The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: A Critical Book Review

Introduction to the Book and Its Author

Upon reading the title of this book, one might find it more suitable for a bedtime story. In a sense, that impression is apt: the author, Jeffrey Masson, treats his readers somewhat like children, entrancing them so that they do not notice his flawed reasoning. The title offers no indication that the book is, in fact, a study of "the emotional world of domesticated animals." Masson was once the head of the Sigmund Freud Archives and controversially argued that Freud had concealed cases of child abuse in order to support his "seduction" theory — the idea that patients had desired to be seduced as children. Ever since that episode, Masson has devoted himself to exposing cases of abuse, including those found in academic studies and in accounts of animal abuse by humans (Cohu, 2004).

Masson's earlier book, When Elephants Weep, was among the first works since the era of Darwin to investigate animal emotions — particularly those of wild animals. His later book, The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, takes a different angle: it examines the world of domesticated animals and reports what Masson presents as shocking findings, arguing that farm animals possess emotions and consciousness. Over the course of the book, Masson draws on anecdotes, scientific research, personal experience, history, and a review of literature spanning 60 months of study on various domestic animals, including chickens, goats, sheep, cows, and pigs (Buffalolib, n.d.).

Masson's Core Arguments About Farm Animals

In a narrative typical of his writing style, Masson argues that pigs, like human beings, are individuals. There is a subtle sleight of hand here: if readers accept that the word "individual" applies equally to humans and to animals such as pigs, they have implicitly accepted the assertion that pigs are essentially equivalent to humans. This claim is supported throughout the book by a series of anecdotes — including the story of pigs who grunt with pleasure or wag their tails in happiness, a pig named Pru who reportedly rescued its owner from a marsh, and another pig that sought help after its owner suffered a heart attack.

Masson also argues that people's attitudes toward pigs have long been negative, and that human language reflects this bias. He points to phrases such as "filthy swine," "your room is like a pigsty," and "don't be a road hog" as evidence of deep-seated cultural hostility toward pigs. He extends this argument to human attitudes toward all domesticated animals. However, as Cohu (2004) observes, following Masson's reasoning to its logical conclusion would require the elimination of all animal-related similes and metaphors from human language in order to treat these animals fairly.

From pens to farms and barns, Masson writes of the feelings and intelligence of domesticated animals — sheep, dogs, chickens, and many others — attributing to each its own special qualities. He describes pigs as intelligent, emotional, and self-dependent, and argues that they share many behaviors with humans: the ability to distinguish colors, to dream, and to recognize their own names (Masson, 2003). He claims that cows mourn when their young are taken to slaughter, that sheep, if given options, would choose nutritious food, and that goats display fearlessness, dignity, and even humor. As an example of fearlessness, Masson cites an Indian goat reportedly capable of killing leopards. He also discusses the social nature of chickens, drawing on personal experience to suggest that chickens will move close to a human companion or sit near someone who cares for them (Masson, 2003).

Masson's book, The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, is one of the few works that not only highlights the importance of farm animal sentience but also attempts to grant these animals dignity — in contrast to the ways humans routinely treat them through slaughter, shearing, milking, and consumption (Buffalolib, n.d.). Many behavioral scientists hold the view that it is impossible to know what makes animals happy. Masson disagrees: he argues that an animal is joyous when it lives according to its inherent nature, and that domesticated animals are therefore among the saddest creatures on earth, suffering more than their wild counterparts. He illustrates this point by noting that chickens would naturally roost at night with companions, something they cannot do when confined to a cage (Masson, 2003). In sum, these arguments are intended to dismantle the widespread assumption that farm animals are unintelligent and without feeling (Buffalolib, n.d.).

Conclusion

The Pig Who Sang to the Moon raises important questions about how humans treat domesticated animals, but its reliance on anecdote, sentimentalism, and anthropomorphism ultimately undermines its credibility as a serious contribution to the study of animal consciousness. Masson's passion for his subject is evident, and some of his observations about animal welfare are genuinely thought-provoking. Nevertheless, his tendency to project human motivations onto animals, combined with a logical leap toward veganism as the only acceptable response, weakens the force of his argument. Readers seeking a rigorous examination of farm animal cognition will find the book emotionally engaging but scientifically unsatisfying.

Bibliography

Buffalolib. (n.d.). The Pig who sang to the Moon: The emotional world of farm animals. Retrieved from Buffalo and Erie County Public Library: http://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/1253534/Reviews

Cohu, W. (2004, January 19). Pigs know how to love. Retrieved from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3610434/Pigs-know-how-to-love.html

Jaine, T. (2004, January 31). Pigs may fly. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/31/society

Masson, J. M. (2003). The Pig Who Sang To The Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals. London: Jonathan Cape.