Plot
What is the beginning, middle and end of a story called?
What is the 'plot'?
This is where a story takes place.
What is the setting?
This physically intimidating camp authority figure quit a pack-a-day smoking habit and constantly chews on sunflower seeds instead.
Who is Mr. Sir?
The Yelnats family frequently uses the concept of a multi-generational curse as a convenient excuse for this negative concept, rather than blaming their own choices.
What is bad luck?
This specific color of lipstick, used by Kate Barlow to leave a signature mark on her victims, represents both her beauty and her deadly vengeance.
What is red (or "Ruby Red")?
Because of his large size and slow, heavy movements, Theodore is given this ironic, prehistoric nickname by the other campers.
Who is Armpit?
Stanley and Zero find a safe haven at the top of the mountain because it features a natural spring and a field of these wild, edible plants.
Answer: What are onions?
This is the primary geographic feature of Camp Green Lake, which hasn't seen rain in over a hundred years.
This character insists that the boys call him "Mom," claiming he wants to help them, though he frequently ridicules and underestimates Zero.
Who is Mr. Pendanski?
This object, passed down through the Zeroni family line, symbolizes the literal and figurative weight of ancient, unfulfilled promises.
What is a pig (or the curse)?
This small, dried ingredient is a constant motif in the book; it represents survival, healing, and the ancient remedy that saves the boys from both starvation and lizards.
What is an onion?
This camper gets his sharp, violent nickname because he is quick-tempered and physically aggressive toward Stanley and the other boys.
Who is Zigzag?
Camp Green Lake is divided into distinct zones; Stanley and the rest of his main group are assigned to this specific, lettered tent.
What is Tent D?
Camp Green Lake has no fences or guard towers because it is surrounded by this vast, punishing natural barrier that makes escape nearly impossible.
What is the desert?
Despite having poor vision and wearing thick glasses, this camper is the undisputed, respected leader of Tent D who decides where everyone stands in line.
Who is X-ray?
The legal victory at the end of the novel suggests that true justice isn't delivered by the court system, but rather by this cosmic concept balancing out over a century.
Answer: What is karma (or divine retribution)?
The standard uniform color given to all campers at Camp Green Lake symbolizes their lack of individuality and their status as prisoners.
Answer: What is orange?
This camper's real name is Alan, but the group calls him this because they claim his nose looks like a magnetic tool used for navigation.
Who is Squid?
Given a choice by the judge between going to jail or going to this location, Stanley chooses the latter because his family had never been to summer camp.
What is Camp Green Lake?
According to the camp rules, if a camper is bitten by one of these deadly, bright-eyed creatures, they might as well go lie in a hammock.
What is a yellow-spotted lizard?
Though his real name is Hector Zeroni, the other campers and counselors call him this because they mistakenly believe he has nothing inside his head.
Who is Zero?
The camp's official system of giving boys aggressive or tough nicknames is used by the campers as a coping mechanism to build this sense of community.
What is identity (or belonging/brotherhood)?
Stanley's name is a unique literary joke because it is spelled exactly the same way both forward and backward, making it this type of word.
What is a palindrome?
This specific bedtime song, sung by both the Yelnats and Zeroni families across generations, symbolizes the deep, unbroken connection between their lineages.
What is the pig lullaby ("If only, if only...")?
Stanley's troubles begin when a pair of sneakers, originally donated by this famous baseball player, seemingly falls from the sky and lands on his head.
Who is Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston?
To ensure proper spacing and prevent cave-ins, every camper's daily hole must match the length and depth of this specific tool.
What is their shovel?
This nervous newcomer to Group D earns his camp nickname after stealing a truck and immediately driving it straight into a hole.
Who is Twitch?
Stanley and Zero’s ultimate survival relies entirely on this theme, proving that mutual support is more powerful than the camp's "every man for himself" mentality.
What is friendship (or loyalty/teamwork)?
Louis Sachar chose the title Holes not just for the physical holes the boys dig, but as a structural metaphor for the novel itself, which functions like this type of puzzle where the reader must fill in missing pieces to see the whole picture.
What is a jigsaw puzzle (or a mosaic)?
The rattlesnake venom used in the Warden's nail polish serves as a dangerous symbol of her hidden cruelty and her willingness to use physical violence to maintain power.
What is nail polish?