April 26, 2018
Death of a Pig is an essay by E.B. White originally published in The Atlantic in 1948. One of the recurring themes of the essay is the interruption of routine and disruption of pattern. While raising a pig for slaughter, White’s plans are interrupted by his pig suffering from an unknown ailment. White finds himself making a personal connection with the animal and recounts the pig’s final days.
The spread highlights disruptions (such as quotes, exclamations, and important plot points) that occur throughout the essay. Text boxes butt into body text and sentences bleed out from the text frame. Lines jut in and out of the essay and interrupt reading to emphasize White’s discomfort when a routine is disrupted by something natural and organic.
The essay is designed for a double tabloid spread, similar to that of newspaper. The narration is split at the essay’s climax: when White discovers the pig may not survive until winter.