92 pages • 3 hours read
Louis SacharHoles
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1998A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Book Club Questions
Tools
BetaThemes
Fate Versus Free Will
Throughout the novel, fate plays a powerful role in the events that occur. Stanley and his family are cursed with bad luck because of how his great-great-grandfather slighted Madame Zeroni in the past. However, Stanley’s actions and desire to achieve his goals show that free will, or individual agency, can change outcomes that seem preordained. Often in the novel, events that seem fated may be coincidence, chance, or the result of a character’s intentional actions.
The first foreshadowing of this comes when Clyde Livingston’s sneakers fall from the sky and hit Stanley in the head, “seemingly out of nowhere, like a gift from God” (24), which leads Stanley to begin the process of ending the curse on his family. The shoes feel like fate to Stanley, and they eventually lead to him going to Camp Green Lake and meeting Hector Zeroni (also known as Zero), who is a descendant of Madame Zeroni. Later on in the novel, Zero reveals that he was the one who stole Clyde Livingston’s shoes from the shelter and that he was so scared of getting caught that he put them on top of a car. Zero being the cause of Stanley’s arrest is significant because that is what ultimately brings Zero and Stanley together at Camp Green Lake. Whether fate or coincidence pushes them together, they seize the opportunity to end the curse on Stanley’s family.
When Stanley finds the lipstick tube belonging to Kissin’ Kate Barlow while digging, fate also seems to play a role. Stanley already knows about Kissin’ Kate Barlow because she robbed his great-grandfather of his fortune. He only survived in the hot desert because he found refuge on “God’s thumb” (93), but nobody in Stanley’s family ever knew what he meant. When it rains out west one day while the boys are digging, Stanley notices that a distant mountain is shaped like a thumb, and this reminds him of what his great-grandfather said about what helped him survive in the desert. Eventually, Zero and Stanley end up going to the thumb-shaped mountain, and Stanley realizes it must be the same mountain from the stories about his great-grandfather. This realization, along with already knowing who Kissin’ Kate Barlow is, leads to Stanley finding his great-grandfather’s fortune with Zero. The fact that Stanley and Zero don’t get bitten by the yellow-spotted lizards seems like fate because they ate so many onions without knowing it would save them. However, their hard work and determination got them there in the first place, which makes the fortunate outcome at least partly a result of their will to survive.
Zero also benefits from fortunate coincidences that seem like fate, particularly when Ms. Morengo, Stanley’s lawyer, takes Zero away from Camp Green Lake. When Zero ran away from the camp, the Warden had all of Zero’s records destroyed because she thought he would die and didn’t want to take the blame. Because those files were destroyed and Ms. Morengo showed up at the perfect time, there is no proof that Zero is supposed to be at Camp Green Lake. Each coincidence that happens in the book, from the shoes hitting Stanley to Zero’s files getting deleted, shows the importance of an individual’s actions in deciding their fate, whether conditions favor them or not.
The Importance of Friendship
The impact of true friendship is a major theme in the novel. Before Stanley goes to Camp Green Lake, he is bullied at school and doesn’t have any friends. This makes Stanley unhappy and lowers his self-esteem. When he goes to Camp Green Lake, he starts to get physically stronger and feels like a part of the group when he gets his nickname. Although Stanley’s bond with the other boys is cautious, he does help out X-Ray with the lipstick tube and takes the blame for Magnet stealing Mr. Sir’s sunflower seeds. Although Stanley doesn’t have a lot of power within the group, being a part of any group at all brings Stanley some joy. However, those bonds do not last in the same way Stanley’s bond with Zero does.
Stanley and Zero form a very trusting relationship. Zero, who is constantly mocked and put down by the other boys and Mr. Pendanski, trusts Stanley enough to tell him that he cannot read or write. Although it takes some convincing, Stanley does begin to teach Zero how to read and is impressed by Zero’s number skills. When the other boys pick on their friendship, Zero fights for Stanley. This solidifies that Stanley isn’t alone at Camp Green Lake and that someone cares about his well-being. When Zero runs away, Stanley wants to rescue him; this empowers him to break the rules and run away from camp too. When he finds Zero, Zero shares his last jar of sploosh with him and they decide to go to Big Thumb Mountain. As friends, Stanley and Zero look out for each other and support each other’s decisions. This trust and support are what help Zero feel comfortable confessing to Stanley that he stole the shoes and about how he was homeless and abandoned.
At the end of the novel, Stanley and Zero find Kissin’ Kate Barlow’s treasure. When Stanley hands the large suitcase to Zero, their conversation shows their growth as friends:
‘You did it,’ Zero said, taking it from him.
‘We did it,’ said Stanley (202).
Stanley attributes their success to them both, illustrated by how he splits the money with Zero. Now that Stanley has a true friend, he wants to share his joy with Zero. When he gives credit to Zero for helping find the treasure, Stanley is also showing Zero that his friendship is important to him. Getting half of the money from the treasure allows Zero to find his mother and bring her back into his life. Stanley’s friendship not only saves Zero’s life but also allows Zero to reunite with his mother.
The Connection Between Past and the Present
Throughout the novel, three different stories are told. Although the main plotline is about Stanley at Camp Green Lake in the novel’s present day, the novel also tells the story of Kissin’ Kate Barlow and of Elya Yelnats, which are set in the past. The story of Kissin’ Kate Barlow and what happened in Green Lake more than 100 years earlier are important because they provide context for why Camp Green Lake is now a desert. Sam, the man whom Kate loved, died because of Green Lake’s racism. Since his death, “not one drop of rain has fallen on Green Lake” (115), alluding to a curse that people believe befell the area.
Understanding Kate’s transformation from a beloved schoolteacher to a deadly outlaw helps Stanley know where to survive in the desert with Zero. If Kissin’ Kate Barlow had not existed, then Stanley’s great-grandfather wouldn’t have survived after she stole from him, and Stanley wouldn’t know to go to the mountain that looks like a thumb. Without the history of why Kissin’ Kate Barlow became an outlaw, it would not be clear why the Warden had the boys dig so many holes. The location of Kate’s treasure and the fact that Trout Walker forced his family to dig holes to find it are key points of backstory that inform the novel’s present-day events.
The other main story that shows how the past and present are connected is the story of how Stanley’s family became cursed. From early on in the novel, it is clear that Stanley and his family playfully blame their “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather” (8) for their misfortunes. Even though the curse is treated as something silly, the storyline that follows Elya Yelnats’s and Madame Zeroni’s connection suggests that the curse is grounded in historical events. Elya agrees to carry Madame Zeroni to the top of the mountain so she can drink from the stream and Elya can sing to her in exchange for helping him win Myra’s hand in marriage. When Elya doesn’t fulfill this agreement, he hurts the future generations of his family. Without knowing this history, nobody would understand the significance of Stanley helping Zero survive in the present day. The curse is lifted off Stanley’s family, “the day after the great-great-grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-grandson of Madame Zeroni up the mountain” (229). Stanley and Zero’s meeting and eventual friendship prove that the desire to forgive and join forces, rather than act as enemies, can break older generations’ taboos.
Related Titles
By Louis Sachar
