How would you feel if you had to put up with a family curse for the rest of your life?
In this essay I will be discussing the plot, setting, characters, themes and point of view in the novel Holes written by Louis Sachar.
The novel Holes is written in an omniscient view as the narrator constantly moves through three different time periods. The narrator describes the thoughts, actions and activities of the characters, especially Stanley as if there was a ‘fly on the wall’.
What makes this novel interesting is that the plot uses a series of flashbacks to tell the story, ranging from past to present. The main plot talks about a young boy called Stanley Yelnats and his experience at an all boys camp. The other plot talks about Stanley’s great-great grandfather Elya Yelnats and how an old lady called Madame Zeroni puts a curse on his descendants. Another plot ties the whole story together and tells how “Kissin Kate Barlow” robs Stanley’s great grandfather.
In the novel, Holes there are 3 settings set at different times. The first setting is set at Camp Green Lake, a dry and barren desert area where the weather is always hot. One of the few places with shade at Camp Green Lake is the warden’s cabin and some of the trees near that area. The Camp has a Rec. Room where they eat their meals and relax after digging their holes. The boys also have to sleep in a tent on their own cot.
The second setting is set at a small Latvian village, where an old woman named Madame Zeroni befriends Elya Yelnats, a young boy who falls in love with a very beautiful girl named Myra Menke.
The third setting is set at the lively town, Green Lake. The lake was the largest lake in Texas. Peach trees would surround the lake during the springtime and an onion field on the other side of the lake would grow all year round. There was an old one-room schoolhouse where the only school teacher, Miss Katherine Barlow taught classes for children and adults.