The Pigman: Symbols | SparkNotes

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Pig Collection

The collection of pig figurines symbolizes Mr. Pignati’s inability to let go of his dead wife, Conchetta. The pigs, which he and Conchetta collected together throughout their marriage, provide a tangible reminder of their life together. Behind the black curtain, the pig room serves as a shrine to Conchetta, which makes Norton’s destruction of several of the pigs at the party all the more heartbreaking. The pigs further symbolize Mr. Pignati himself in his close association with them through his name and his love of animals. When Norton destroys the pigs, he foreshadows Mr. Pignati’s impending death.

Bobo

Bobo the baboon is a living representation of Mr. Pignati’s loneliness and his lack of connection to other people since Conchetta’s death. In an effort to convince himself that he is not alone, Mr. Pignati visits the unpleasant baboon every day and views Bobo as his best, perhaps only, friend. Such a belief explains why Mr. Pignati is so eager for John and Lorraine, whom he considers as new friends, to meet Bobo. When Mr. Pignati returns to the zoo at the end of the novel and learns that Bobo has died, the loss feels so devastating that Mr. Pignati suffers a heart attack and dies. The loss of Bobo literally breaks Mr. Pignati’s heart.

The Three Monkeys

The three monkeys that Mr. Pignati, John, and Lorraine see in a Manhattan department store symbolize the relationship between Mr. Pignati, John, and Lorraine. The three small monkeys literally cling to one another, just as the human trio metaphorically hold on to one another for connection. The three friends have come together because they have so few other people in their lives to depend on and to give them love. Understanding this truth makes John and Lorraine’s party at Mr. Pignati’s house all the more tragic because their decision to hold the party there shows how completely they violated Mr. Pignati’s trust.

Mr. Pignati’s Game

Mr. Pignati’s game is psychological in nature. In the game, Mr. Pignati tells a story of a murder, and John and Lorraine must decide which character is most guilty of the crime. This game represents the concepts of consequences and responsibility, two issues that resonate in much of the novels’ events. John and Lorraine’s answer in Mr. Pignati’s game indicates that they value magic as the most important quality in life. Their friendship with Mr. Pignati indeed includes some enchanted qualities as it transcends reality, right up until the end, when truth crashes in on them. In the novel, both John and Lorraine serve as narrators, each recording the story’s events due to their need to understand and identify their own role and culpability in Mr. Pignati’s death, eerily reflecting the goal in Mr. Pignati’s game.

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