Holes by Louis Sacher

Holes by Louis Sacher Theme Fate does play an important role in the lives of many of the characters in the novel Holes. Stanley’s great-great-grandfather was cursed with bad luck by Madame Zeroni because he did not carry her up the mountain as he had promised. The bad luck haunts his relatives for over a hundred years, until the day Stanley Yelnats the third fourth fulfils the promise of his great-great-grandfather by carrying Madame Zeroni's great-grandson up a mountain and sing him Madame Zeroni's lullaby. From this point the Yelnats family’s luck turns. Stanley Yelnats great-grandfather was robbed by Kate Barlow and left stranded in the desert. He had survived alone for seventeen days before he was rescued by some hunters. He claimed to have â€Å"found rescue in god's tumb†. So when Stanley and Zero are stranded in the exact same desert over a hundred years later and spot a mountain with the contour of a thumb, Stanley decides to follow his great-grandfather's example and climb the mountain. On this mountain they find onions and water which gives them strength to survive and continue their adventure. On their adventure, Stanley and Zero develop a solid friendship. They face a lot of challenges which makes them bond even stronger. A good example is when Stanley carries Zero's almost lifeless body up the high, steep mountain. Stanley steals a car just to help his friend Stanley, and Zero gets in to a fight only to defend Stanley. Good Conflict Zero escaped from Camp Green Lake after he had hit Mr. Pendanski in the head with his shovel. Knowing that Zero is walking around in the desert without any food or water leaves Stanley feeling guilty and worried about him. This makes him steal a car and escape from camp, just to help his friend. Fine. Conflicts between characters Catherine Barlow and Trout Walker Catherine is the first woman to turn Trout down and give him a â€Å"no†. This upsets Trout, and he burns Catherine's school down and kills her boyfriend. Mr. Sir And Stanley Stanley is accused of stealing Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds and is taken to the Warden by Mr. Sir. The Warden gets upset about Mr. Sir wasting her time with trifles and slap him his face with her poisonous nails. Mr. Sir's face get ugly swellings and he lets his anger and embarrassment out on Stanley. Zero an Mr. Pendanski Mr. Pendanski is constantly mocking at Zero about how stupid and incompetent he is. Zero finally gets enough and hits Mr. Pendanski in the head with his shovel. Fine Setting Green Lake was once the largest lake in the whole of Texas. It was a bright and lush place surrounded by peach trees and fertile mountains. When Sam got killed the whole town of Green Lake was somehow punished, not one single drop of water has fallen on Green Lake since that fateful day. The area is now all hot and dried up and there are no longer any remains of the green and sunny paradise it used to be. Camp Green Lake is now just a dry wasteland without any signs of vegetation, shade or water. Beside the boys, the only residents are scorpions, rattlesnakes and some deadly yellow-spotted lizards. When Stanley and Zero leave Camp Green Lake the sky turns dark and the first drop of rain for over a hundred years falls into the empty lake. Water being reunited with the lake is probably an indication on that vegetation and wildlife slowly will return to the area. We are also told that Camp Green Lake will become a Girl Scout camp in a few years. This tells us that the camp probably will be upgraded and get a friendlier look. It is also unlikely that a Girl Scout camp would find place in a desert, so this again suggests that Green Lake is returning green again. Good Characterization When Stanley arrives Camp he is an unhappy, overweight kid without any friends, being bullied by classmates and teachers. He appears to be secluded and feels uncomfortable in social situations and he is often sick with generally bad health. After just a weeks stay at camp, Stanley starts to lose weight and gain muscle. He gets a little more confident as he feels more accepted and he is given the nickname â€Å"Caveman » by the other boys. Stanley’s letters home Stanley writes a lot of letters home to his mum which gives us an impression of him being a kind and caring boy. In the letters he twists the truth with the intention of sparing his mum. This underlines his character even more. A few months later Stanley has gotten even stronger. He is a faster digger with muscles and thick skin. His low self esteem seems to be as good as gone. When Zero ask him to teach him how to read, Stanley has no problem turning him down. It is like he has lost much of his sympathy. By the time he leaves camp, Stanley has changed a lot, both physically and psychically He is more self-aware and has developed the emphatic side of himself. He is the same good guy as before just braver and happier. Good Zero Zero is first presented as a silent and strange character who shrinks from answering questions and talking. As we follow Zero through the book, we get to know him as an honest and generous boy. He is homeless and sent to Camp Green Lake because he had stolen some shoes. He is a smart kid, however he has some trouble expressing himself since he neither can read nor write. Stanley helps him with his language problems and they develop a friendship and Zero really opens up through the book. Good The adults at Camp Green Lake Mr. Sir Mr. Sir is one of the counsellors at Camp Green Lake. He is emphatic and tough and seems to enjoy being cruel to the campers. As result of his attempt to quit smoking, he is constantly chewing sunflower seeds. Mr. Pendanski Mr. Pendanskis in charge of Stanley's tent at Camp Green Lake, Tent D. He seems to be a friendly and quite stupid man, however he reveals the mean side of him- self when he suggests shooting the boys at the end of the book. (He is also nasty to Zero throughout. ) The Warden The warden is the commander in chief at Camp Green Lake. She is threatening and feared among both the campers and the other adults at camp. She claims that the boys are digging to build character, however she is really looking for Kate Barlow's treasure. Good Parallels between the stories Peaches Kate Barlow was famous for her spiced peaches, (Stanley and) Zero finds remains of these peaches out in the desert a hundred years later, calls them Sploosh and survives on them. The cure against bad foot odour, invented by Stanley's father has the smell of peaches and is named Sploosh. Onions Sam was an onion-seller, and he spoke well about the many healing qualities of onions. Sam's onion field was located on the exact same spot as Stanley and Zero find their onion supplies. The onions make Stanley and Zero regain their health and. avoid bites from the deadly yellow-spotted lizards.. Yellow- spotted lizards Yellow-spotted lizards are deadly lizards living in the empty holes at Camp Green Lake. Each lizard has exactly eleven yellow spots on their back, and it is said that if you are close enough to count them you are as good as dead. It was a yellow-spotted lizard that killed Kate Barlow and it is yellow-spotted lizards that almost kills Stanley and Zero while they are digging up Kate's treasure. Mary Lou Mary Lou was Sam's donkey. Sam claimed her to be almost fifty years old, and explained it by her eating nothing but raw onions. She got shot in the head and died the same day as Sam. There is also the boat. Fine The role of the song The first song deals with the fact that life is hard and a wish of an easier life. The second song is replying that life will never be easy and you will have to face your troubles and be proud of yourself. This song fits the Yelnats family, since they are a family with bad luck wishing life was easier. OK, but how does this change in the song reflect the changes in the story? Title I believe the novel is called holes simply because the campers have to dig holes and there are also â€Å"holes† in the novel which need to be filled. You could give some examples of these. There are also holes in the lives of Stanley and Zero. For example, the one left by Zero's mother when she disappeared. Good. You have answered the various parts of the assignment well and have shown insight and a very good understanding of the novel. You could perhaps have written a little more in some of your answers. Language: mistakes (there are a few too many of these) are colour coded as follows yellow: spelling blue: verbs green: language (for example, word choice, prepositions, punctuation and so on)