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. His resounding effect on John and Lorraine aroused deep feelings in them that were unaware of their youthful naivety. They may have had doubts about his role in the Pig Man’s death because they could never be sure that his actions, if different, would have had a more positive outcome. Such hindsight is seldom beneficial unless one learns from his indiscretions.
Just as the concept of Pigman can be said to reside in different people in varying circumstances, there was 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 trusty canine companion beyond the ending, and plumbed the hearts and minds of John and Lorraine (again, alternating as narrators) for the gist of their respective IDS. Like Mr. Pignati, the Colonel effectively led Lorraine and John to the ultimate in their quest for identity, not only to override feelings of self-doubt, but also to form the basis for their truthful exposure of themselves. themselves among themselves and their families. and colleagues.
the colonel Life game had the same objective as that of Mr. Pignati Assassin/Boatman challenge, the solidification of the moral fiber, goals and determination of values. It was complex and understandably more open and subject to more liberal interpretation. The result was the same: a greater understanding of the essence of the self.
The unlikely setting of the Studebaker trip, essential to the mobility needed to transport the quartet of Dolly, the Colonel, John and Lorraine to Atlantic City, smacked 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. As the Colonel rose from the dead, so did John and Lorraine fall in love with each other. But it takes a devastating emotional tragedy for John to come to grips with his tragic and near-fatal flaw, awakening in him the fact that the weaknesses of parents can materialize with similar vices in offspring. Self-forgiveness empowers the forgiveness of others.
It would have been romantic if Lorraine had been able to exert the necessary power over John to save him from himself; but, realistically, someone so entrenched in the mire of his own misconception of himself wouldn’t allow himself to be so dissuaded. He had to fail to realize his own frailty and succeed in finding himself and his feelings for Lorraine, which he had denied for so long. The Colonel had to die poor to allow others to live and love from his wealth. Somewhere out there, another Pigman lives, waiting to be discovered by those who most need him and his legacy.
Assessment: Once again, the alternate narrators The style works to make reading easier for both boys and girls. They are both able to relate more personally and identify with the real issues that John and Lorraine feel. The consistency in the natures of Angelo and the Colonel provides the unity of purpose that Zindel expresses through his characters: addressing viable answers to the psychological and social problems facing young adults in a world that does not draw clear lines of demarcation. Providing older issues including travel, drinking, gambling, and personal responsibility broadens the scope of experiences with Angelo Pignati, the forerunner of them all. pigments to come.
Recommendation: This is an indispensable sequel to the first Pigman novel and would satisfy the hunger of an even wider range of students due to the more serious conflicts that are addressed. Those who are younger can be read just for sheer adventure without delving into the deeper meanings of the questions being asked.
Teaching: Without a doubt, I would teach both as if they were the first and second parts of the same book. It would also incorporate variations of items found in the Colonel’s Life path exercise with creative input from students to provide their own individual pathways and rationalizations. I would not hesitate to incorporate Zindel’s biographical sketch as a preview to the texts, The pigman and me.
