Welcome back, John and Lorraine, to a more mature adventure in search of identity under the auspices of total truth and unwavering honesty. Angelo Pignati did not die in vain. Its resounding effect on John and Lorraine aroused deep feelings in them that they ignored due to their youthful naivety. They may have had doubts about their role in the Pigman’s death because they could never be sure that their actions, if they were different, could have had a more positive outcome. This hindsight is rarely beneficial unless one learns from their indiscretions.
Just as it can be said that the concept of the Pig Man resides in different people in varying circumstances, there is no doubt that the spirit of Angelo Pignati was reincarnated in the person of Colonel Glenville, whose apparent poverty was his only company in the face of imminent death. He identified himself as Gus, who was actually his faithful canine companion beyond the end, and probed the hearts and minds of John and Lorraine (again, alternating as narrators) to obtain from them the essence of their respective IDS. Like Mr. Pignati, the Colonel effectively led Lorraine and John to the ultimate in their search for identity, not only to quell feelings of self-doubt, but to form the basis of their truthful exposition of themselves. each other as well as their families. and colleagues.
The colonel Life game had the same goal as Mr. Pinati Assassin / Boatman challenge, solidification of the moral fiber, goals and determination of values. It was complex and understandably more open and subject to a more liberal interpretation. The result was the same: a greater understanding of the essence of the self.
The unlikely setting for the Studebaker trip, essential to the mobility needed to transport Dolly’s quartet, the Colonel, John, and Lorraine to Atlantic City, smelled of Bernie’s humor. [Weekend at Bernie’s] like the living corpse without morbidity. The revitalization of the Colonel’s life with Dolly paralleled the birth of Lorraine’s idyllic love for John. When the Colonel rose from the dead, John and Lorraine too became encapsulated in mutual love. But it takes a devastating emotional tragedy for John to cope with his tragic and near-fatal flaw, which awakens in him the fact that parental weaknesses can materialize with similar vices in the progeny. Forgiveness of oneself strengthens the forgiveness of others.
It would have been romantic for Lorraine to have been able to exercise the necessary power over John to save him from himself; but realistically, someone so entrenched in the mire of his own misconception of himself would not allow himself to be so dissuaded. He had to fail to realize his own fragility and succeed in finding himself and his feelings for Lorraine, which he had long denied. The colonel had to die poor to allow others to live and love his wealth. Somewhere another Pigman lives, waiting to be discovered by those who need him and his legacy most.
Assessment: Once again, the alternate narrators The style works to make reading easier for both boys and girls. Both are able to relate more personally and identify with the real problems that John and Lorraine feel. The coherence in the nature of Angelo and the Colonel provides the unity of purpose that Zindel expresses through his characters: to address viable responses to the psychological and social problems faced by young adults in a world that does not draw clear lines of demarcation. Providing older issues that include travel, drinking, gambling, and personal responsibility broadens the scope of experiences with Angelo Pignati, the forerunner of all. Pigmen come.
Recommendation: This is an essential sequel to Pigman’s first novel and would satisfy the hunger of an even wider range of students due to the more serious conflicts being addressed. Younger people can be read just for the sheer adventure without delving into the deeper meanings of the questions that are being asked.
Teaching: Without a doubt, he would teach both as if they were the first and second parts of the same book. It would also incorporate variations of the items found on the Colonel’s file. Life path exercise with creative input from students to provide their own individual pathways and rationalizations. I would not hesitate to incorporate as an advance to the texts Zindel’s biographical sketch, The pig man and me.