Max is the story's protagonist. He represents the common man: at first he is selfish and small minded, but through the course of the story, his perception enlarges. He becomes aware of the needs of others. Through his experiences, he discovers his own hunger for spirituality.
At the beginning of the story, Max is something like a construction worker or frat-brother... one of the boys. If he were a person, he'd be in his thirties -- approaching middle age, and starting to go bald. He is pudgy -- he's a pig after all. He has a goatee and wears a ball cap -- not the cool looking kind that has a sports team logo on it, but the old dorky kind with netting in back.
His turning moment comes in the City of Consumption, where he has been worn down and is close to death from starving. Think Ghandi. The challenge in drawing him is to capture this transformation.
Poco Pico's gift to Max is a small, burlap pouch of rice. The pouch is squarish, about the size of the back pocket of a pair of bluejeans. It is made relatively crudely, 2 square patches sewn together drawn together by a string.
