The Pigman

by

Paul Zindel

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Pigman makes teaching easy.

Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”) Character Analysis

Mrs. Conlan, whom John calls “The Old Lady,” is John’s mother. She’s a timid, anxious woman who is primarily concerned with keeping her volatile husband, Bore, calm—often at John’s expense. John’s mother (and his father, for that matter) repeatedly fails to give him the support and encouragement he needs to thrive. When John acts out, his mother is more concerned with ensuring that John’s bad behavior doesn’t upset Bore than getting to the bottom of why John is acting out. As a result, John’s bad behavior (and the inner unhappiness that has caused it) goes unaddressed.

Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”) Quotes in The Pigman

The The Pigman quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”) or refer to Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Death and Grief  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

I blame an awful lot of things on the ghost of Aunt Ahra because she died in our house when she was eighty-two years old.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Angelo Pignati (“The Pigman”), Mr. Conlan (“Bore”), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”), Aunt Ahra
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

“You’re ruining your lungs with that thing” was the first remark out of her mouth besides a cough from a misdirected puff from my cigarette. She sounds just like her mother when she says that.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Lorraine Jensen (speaker), Angelo Pignati (“The Pigman”), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”)
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

I had become a disturbing influence, as they say. If I light up a cigarette, all my mother’s really worried about is that I’m going to burn a hole in the rug. If I want a beer, she’s worried I’m not going to rinse the glass out.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”)
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”) Quotes in The Pigman

The The Pigman quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”) or refer to Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Death and Grief  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

I blame an awful lot of things on the ghost of Aunt Ahra because she died in our house when she was eighty-two years old.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Angelo Pignati (“The Pigman”), Mr. Conlan (“Bore”), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”), Aunt Ahra
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

“You’re ruining your lungs with that thing” was the first remark out of her mouth besides a cough from a misdirected puff from my cigarette. She sounds just like her mother when she says that.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Lorraine Jensen (speaker), Angelo Pignati (“The Pigman”), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”)
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

I had become a disturbing influence, as they say. If I light up a cigarette, all my mother’s really worried about is that I’m going to burn a hole in the rug. If I want a beer, she’s worried I’m not going to rinse the glass out.

Related Characters: John Conlan (speaker), Mrs. Conlan (“The Old Lady”)
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis: