Alicia kim's blog

Holes Feb.25, 2024

Introduction:
Holes is a young adult novel written by Louis Sachar. It was published in 1998. It is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who gets falsely accused and sent to Camp Green Lake. The book also has a Walt Disney film that came out in 2003.

Plot:
There are three stories in this novel: one for Stanley Yelnats, one for Stanley’s great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, and one for Kissin’ Kate Barlow.
Stanley Yelnats: Camp Green Lake
Stanley Yelnats is a boy whose family thinks they’re cursed because of their ancestor, Elya Yelnats. One day, Stanley gets blamed for stealing shoes, which causes him to get sent to Camp Green Lake, which is a jail for young people, and they dig big holes the whole day. The Warden says if they find something cool, they rest the whole day. Stanley finds a lipstick tube with the initials “KB” on it but gives it to X-Ray, his group leader. X-Ray pretends to find it the next day, and the Warden makes everyone dig in that spot, hoping they’ll find something. Meanwhile, Stanley becomes friends with a boy named Zero. Stanley realizes that Zero can’t read, so he offers to teach him in exchange for help with digging. One of the camp counselors, Mr. Pendanski, insults Zero and says he can’t learn. In response, Zero hits Mr. Pendanski with a shovel and runs away into the desert. Stanley decides to find and save Zero. After a long search, Stanley discovers Zero hiding. Zero has been surviving by drinking a liquid he found in jars under the boat, which he calls “sploosh.” They share the remaining sploosh and decide to head towards a nearby mountain called “Big Thumb.” On Big Thumb, Stanley and Zero survive by eating wild onions from a field that used to belong to a man named Sam. Zero tells Stanley that he was the one who stole the shoes. He did it because he was homeless and needed new shoes, but he accidentally dropped them on Stanley. They return to the camp to find evidence but get caught by the Warden. Luckily, a bunch of poisonous lizards protect them because of the onion smell on their bodies. Stanley’s conviction is overturned, and Zero is released. The camp closes down, and the Warden has to sell the land. They discover Zero’s family connection. Stanley’s dad invents “Sploosh” and they find a valuable suitcase. Stanley and Zero split the money. They celebrate as a family.

Elya Yelnats:
Fifteen-year-old Elya Yelnats loves a girl named Myra. Myra’s father wants her to marry an older man named Igor Barkov. Elya asks Madame Zeroni, a fortune teller, for help. She gives him a piglet and tells him to take it up a mountain every day while singing to it. She says it will make the pig fatter than Igor’s. In return, Elya must carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain and sing to her while she drinks from a special stream. If he breaks the promise, his family will be cursed. Elya follows the instructions but forgets to carry Madame Zeroni on the last day. His pig and Igor’s are the same weight. Elya tells her to just marry Igor. He goes to America and marries Sarah, but faces bad luck. The song he sang to the pig becomes a lullaby passed down in his family.

Kissin’ Kate Barlow:
In 1888, Green Lake was a thriving village. Katherine, a schoolteacher known for her special peaches, falls in love with Sam, an onion farmer. The richest man in town, Trout, is jealous and leads a crowd to destroy the school. Katherine asks the sheriff for help, but he wants a kiss instead. Katherine and Sam try to escape but Trout kills Sam and captures Katherine. After that, no rain falls on Green Lake. Katherine becomes an outlaw called “Kissin’ Kate Barlow” and kills the sheriff. She robs a boy named Stanley and leaves him in the desert. Stanley survives and says he found refuge in a special place called “God’s thumb.” Years later, Katherine lives in the ruined Green Lake. Trout and his wife find her and demand her hidden treasure. Katherine refuses and lets herself be bitten by a deadly lizard, dying with a laugh.

Analysis:
The main character in the novel, Stanley Yelnats, is a round character who has a personality of cheerfulness but is picked at school because he is fat. He doesn’t get depressed from that and looks at it positively. As the story progresses, Stanley slowly gains strength. While he tries not to get in trouble, he also stands up for himself and his friends and family. He is a role model-like character who we should try and be like. Another main character is Zero. He is a character that hardly speaks because he is wary of those who mock him. However, the other side of his personality is an honest character. Stanley and Zero represent the theme of friendship; without each other, they couldn’t have survived during their stays in the Big Thumb. They also showcase themselves as a benefactor to each other because Stanley taught Zero how to read and write and Zero helped Stanley dig his holes. The author portrays the Warden as a rude, aggressive, and dangerous leader who would do anything to find the treasures of Kissin’ Kate Barlow. She is a character of ‘madness’. She wears nail polish traced with rattlesnake venom, and scratches those who displease or go against what she says. Another theme in this novel is work. In Camp Green Lake, the Warden orders the boys to dig big holes every day during their stays. The purpose of Camp Green Lake is if you want to make a bad boy into a good boy, you have to make him do work and experience hardships. The novel is connected as the author explains the other two stories of why Yelnats are cursed and why the Warden forces the boys to dig holes.

Conclusion:
Holes is a young adult novel by Louis Sachar published in 1998. This was made into a Disney film in 2003. The novel is about a boy who was cursed and then sent to a camp. The novel has three stories that are connected. The important themes are friendship and work. Each is shown in the novel. The main character, Stanley, has a good personality and stands up for himself and his friends and family. We should all try to be like him in our daily lives. He is a true role model.