretty, but now looks tired and old. She is very critical of Lorraine, but shows that she loves her by being protective. Lorraine’s father is dead.

19. THE PIGMAN 18. Why doesn’t John tear up the check? He tells Lorraine that it is because then Mr. Pignati would be suspicious that they were not really charity workers, but really he wants to buy beer and cigarettes with the money.

20. THE PIGMAN 19. What were the bad omens at the zoo? The bad omens were the peanuts lady, the crazy peacock, and the little boy looking into the glass at the bat house.

21. THE PIGMAN 20. Who is Bobo? What does it show you about Mr. Pignati that Bobo is his best friend? Bobo is a big ugly baboon at the zoo. It shows that Mr. Pignati is lonely.

22. THE PIGMAN 21. Lorraine and John react differently to their day at the zoo. Explain how each reacts. Lorraine doesn’t really like the zoo because she hates to see the animals caged and doesn’t like how the zoo attendants treat the animals. John loves the zoo as much as Mr. Pignati.

23. THE PIGMAN (CHAPTER 7&8) 22. Describe Mr. Pignati’s house. Why do John and Lorraine like to go there? It’s kind of messy, but comfortable. John and Lorraine like to go there because Mr. Pignati encourages them to make themselves at home. They can touch things, go in the refrigerator, wander upstairs, etc.

24. THE PIGMAN 23. Why do you think Mr. Pignati said Conchetta was in California? How does John discover the truth? Mr. Pignati does not want to face the reality of his wife’s death. John finds the funeral bill.

25. THE PIGMAN 24. How can you tell that Lorraine has some sympathy for her mother? How does she try to explain her mother’s behavior to us – and herself? When she sees her mother standing at the bus stop, she feels sorry for her because she is always on her feet and works hard on her job. She tries to justify her mom’s negative attitude by saying that her mother has had a difficult life raising a daughter by herself and providing a living for them. Her mother never seems to be happy or have any fun.

26. THE PIGMAN 25. What does Lorraine mean about toy manufacturers needing “a good course in preventative psychiatry? It means that she thinks it is not mentally healthy for children to play with fake weapons because it may later result in violent adults.

27. THE PIGMAN 26. Lorraine both enjoys and feels guilty about Mr. Pignati’s buying things for her and John. Why does she have these mixed feelings? She know that it is not right for them to accept gifts from Mr. Pignati, but at the same time she enjoys receiving fun items that no one has ever bought for her before.

28. THE PIGMAN 27. Why do you think the author put the part in the book about Lorraine, John and the Pigman going to the pet department in Beekman’s? What comparison is made later in the chapter? The author puts this in the book so that the reader meets the three cute little monkeys clinging to each other. Later in the chapter, those monkeys are compared to John, Lorraine, and the Pigman because they are “clinging” to each other for friendship and companionship.

29. THE PIGMAN Name the types of conflict involved in each of the sentences below: 28. Mr. Pignati doesn’t want to admit that his wife is dead. Type of Conflict: Man vs. Self 29. John wants to be an individual, not a phony in the crowd. Type of Conflict: Man vs. Self, Man vs. Society 30. While Lorraine pities her mother, she also resents her mother’s criticisms and nagging. Type of Conflict: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Self 31. Lorraine longs to accept Mr. Pignati’s offer to buy her roller skates, but she doesn’t feel it is right. Type of Conflict: Man vs. Self