Louis Sachar's Holes

It is human nature for each of us to believe that we are the unluckiest person in the world. Some would argue, however, that Stanley Yelnats Ⅳ is even worse off. Although many readers and even Stanley himself seems to think that he is ill-fated and always in the wrong place at the wrong time, the entirety of Louis Sachar’s novel, Holes, says otherwise. In fact, everything that has happened to Stanley and his family in the past and throughout the present setting of the novel happened for a reason. Even the situations that seem completely absurd and unnecessary, such as Stanley getting hit in the head with Clyde Livingston’s shoes, are all linked to each other on a timeline of fate so that a Yelnats could repay a Zeroni. If the story of Holes …show more content…
In addition to the buried treasure and the actions of Kate Barlow, Sam the onion man left an impact on the Texas town. Back in the era of Kissin’ Kate, his lover, Sam sold onions from his farm. These onions were not only sold for food, though. Sam made all kinds of products including medications from these sweet onions and sold those as well. The onions that Stanley and Zero live off of are directly linked to the history of Green Lake. They act as a metaphor for the importance of the past. Onions were a huge aspect of the town’s history, and now, in the present, Stanley and Zero literally cannot live without them. The symbolism of the onion represents the essentiality of the events of the past in comprehending the present-day. Not only do the onions provide food for Stanley and Zero, but their medicinal properties also keep Stanley and Zero safe from the poisonous, yellow-spotted lizards they encounter in the hole with the …show more content…
Almost every occurrence during Stanley’s time at Green Lake has a direct link to either the near or distant past. The whole reason Camp Green Lake exists in the first place is the Walkers’ desire to find Kate Barlow’s buried suitcase, and the existence of the camp sets up a place for Stanley Yelnats and Hector Zeroni to break a curse that started with their ancestors. Sachar clearly allows us as readers and the characters themselves to better understand this link to the past through the characterization of Stanley, Zero, and the Warden. By following these characters’ stories through, we can conclude that several events of the past are still evident