"Holes"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the book, "Holes" by Louis Sachar. Specifically, it analyzes the novel as a negation of self-pity. The paper contends that self-pity can be many different things, from social ineptness to a chip on the shoulder or a contrived rebel rejecting popular culture to feel sorry for him/herself. Whatever the reason, people who pity themselves often take their frustrations out on others and allow self-pity to poison them and their relationships. The paper examines how "Holes," as a novel, negates self-pity by showing it for what it truly is, a useless emotion that does not make life better, only worse.

From the Paper:

""Holes" is the story of Stanley Yelnats, a young boy sent to a correctional camp for something he did not do. He believes his family is followed by a curse, and that the curse has come to rest on him as he digs his holes under the burning Texas sun. Stanley often feels sorry for himself and the predicament he is in. One night he thinks to himself "For once in his unlucky life, he was in the right place at the right time, and it still didn't help him" (Sachar 64). Stanley does not wallow in self-pity, but he definitely uses it when he gets depressed or feels lonely. However, as the story progresses, Stanley learns how to appreciate even the little things in life, and how to stop feeling sorry for himself and create his own, positive future."

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