Unlike the males, she is unhappy and depressed. The faces of the males look like pigs. Behind them are the pictures of pigs on the wall, which represents them of their selfishness, lack of respect and discipline. On the bottom half of the walls are pictures of tulips. The tulips color (red) represents mums struggle for survival. The males are wearing bright colors and smiling, which represents their power and strength. Mum is wearing blue coloued clothing, which highlights that she is sad and depressed. The males positioning (at the top) shows that they are superior, whereas mums positioning indicates that she is inferior (unimportant).
As we read further into the book, we gain more knowledge on the males pig-like personality, behavior and habits and how they took advantage of Mrs Piggot (mother). We learn also the theme of feminism and the theme of taking people for granted. This idea is reinforced by the picture on the second and third page. There are bowls and crockery set on the table and we know from this and the text that the males are having their breakfast. The boys (Simon and Patrick) are opening their mouths screaming for breakfast. Symbolism is illustrated here- that the boys are like pigs or birds with mouths wide open waiting to be fed by their mother. The father is reading a newspaper, and on the newspaper are faces of people screaming, thus also showing in symbolism, fathers laziness. The pictures on page four and five are pictures of mum. The images are shown in a sepia color and are framed. The sepia colour indicates Mrs Piggots monotonous, hard and struggling life. The borders indicate the restrictions of her life. The color of the clothing she is wearing (blue) emphasizes that she is depressed.
Furthermore, as we continue to read the story, we realize the males uselessness and incapability and the fact that they are entirely dependent on Mrs Piggott's hard work. The illustration that best emphasizes this is the picture on the sixteenth page.
