TEACHERS GUIDE


ABOUT THIS BOOK

Two lonely high-school students meet a strange old man, Mr. Pignati, who lives only through his dreams and his daily visits to his closest friend, the baboon at the zoo. For a short while the three find unexpected love and laughter with each other. But the unreal world they create out of their zaniness and energy is soon tragically shattered and the young people are left to confront the harsh reality of their lives.

John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen are sophomores who dislike school and entertain themselves by playing practical jokes. They meet Mr. Angelo Pignati, a kindly old widower affectionately nicknamed the Pigman, through one of their prank telephone calls.

John and Lorraine have uneasy relationships with their parents, and they welcome Mr. Pignati's kindness and generosity. One evening as the threesome amuse each other by playing roller-skate tag in the Pigman's house, Mr. Pignati suffers a heart attack. While he is in the hospital, John and Lorraine betray his trust by hosting a party in his home. The situation gets out of hand, and Mr. Pignati returns to a disheveled house where his treasured glass-pig collection has been destroyed and his wife's clothing has been ruined. Although deeply saddened, he forgives the two, but soon suffers a second heart attack. This time the attack is fatal, and John and Lorraine are left contemplating the role they played in the Pigman's death.

TEACHING IDEAS

In the Classroom

Using The Pigman in the Classroom

Although it was published nearly 30 years ago, The Pigman is one of the undisputed classics in the field of adolescent fiction and continues to speak to teenage readers. John's snappy humor, the mutual caring between opposite-sex friends John and Lorraine, the strained relationships with parents, the friendship with an older person, and questions about the purpose of life still have strong adolescent appeal. Many of the scenes are quite amusing, but the serious undercurrent that runs throughout this coming-of-age story makes it much more than just entertaining reading.

The dual narrators writing alternating chapters is an interesting literary technique, and once students understand how it works, they will appreciate hearing the story from two points of view. Zindel's masterful use of this literary device, which makes the book inviting to both male and female readers, includes banter between the narrators as well as the narrators' insights into each other and themselves.

Suggested Classroom Activities

Pre-Reading Activity

Ask students to write the words Old People in the center of a piece of paper and circle them. Then have the students brainstorm what the words mean to them by writing each thought that comes to mind, circling and connecting it to the original words. As other thoughts occur, have students connect them to the words or phrases which inspired them.

Journal Entries

At various points, determined either by students themselves or by you as the teacher, have students record their responses to what they have read so far in The Pigman. Students can discuss their ongoing responses in small groups and you can read them to monitor their progress and help answer any questions they may have while reading The Pigman.

Thematic Connections

In addition to being an engaging story, The Pigman contains major ideas, or themes, clearly worth contemplating. Here are some sample activities related to themes found in The Pigman. Having students create their own activities or projects is, of course, highly advised.

Influential adults -- Even though the story ends sadly, it is clear that the Pigman has had a major psychological effect on both Lorraine and John. Students who can identify a person who has significantly influenced them may want to write about that person's effect on them. Other students may wish to interview older friends or relatives willing to describe how someone from their youth influenced them in a way they will never forget.

Family and Relationships (Parental) -- John's parents treat him as though he is a disturbing influence in their lives. Lorraine's mother is too tired from her job and too bitter about men to deal effectively with her. To balance the often negative portrayal of parents in young adult literature, have students identify passages in young adult literature which illustrate positive relationships between parents and their teenage children.

Friendship -- Sometimes friends can be more supportive than or take the place of family members. This was clearly the case with John, Lorraine, and Mr. Pignati though they never expressed these thoughts to each other. Working in groups of three, have each student assume the identity of one of these characters and write letters to the other two, thanking them for their friendship and explaining why it is so important.

Responsibility -- Lorraine and John both take large steps toward maturity as they examine what happened with the Pigman. They differ, however, in the level of responsibility they accept for his death. Ask students to come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: Is John less mature than Lorraine when he does not accept full responsibility for the death of Mr. Pignati? What role does guilt play in each character's willingness or unwillingness to accept responsibility for what happened?

Death -- Lorraine's mother, a private nurse, has a cavalier attitude toward death. Until the death of the Pigman, John has not really confronted the reality of death. Seeing Mr. Pignati lying on the cold tile floor of the monkey house, however, makes him examine his views on death and the meaning of life. If Lorraine were to write an additional chapter in which she explained her thoughts about death, what would she say?

Interdisciplinary Connections

Language Arts -- We learn early in the story that Mr. Pignati dies (page 18). If students mention this point, ask them whether knowing this ahead of time made the ending anticlimactic. One student may want to assume the identity of the author and answer questions about why he allowed the narrators to reveal this information so early in the novel.

Students intrigued by the relationship between John and Lorraine both as friends and co-writers may want to collaborate to tell a story from alternating points of view. Their story could be presented to the class in either oral or written form.

Social Studies -- John finds it depressing that Mr. Pignati dies alone in a world where people forget about people just because they are old and their minds become a little senile (page 144). Have students discuss whether Mr. Pignati's social isolation is unusual. Encourage them to find out how the elderly are generally regarded and treated by various groups in American society. Does this differ from the treatment of the elderly in other parts of the world?

Health Education -- John smokes and drinks rather heavily throughout this novel. Lorraine tells him this is not good for his health, but he ignores her. At the end of the novel, John reveals that he understands his behavior is self-destructive and acknowledges that perhaps he would rather be dead than become like the grown-ups he knows (page 146). Interested students may want to conduct some research, either formal or informal, on why teens smoke and drink when they know it will shorten their lives.

Philosophy -- John makes the statement that life is what you make of it (page 149). Students interested in delving into the novel's philosophical underpinnings may want to do some background reading about existentialism and discuss whether or not John subscribes to this philosophical stance.

Art -- Students might like to replace Mr. Pignati's pig collection for him by making pottery or ceramic pigs of their own and by finding pig figurines in gift shops and secondhand stores.

Vocabulary/Use of Language

Lorraine enjoys increasing her vocabulary through reading. As John puts it, she "remembers the big words" because she is going to be a famous writer someday (page 15). Have students, working individually or in small groups, list words Lorraine uses that John would consider "big words." The students should be able to explain why they selected the words they list.

Teaching Ideas prepared by Elizabeth A. Poe, Associate Professor of English, Radford University, Radford, VA

FURTHER READING

The Car by Gary Paulsen[0-440-21918-3]
David & Della by Paul Zindel[0-553-56727-6]
The Monument by Gary Paulsen[0-440-40782-6]
The Monument by Gary Paulsen[0-440-40782-6]
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer[0-440-46633-4]
The Pigman and Me by Paul Zindel[0-553-56456-0]
The Pigman's Legacy by Paul Zindel[0-553-26599-7]
Remembering the Good Times by Richard Peck[0-440-97339-2]
Spite Fences by Trudy Krisher[0-440-22016-5]
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher[0-440-21906-X]