Preview

Holes Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
835 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Holes Essay
Holes essay,

A good novel consists of exciting characters, an interesting setting, plot and story line, but most importantly a good novel conveys certain ideas about different messages the author is trying to get across, Louis Satcher in the novel holes does exactly this. Throughout the novel Satcher is constantly conveying the message of racial tolerance and intolerance, perseverance and has used clever techniques such as linking references from the past with the present to create an interesting novel filled with important themes about life.

Satcher is constantly showing discrimination throughout the novel, one way he has done this is through the character of Stanley. He shows this when Stanley is sent away even though he is innocent and it is due to the fact that he was not from a wealthy family and could not afford a lawyer, This is one example of the way Satcher creates discrimination throughout the novel, Stanley is discriminated against because he is from a poor family.

Another example of discrimination in Holes is racism. Satcher is constantly switching between racial tolerance and intolerance through the changing context of the setting. An example of intolerance of other races is shown in the parts of the novel set in 1890s where ‘Sam the onion man’ (a young negro boy) kisses Kate Barlow (a white woman) and due to the fact that Sam is a Negro he is murdered. Irony is another written technique used here to show the racism ‘That’s our school house, it shows how much we value education’ This is ironic as Sam is the one who made the school house so great yet he is not allowed to attend school because he is a negro.

We see Satcher show the racial tolerance side of the story in the parts of the novel set in modern day Camp Green Lake. All the boys at camp Green Lake get along no matter what race each other are because ‘out in the lake it doesn’t matter what color skin you’ve got, everyone’s the same’. This shows the racial tolerance and how over time

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Holes Book Report Essay

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I believe that Holes by Louis Sachar is an important book to save. The message of everything turn out well in the end is very important to give people optimism. As a result of reading this book, a person that is going through a rough patch will be optimistic that everything will turn out alright. I hope that like me, people that read this book will have very fond memories of this book and be able to truly embrace the story and message of Stanley Yelnats and his friends and…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holes Essay Challenges

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There are many different challenges that Stanley Yelnats (the main character) from the bestselling novel Holes written by Louis Sachar has to over come. Stanley was first seen in the movie when a tilted shot of shoes hit him in the head and he fell on the ground portraying he was weak and a bit stupid. Stanley's personality was also displayed when his mum was so shocked when the police came around to their house telling them Stanley had stolens, this shows that Stanley had never commited a crime before and wasn't usually a trouble maker. The movie directed by Andrew Davis portrays everything the book does and it shows nearly all the insight into Stanley's life that author describes in the book. There are many challenges but the main one is breaking the 'curse' that Stanley's family has been stuck in for more than 100 years. This challenge shows many significant themes in this book like friendship, determination and fate.…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Screwtapes Essay

    • 1155 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Though Screwtape’s distorted views on God’s love, Lewis implies that God is “Love” that He loves people for their sake, not His, and that His love challenges people to become generous in their love. Wormwood’s “patient” is drifting dangerously deeper into Christian belief, and Screwtape advises his protege to forsake fleshly temptations and try to corrupt his spirituality. He mentions that the various interpretations of Jesus that exist in society are devilish inventions. The advantages of these constructions, which we intend to change every thirty years or so, are manifold. In the first place they all tend to direct men’s devotion to something which does not exist, for each “historical Jesus” is unhistorical. The documents say what they say and cannot be added to; each new “historical Jesus” therefore has to be got out of them by suppression at one point and exaggeration at another.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brighton Beach Memoirs

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To begin, one of the most easy to depict traits Stanley showcases is his courage he portrays this not thinking of the possible outcome but by doing what he knows is right. One way Stanley reveals his courage to stand up for others and himself not by thinking of the possible consequences, but shows his courage when he stands up to discrimination for example when a fellow worker named Andrew who is African American was cleaning the floor when he placed his broom against a table which suddenly slipped and knocked over a can of Linseed oil and ruins some brand new hats which Stanley’s boss Mr. Stroheim decided to take the value of the hats and take it out of Andrew’s paycheck, then Stanley said to Mr. Stroheim “I didn’t think that was fair. It wasn’t Andrews fault”(Simon 24).Thus showing Stanley’s Courage standing up for…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    A classic novel is one that relates to and questions aspects central to our lives, and can be related to for generations to come. To kill a mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960) elevates itself to become a timeless classic through its portrayal of profound themes and narrative messages that impact readers across all demographics. It is a compassionate story that not only educates and thrills the reader, but also ultimately inspires them to re-evaluate their presuppositions, and learn to denote an emotional understanding of someone else’s feelings or problems by walking around in their shoes. Themes concerning injustice of racial prejudice and the value of courage and bravery are traversed in great depth through the main characters, Atticus…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee (1960) is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that offers a view of southern life in the 1930s through the eyes of a young girl named Scout, whose view of the adult world evolves as her family is exposed to its evils and injustices, changing from that of an innocent child to that of a near-grown up. Discrimination and prejudice are integral parts of the novel’s themes, and plays an important role in Scout’s development of a sympathetic, mature perspective. This essay will explore and analyze the various forms discrimination takes throughout the novel.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Bluest Eye

