Literary Fiction, Family Drama
Like all works of literary fiction, The Pigman focuses on style, psychological depth, and character. The three major characters have psychological depth – they have conflicts and contradictions in their characters, and they change as the story progresses.
And family drama? Where should we start? Lorraine's and John's families are beyond dysfunctional. John especially is in a perpetual conflict with his parents, over his hair, his career choice, his music – everything. Lorraine comments that "the analysts would call [John's] family the source problem" (1). (For more on family, see the discussion of family in "Themes.")