Day No Pigs Would Die

What do fences symbolize in the book?

Good neighbors know their boundaries.

Sebring Hillman

Had an affair with Letty Phelps; goes to the graveyard to dig up his daughter.

How did Rob feel about his dad when Pinky was killed?

Hated him for killing her, but loved him because he as the father was doing his job to provide for the family.

Why did Rob go to the cemetery in the middle of the night?

He and Haven went to stop Mr. Hillman from digging up Letty Phelps.

Why can Haven NOT vote?

He cannot read or write.

What does the hawk eating the rabbit symbolize?

How the strong rule the weak.

Letty Phelps

Peck's relative that had affair with Sebring Hillman and died during childbirth.

What happened at the fair?

Pinky got all dirty and Rob spent his 10 cents on soap to clean her up.

Plot (in 4 sentences)

Rob receives Pinky from Mr. Tanner for saving Apron and her calves. He bonds with her and she wins a medal at the fair. After attempting to breed her, they learn she is barren. When other methods fail to feed the family, they must slaughter her to live. Haven dies and Rob becomes man of the house.

Haven Peck

Rob's father; slaughters pigs for a living; cannot read or write; dies in the winter; takes pride in his tools and work; treats Rob like a man

Lucy Peck

Rob's mother; takes care of household; treat Rob like a child

Aunt Mattie

Rob's tutor for diagramming

Author

Robert Newton Peck

The Difficulty of Being an Outsider

Robert Peck is not like the other boys that he goes to school with in Learning, Vermont. He is the son of an impoverished farmer and a Shaker, both of which create a sense of isolation in Robert. He does not deal well with being different in the beginning of the book, as shown when he runs away from his trouble at school and does everything he can to avoid going back. Later in the book when Robert becomes a man, he accepts his position in life and discovers that Pinky has not been his only friend.

Why did Pinky have to be slaughtered?

She was barren and the family needed food because they failed to shoot a deer and apple crop went bad.

Why was the underlying meaning of the book's title?

The day of Haven's funeral.

What do Haven's tools symbolize?

The pride he takes in his job and how the job provides for his family.

What does the red and black checkered coat symbolize?

There is a difference wants and needs.

The Trials of Becoming a Man

Throughout A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert is presented with trials that test and toughen his character, gradually bringing about his transition into manhood. When Robert is forced to allow his best friend to be butchered so that the family can eat, it shows that he has accepted that some things in life are inevitable and that being a man is all about doing what has to be done.

What were Rob's plans for Pinky?

To raise her and make her a breeder sow.

Why was Rob given a piglet?

It was a gift from Mr. Tanner for saving his cow, Apron, while she gave birth to her twin cows.

How did Rob feel about his father dying?

It was the moment that changed Rob from a boy to a man.

Setting

Learning, Vermont

Aunt Carrie

Lives with Rob and his family; gossips

4 Themes in the Novel

1) Trials of Becoming a Man, 2) Difficulties of Being an Outsider, 3) Acceptance of the Inevitable, 4) Free Will vs. Expectations

Shaker Culture

1) Were simple, plain people who believed in honest, hard work, 2) everything was done for the good of the community - not for themselves, 3) simple, no frills

Acceptance of the Inevitable

A Day No Pigs Would Die is all about the way that its characters react to the traumatic events that they experience. One of the things that Haven tries to teach his son is that there is nothing that they can do about these tragedies except carry on. When Haven dies in the end of the book, his son and family show that they have learned this lesson thoroughly by carrying on with life as if it were any other day.

Free Will vs. Expectations

All of the major characters in A Day No Pigs Would Die are people who, though easily seen within certain categories (e.g. farmer, Shaker, adolescent), assert their individuality by displaying original ideas and attitudes toward life. Haven, for example, is a devout Shaker, but when his son asks him if he believes in all of the Shaker Laws, he only replies, "Most." In several situations he goes against Shaker ways to make his own decisions. Mrs. Peck exhibits this same characteristic. When Aunt Carrie is fretting over the adultery of the Widow Bascom, Mrs. Peck gives her approval for the way the widow carries on with life after her husband dies.

Explain what happened to the apple crop and how did it contribute to the outcome of the story?

Apple crop failed and therefore, no money/food and Pinky had to die to provide food.

Rob Peck

main character; son of Haven Peck; 13 year old boy; best friend - Pinky; grows from boy to man in the book

Pinky

name of pig Rob received; is barren; must be slaughtered to save family from starvation.

Mr. Tanner

neighbor that gave Rob Pinky; takes Rob to the fair; owns the prize boar that they tried to breed with Pinky.

Hussy

the dog of Ira Long that was killed in the weaseling incident