46 pages 1 hour read

Paul Zindel

The Pigman

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1968

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Chapters 8-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary

Lorraine says she suspected something was off with Mr. Pignati and was not surprised when John told her his wife is dead: “There was something about the glaze in his eyes when he laughed that disturbed me because I could tell he didn’t really believe his own laughter” (67). Mr. Pignati continues entertaining them and drinking wine. John produces a credit card he found upstairs, and he is amazed when Mr. Pignati explains that a person can just take items with only a signature. The card was Conchetta’s for shopping at her favorite market, Beekman’s. Lorraine thinks about how happy Angelo and his wife were and wonders what it is like for a couple to have a joyful marriage and enjoy simple things like a conversation over dinner. She and her mother do not cook and never share meals.

Later at home, Lorraine’s mother complains about her new patient, whom she claims tried to sexually assault her. Lorraine offers to make her mother breakfast, but Ms. Jenson says she will try to eat at work, taking advantage of the situation since her employer is desperate to keep her. While she is at work, Lorraine’s mother expects her daughter to clean the kitchen, but Lorraine says they are out of cleanser, so her mother says she will steal some from her job.

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By Paul Zindel

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Paul Zindel
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