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| In the English town of Thirsk, Nestled in the heart of Yorkshire, My wife and I visited a bank. While she withdrew cash, I perused a shelf of books donated to charity. We left with money, And a real treasure. |
In The Boy Who Kicked Pigs,” Tom Baker introduces us
to Robert Caligari, a boy who lives in a village in the county of
Kent in southern England. It seems his
sister Nerys was always popping pennies into the tin piggy bank she had named
Trevor. Whenever visitors arrived, she
would rattle Trevor loudly, and say things like “Trevor’s a bit hungry. His tummy sounds empty.” Her antics and thrifty nature grate on
Robert’s nerves, and he takes to kicking Trevor when Nerys isn’t around.
Inevitably, this habit gets Robert into trouble. Once, Trevor crashes into the TV. On another occasion, the tin pig sails
through the open window and strikes a policeman driving past Robert’s
house. The police car crashes into a
parked fish van, and all manner of fish-related chaos ensues. Eventually, Robert’s habit of kicking pigs
(or, later, anything pork-related) becomes the subject of much hilarity in his
village, and he quits to avoid ridicule.
He withdraws into himself, and acts like the model citizen, but remembers
being laughed at. He takes solace in
reading news reports about humanity’s cruelty to animals. He is not the only one other people have
mistreated! Feeling isolated and
misunderstood, he eventually decides that it is not animals he hates, but his
fellow humans.
One day, while helping a blind man cross the street, Robert
snaps. For the blind man is a retired
slaughterhouse worker. In hurting him,
Robert sees himself as avenging all the animals ever killed by mankind. But this one act of vengeance doesn’t satisfy
him. Instead, it sends him on a killing
spree of mammoth proportions.
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| Dalek the Gray settles down to read. Jelly Babies, anyone? |
Initially, it seems strange that Tom Baker would write such
a story. During the years he played the
traveling Time Lord in the TV show “Doctor Who,” he loved to meet all the
children who watched his show. He listened
to them, and incorporated their likes and dislikes into his portrayal of the character.
Although he knew that children delighted
in being frightened, they needed to be in the comforting, familiar environment
of home, surrounded by caring family members, when aliens threatened the Doctor.
While the acts of violence in the story could chill one’s
soul, Tom Baker keeps the tone light.
His engaging narrative, in which he talks directly to the reader, is
easy-going. He warns you in the first
paragraph of Robert’s ultimate fate. In
the first few pages, he discloses that this is a story of “undiluted horror,
and anyone who writes a story like this must be really sick.” Those who have watched his portrayal of the
Doctor, seen him in interviews, or heard his commentary on DVDs can hear Tom
Baker speaking these words in his delightfully impish manner as they read. The story’s over-the-top events, while tragic,
are diluted by his artful wordplay and zany asides.
The Boy Who Kicked Pigs also communicates an
important message. We must be careful
what habits we perpetuate. For in many
ways, we are what we do. If we allow little
acts of violence, uncaring, or sloth into our lives, who knows what larger
defects of character such little “allowances” might eventually grow into. Thank you, Tom Baker, for writing such a
humorous morality tale. Now please, get
to work, and give us another one.
(Pretty please?)
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| How's this for a sequel? The Dalek Who Rode A Pig |
I would be remiss to end this post without mentioning
two items. First, the book is
extensively illustrated by David Roberts, whose style is reminiscent of
Charles Addams, or the filmic vision of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before
Christmas.” And second, the book has
been adapted into a play, which will be performed at The Lowry in Greater
Manchester later this month. Oh, to be
able to attend!
Thanks for reading,
Dragon Dave
Related Dragon Cache entries
Related Internet Links
Wikipedia page on The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
Tom Baker’s website on The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
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