The Christmas Pig

“DP liked doing exactly the same things Jack did: crawling under bushes and into hidey-holes and being thrown up in the air, Jack by his Dad, and DP by Jack. DP didn’t mind getting dirty, or being dropped accidentally in a puddle, as long as he and Jack were having fun together.”

In this passage, the overview of Jack and DP’s everyday adventures illustrates the boy’s deep emotional attachment to his toy, emphasizing the dynamic of Childhood Toys as Friends and Confidantes. By describing scenes from DP’s point of view, as when DP “didn’t mind getting dirty,” Rowling introduces the idea that DP is already a full-fledged person in his own right.

“‘Yes,’ said Mum, ‘but there’s a school very near our new house. I know you’ll love it.’ ‘I don’t think I will,’ said Jack. He didn’t want to move and he didn’t want a new school. Mum didn’t seem to understand: Jack didn’t want any more changes. He wanted to stay with his school friends and in the old house, where he and DP had had so many adventures.”

Faced with the daunting prospect of Coping with Loss and Change, young Jack recoils from new possibilities and longs for the stability of his old life. However, he must contend with the fact that his parents’ changing relationship has turned his world upside-down. Jack’s uncertainty and sadness over his parents’ divorce later plays a significant role in his determination to rescue the lost DP at any cost.

“Beneath the blankets, DP understood everything without being told. He knew Jack felt strange about Brendan holding Mum’s hand, even though Jack liked Brendan a bit more, now that he’d gotten to know him. DP understood that Jack would rather it had been his dad holding Mum’s hand. DP shared Jack’s worry that if Brendan stopped wanting to be Mum’s friend anymore, she’d get sad again. DP was the only one Jack could tell how much he wanted things to stop changing. He never needed to pretend with DP.”

DP is Jack’s main confidante because the boy has few friends in his new neighborhood and does not want to upset his parents by revealing the true extent of his worry and sadness over their recent divorce. Relying upon DP to “listen” to him, Jack finds a creative outlet for his fears, even though he never fully articulates his emotions out loud.