Holes: The Camp Green Lake Motive

In the book Holes by Louis Sachar, there are three distinct periods of time: 1800s, Stanley’s great grandfather’s era and present day. During these periods of time many things change throughout the decades, Including major and minor things. There are also a vast variety of things that stay the same throughout the book. This includes the name of the lake, Camp Green Lake.

During the 1800s Stanley’s great-great grandfather, Elya Yelnats lived at Camp Green Lake. Which happens to be the very same lake that Stanley Yelnats Senior lived at many decades after. Though Stanley Yelnats IV did not live at Camp Green Lake he experienced staying there for a long period of time. Stanley Yelnats IV climbed the same mountain Elya Yelnats and Stanley Yelnats Senior climbed decades before aswell. Stanley Yelnats Senior had climbed this mountain to take refuge on it and survive after being abandoned in the middle of nowhere. When Stanley thought “his only hope was that zero had found Gods thumb on his own. It wasn’t impossible. His great grandfather had found it" (Sachar 1998,p. 143). It tells us that Stanley had found the same place his great grandfather had found many years before, trying to survive as Zero and himself were. It suggests that his great – grandfather had found a way survive in the middle of a waste land. Which once was not so lifeless.

There are many things that change at Camp Green Lake including the lake, there once was water in the lake in the 1800s and there is now no water. It is dry and barren. The only things that survive out there in the middle of nowhere are deadly yellow spotted lizards and poisonous rattlesnakes. Both in which are cold blooded creatures and need to live in a hot and humid climate. Different people come and go and all have different reasons to be at camp green lake. Most of which are sent there because of a crime that was committed. Stanley was sent to the camp for stealing Clyde Livingstone’s shoes that he had donated to the homeless shelter. Though Stanley was found running away with the shoes, he did not steal them. X-ray was sent there for a different reason again. “He crawled after him, and was just able to squeeze his body through the hole. He never would have fit when he first came to Camp Green Lake. He’d lost a lot of weight”(Sachar 1998,p. 156). It is suggested here that Stanley’s physical appearance had also changed dramatically. Stanley was fatter when he first came to Camp Green Lake and now he was much skinner. This is a minor change that Camp Green Lake had experienced happen. Although many things have changed though this novel, there are some that have stayed the same through the decades.

Throughout the decades a variety of things have stayed the same in the novel, Holes, including the family names. Madame Zeroni was at Camp Green Lake in the 1800s and so was Eyra Yelnats and now, present day, there is Hector Zeroni and Stanley Yelnats IV. They have both come back to the same place where their ancestors grew up. Another thing that has stayed the same at Camp Green Lake is the lakes name, Camp Green Lake. Camp Green Lake has kept the one name for many decades, right back to the 1800’s. Madame Zeroni had placed the curse on the Yelnats because Elya Yelnats did not follow the conditions. “I want you to carry me up the mountain. I want to drink from the stream, and I want you to sing the song to me”(Sachar 1998,p. 31). This condition caused all the descendants of Elya Yelnats to be cursed. This curse stayed the same though the decades and was placed on Stanley Yelnats IV. The Yelnats had always thought that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time however everything has happened for a reason and that instead of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps Stanley has been in the right place at the right time. By carrying Hector Zeroni up the mountain he had lifted the curse. The day after he had carried him up the mountain his father, Stanley Yelnats III, had invented a cure for foot odour.

In summary the book Holes written by Louis Sachar is not only one period of time, but three. These three periods of time merge and create a better back ground story. The things that change a Camp Green Lake are very cleverly decided and somewhat hidden. The change the lake sees is remarkable. The things that stay the same at Camp Green Lake are well decided and all link up eventually. Some are minor but still interesting.