Mr. Pendanski, however, is morally ambiguous. It is worthwhile remembering that Stanley should not be at Camp Green Lake in the first place because he has not committed any crime.

Pendanski's hypocrisy is soon manifested, however, in his interactions with Zero. In fact, she threatens to sue them if anything happens to Stanley. Fortunately for Armpit, he likes his name, and he has some good qualities to offer those around him that make up for his unappealing name!

X-Ray is motivated primarily by self-interest, and will manipulate those around him in order to claim what few perks exist at the camp (i.e., time off from digging holes). She doesn't care about Zero.

She wears black turquoise-studded boots (similar to the ones worn by Kissin' Kate Barlow years earlier). He seems to be friendly but really he is just as mean as the Warden and Mr. Sir. Because he is vain and doesn't want to smell like a pig when he goes to Myra's house to try to win her hand in marriage, Elya doesn't take the pig up the mountain the last day, nor does he take Madame Zeroni up the mountain. He was sent to Camp Green Lake because he'd stolen a pair of sneakers from a store the day after he'd taken Clyde Livingston's sneakers. Stanley doesn’t often speak unless spoken to, and at the start of the novel he is usually content to let things happen around him without trying to affect them, even if it means being treated unfairly. In mid-1800s Latvia, she was an elderly woman and was good friends with, Sam is the black onion seller in 1880s Green Lake. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. She has a court order from the judge who originally sentenced Stanley, releasing him from Camp Green Lake. He was a kind and caring man who treated everyone with respect, and it is easy to see why Kate Barlow fell in love with him, too. Even though X-Ray appears to be sarcastic, there is a ring of truth to his words. Sam, an onion picker and an African American man, fell in love with Kate Barlow, the beautiful school teacher of Green Lake. Twenty years later, Katherine Barlow, then known as Kissin' Kate Barlow, is living in an abandoned cabin. Zero's great-great-grandmother was Madame Zeroni, who put a curse on generations of the Yelnats family. By the time Stanley and Zero return to Camp Green Lake to dig up the suitcase, Mr. Sir is smoking cigarettes once again — an indication of a character weakness. Click to copy Character Description; Stanley Yelnats IV: Stanley Yelnats IV has been cursed because his great-great-grandfather made a big mistake.

Characters. Ms. Morengo has no tolerance for injustice, incompetence, or dishonesty. They cannot afford to pay for a lawyer when Stanley IV is arrested for stealing the famous sneakers.

Through his experience at the hellish Camp Green Lake he becomes physically stronger and more self-confident.
All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Because a relationship between a black man and a white woman was illegal at that time, the community takes the law into their own hands. (He has an incurable foot fungus that causes his feet to smell; it is the same foot odor problem that Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston has years later.) How do Sam's onions help Zero and Stanley? Zero watches Stanley write letters to his mother, and, finally, when he thinks he can trust Stanley, Zero admits that he can't read or write. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. The Not So Subtle Portrayal of Supernatural Elements in E.B. He is proud of himself and has gained self-confidence. He attributes this bad luck to his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grand-father," who caused Madame Zeroni to put a curse on the Yelnats family. Trout is the son of a very wealthy man whose family owns most of the land on the east side of Green Lake when Green Lake is considered to be the largest lake in Texas. Mr. Sir is humiliated when Stanley sees the Warden slap him (after she has painted her nails with rattlesnake venom) and hears the Warden tell him that she liked him better when he was smoking cigarettes than eating sunflower seeds (which he claims Stanley stole from his truck). Elya is Stanley's great-great-grandfather and the reason that Stanley's family has such bad luck. He asks Stanley to teach him. For example, she robbed Stanley Yelnats II, leaving him stranded in the desert that would later become Camp Green Lake. Read about how this protagonist overcomes his family's curse and learns more about himself at the same time. Test your knowledge of the entire course with a 50 question practice final exam. Katherine Barlow is Green Lake's only schoolteacher.

She gives Elya a piglet and specific instructions about what he needs to do in order to ensure that the pig will be large enough to win Myra's hand in marriage. This fact is underlined by his unusual name, which forces everyone who says it to doubly acknowledge his authority, and by his tough talk ("You're not in the Girl Scouts anymore"). As the novel begins, Stanley has low self-esteem. He wears a big cowboy hat and sunglasses and has a rattlesnake tattoo on his arm. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. He is overweight and is accustomed to having bad luck. Biological and Biomedical At that time, a relationship between a black man and a white woman was illegal and unacceptable in Green Lake; the community members are intolerant. from your Reading List will also remove any

There is no faster or easier way to learn about the major and minor characters from this novel. Later, he teaches Zero to read - he doesn't give up on the silent, strange boy, even when the rest of the world has. Instead, he goes back to the Wreck Room alone. When he realizes that Myra doesn't love him, Elya gives her father the pig anyway and leaves on a ship for the United States, where he meets and marries Sarah Miller. Indeed, we do not see her for several chapters, although she is mentioned on the first page and her authoritative presence looms over Camp Green Lake.

Zero has suffered many hardships in his life, even more than Stanley, but he never completely despairs and always shows incredible strength and willpower. He talks to the boys about their goals and dreams and about the importance of taking responsibility for their behaviors and actions. It is later revealed that she is the distant relative of Hector Zeroni, or Zero. Pendanski also has several philosophies which don’t seem to fit the therapist image, including encouraging the campers to fight. Because she has no left foot, she uses a wheelchair. The Warden is a tall woman with freckles and red hair. For this reason people call him Trout, because his feet smell like dead fish. Camp Green Lake Characters. Ms. Morengo is a patent lawyer who is helping Stanley's father with a new product he has invented. Holes study guide contains a biography of Louis Sachar, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Stanley, the protagonist of Holes, is a dynamic character.
He's relatively young and wears a buzz cut, but he also has a thick curly beard. X-Ray is the leader of the group of boys at Camp Green Lake. Zero is dark-skinned and small in stature. Mr. Sir's actions are totally controlled by the Warden.

Sam claims that his onions can cure anything and can even repel yellow-spotted lizards. The teachers never believed that Derrick could bully Stanley because Stanley was so much larger. Major Themes. Removing #book# If Mr. Sir is a pseudo-leader, then Mr. Pendanski is certainly a pseudo-therapist. He wants the boys to become "useful and hardworking members of society." It is also Armpit who the Warden gets angry at when she realizes that the boys are not digging up what she wants in Chapter 17. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Identify the major characters in Holes and type their names into the different title boxes.