Analytical Paper #3 - HOLES, BY Louis Sachar
Kathy Bowman
September 30, 2003
Humor is essential to life. Hopefully, we all experience a dose of it on a regular basis. Watching a funny television program; listening to a funny joke; enjoying life and looking at the bright side. Humor defines our character. Louis Sachar's novel, HOLES, portrays humor in a way that keeps the reader's interest by touches of mystery as well as adventure.
HOLES begins with the main character of Stanley Yelnats, the protagonist of the story being sent away to Camp Green Lake. One might initially think that this is a summer camp for kids. Being poor, Stanley had never been to camp before. The reader soon finds out that Camp Green Lake is a camp for bad boys. Unfortunately, Stanley had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He had been caught with a pair of sneakers from a famous athlete, Sweet Feet, who had donated the sneakers to be auctioned off for charity.
Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake
Hole in the Ceiling
.45 R.P.M. (rounds pre-millennialist) art chairSachar begins to expose the reader to his type of humor from the beginning. For instance, Stanley's first and last names are the same just that his last name is spelled backwards. We also find out that Stanley is named after his ancestors, so there is a bit of ambiguity throughout the story; not knowing sometimes which Stanley the author is referring to.
Stanley's misfortune is blamed upon his great-great-grandfather. As a boy, his grandfather had fallen in love with Myra Menke. Her father only cared about what a pursuer could offer him and unfortunately, Stanley's grandfather didn't have enough to offer to win Myra's hand in marriage. The old gypsy woman who had tried to help Elya had only asked for one favor in return for her help:...