The Pigman

The trope of innocence lost is a common theme in books and movies featuring young people. Children and teens living idyllic childhoods in the bliss and freedom of their youth are exposed to evil and sinister forces that warp their view of the world and forever change how they see themselves. In The Pigman, Zindel subverts the innocence lost trope as John and Lorraine have already lost their innocence through damaging and abusive childhood experiences. Raised by a bitter and haggard single mother, Lorraine has never known the beauty of carefree adolescence. She thinks and acts like an adult and has ever since she can remember. John adopts his father’s struggle with alcohol addiction and lives in a constant state of contemptuous conflict with his parents. For both teens, their loss of innocence came long before they met Angelo Pignati. Their encounter with the old man deepens their knowledge of the harsh and painful truth of life. Attaching themselves to Mr. Pignati’s kindness, John and Lorraine revert to their childlike nature to recapture the innocent and idyllic family life they have lost but quickly realize it is impossible to reclaim a past they never had in the first place.