THE PIGMAN
CHAPTER 1-8
THE PIGMAN
(CHAPTER 1-4)
1. 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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