Holes Book Review: Themes Within the Novel Essay

Twist of fate play major roles in the lives of the main characters in Holes. In â€Å"Holes†, the whole story is based around Stanley’s situation in the present and it’s connection to the past. Stanley’s bad luck is the result of his â€Å" No good rotten-pig- stealing-great-great-grandfather,† who failed to fulfill his promise of carrying Madame Zeroni up the mountain where the stream runs uphill. His situation at Camp Green Lake was connected to the history of ‘Kissin’ Kate Barlow, a schoolteacher turned bandit who robbed his great-grandfather and buried her treasure somewhere on the lake. The boys are forced to dig holes because of this and the person overseeing them is the Warden, who is the granddaughter of Mr. Charles Walker who was, in a way, responsible for Kate Barlow’s death. Stanley meeting Zero, Zero turning out to be Madame Zeroni’s great-great-great-grandson and Stanley helping to carry him up God’s thumb was not a coincidence, but it was fate that brought them together so they could complete the cycle and end Stanley’s curse. Fate has the power to alter lives and change them into a game of chance. The actions of one’s past may affect the situation of one’s future and therefore I agree that fate had played a major role in the novel. In the story, one of the themes are to always respect ones promises and to fulfill them or you had to face the consequences. This is shown when Elya Yelnats does not fulfill his promise to Madame Zeroni and soon after, pays the price. In the novel, Madame Zeroni warns Elya â€Å" That if he failed to do so, he would be cursed for eternity.† And at the time â€Å"†¦he thought nothing of the curse and as a boy he was carefree.† This shows that all people should fulfill their promises so we do not suffer the consequences. This positions the readers to feel sorry for Stanley because the actions of his great-great-grandfather has affected Stanley’s life even if he has done nothing. Stanley’s destiny is explained throughout the novel, because there are many clues, which point towards his destiny and the situations, which lead to the present. When Zero tells Stanley that his named was Hector Zeroni or how his great grandfather found refuge under God’s thumb and it’s relation to the mountains at Camp Green Lake because they provide a connection to Stanley’s past and destiny. This explains the situation to the reader and provides insight to the storyline. Fate plays a major part in the story because it intertwines both the past and the present, giving a connection between Stanley and his great-great-grandfather. This is shown throughout the story because all the problems Stanley faces in the present situation is caused by certain situations which his family was connected to by fate. For example, such scenes like Stanley Yelnats the 1st was robbed by Kate Barlow and her treasure being his suitcase, which Stanley digs up in the end of the book. This shown that the events of ones past may affect ones future. This positions the readers to feel pity for Stanley because he does not know the bigger picture happening to him. Friendship plays a key role in Stanley’s fate as he becomes friends with Zero during his stay at Camp Green Lake and this disrupts X-ray’s sense of superiority and threatens his position of power at camp. The friendship is beneficial for Stanley at the start and the end of the novel because by becoming friends and carrying him up the mountain, Stanley finally breaks his families curse. Stanley carrying Zero up the mountain shows us the true meaning of friendship. This positions the reader to connect to the characters at a human level. In the novel, the story tells us the importance of keeping a promise, having a strong friendship, of destiny and it’s connection to the past and that fate always plays a major role in any situation. Nothing is ever a coincidence and all the events in the novel are linked to Stanley’s history, which affected his present situation. All this could have been avoided if Elya Yelnats have had more common sense and if he had been more mature.