A Day No Pigs Would Die

Pinky is Robert's best friend. In the time spanned by A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert never sees another boy his age. All of the things that Robert would do with a human friend, he does with Pinky. They play around in the fields together, watch the sunset, and Robert even makes a flutterwheel for her.

Pinky also represents Robert's hopes of becoming more than a farmer. Already knowing that his father is dying, when Robert discovers that Pinky is dying, it means that he will not be able to use the offspring to help pay off the farm and that he will have to leave school to support the family. It also means that Pinky will have to die so that the family will have enough food to make it through the winter.

Humor serves to lighten the mood of this otherwise morbid book. A Day No Pigs Would Die deals with some very serious issues, but it reads very easily, partially because of the comical interludes between serious parts. The humor helps the moments when the book is very serious. If the tone of the entire book were as serious as it is at Haven's funeral, nothing would stand out.

Humor also helps readers connect with characters. Mistakes like thinking that a "tutor" is a trumpet and pervert is a rule of grammar help readers understand Robert's innocence and naïveté. This innocence endears Robert to us and makes us feel more strongly for him in his moments of distress.

When Robert kisses his father's bloody hand, the act symbolizes Robert forgiving his father for killing Pinky and all the other pigs that Haven has had to kill over the years in order to sustain the family. The moment says that Robert finally understands what his father has been preaching to him all along about doing what has to be done.

This is also the most emotional moment in the book between these two characters. They never say, "I love you," or anything of that sort. The kiss says all that without words. While Robert is kissing the hand, he thinks to himself that he would forgive his father even if he killed him, so the kiss also symbolizes trust. The kiss is also a sort of thank you for everything that Haven had done for Robert to make him into a man. It is not until that moment that Robert really understands or appreciates it all.