What…no…not another question about Hannibal! Ah, but i’m afraid so. Ok, so here it is, what kind of boars did Mr.Mason intend to use to bring about Mr.Lecter’s demise. Or where they boars at all, but just plane ol hogs?
Verger cross-bred a few breeds to get the boar of his dreams. These species are named in the book: the giant forest pig, the European wild boar, the Ossabaw Island pig, the Jiaxing Black, the Babirusa, and the Sardinian. (At least I think those are the species names; my knowledge of swine is limited to the human variety. :D) Anyway, each species had certain qualities he liked: teeth, tusks, speed, bulk, temperament, etc.
Why did he use boars? Probably because a bunch of cute little pink pigs wouldn’t inflict the torture Verger wanted Lecter to endure before he was eaten alive.
Besides, how can you avoid seeing the irony in someone who ate a census taker’s liver with fava beans and a chiante turning into pig slop? Eric Harris is big on playing with his characters like that.
Derleth, the author’s name is Thomas Harris. Eric Harris is one of the Columbine killers.
This is so stupid it isn’t even really funny. I had the book in my hands that very day, looking up the name of the character Gary Oldman played (Mason Verger, a name I can remember because it is so unusual). So, in my sleepy state (it was past midnight when I wrote that, I think), I substituted one common name for a smaller one and ended up with the name of a notorious killer. Well, there’s one thing about the Straight Dope: If you make a mistake, someone is there to correct you.