    • 755 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The characters in “The Bluest Eye” are exposed to social standards and norms. The book opens with an excerpt from the book “Dick and Jane”. This excerpt represents the perfect, ideal, suburban, white family. Each chapter in the book also begins with a quote from this book. This makes the lives of the black families in the book seem worse. The comparison of Dick and Jane’s family and life to that of the black families in the book demonstrates how the black families would compare themselves to the white families. The blacks in “The Bluest Eye” feel conflicted because their self-identity does not match up with society’s social norms. An example of this is when Geraldine does everything she can to be that same as white families. She straightens her hair, uses lotion so she does not become ashy, has a steady income, and keeps in house in exceptional shape. But no matter how similar her life style is to theirs, she still does not feel as if she fits in because she knows she is black. This theme can be seen in everyday life when comparing the first and second floor cafeterias at Osbourn Park. It is more usual for white people to sit on the second floor while more colored people sit on the first floor. No one said the setup had to be that way, but it is normal for the students and it is what they are used to.…

    • 755 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Another victim of prejudice is Atticus Finch. After the appointment to defend Tom Robinson, a black person, the town exhibits prejudice towards him. The towns people believe that Atticus should not present a proper defense for black person, They call him “ Niger Lover” for example after the trial brought Mr. Bob Ewel confronts Atticus, spits in face and says “ Too proud to fight you nigger-loving bastard?” (217). Mrs. Dubose told Jem “ your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for” (102); this word made Jem very mad and destroying her flowers caused him trouble. Although these comments are hard for the children and Atticus it does not bother Atticus because he knows that he is doing the right thing-defending Tom properly.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most prominent form of racial discrimination in the book is Tom’s trial. Tom, a black male, was wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Bob Ewell comes up with this story to convince the jury that Tom is guilty, and to cover his tracks of domestic abuse. Mayella Ewell was attacked by a person who is left handed, and Tom’s left hand was crippled by an accident with a cotton gin. Although Tom had a reason for being perfectly innocent, the jury sentenced him just because it was a white woman’s words over a black male’s. Using the example above, one finds that black men are at the lowest part of the totem pole. Page 226 says “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.”…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essays

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “..The whole structure of the German economy was unhealthy. An over-reliance on foreign investments left the Weimar economy subject to the fluctuations of the international economy.” McGonigle…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Discrimination is a prominent subject throughout the story as well as in today's world. Sadly, racism and stereotypes are still ongoing events, but in a different genre. A good example is the African American community. In the 1900’s it was more about rules discriminating against African Americans. In today's world, everything is about how aggressive or suspicious that young, black adult looks. Each category of racism lacks the respect and justice they deserve. Just like the modern day, Maycomb needs to find the dignity to respect others. The dysfunctional town goes through many instances ranging from trust and courage to standing up for what is right. Through Scout, the reader witnesses discrimination against gender, class, and race.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the words of Anthony J. D’Angelo, “If you believe that discrimination exists, it will.” The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is set in the early thirties in the deep south of Alabama. Various characters are subjected to the old-fashioned ways of discrimination and inequity often found in such a setting. The main protagonist Scout attempts to grasp the concept and learns to live with prejudice in her life. Meanwhile, other characters struggle on a daily basis to find acceptance and, more prominently, justice. This novel contains various situations in which several personalities are persecuted as a result of their race, age and socio-economic standing. Undoubtedly, the unjust and dehumanizing effect of prejudice is one theme in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The black people in the community are always treated as second-class citizens. Always firstly suspected for crimes, just because they are black. Racism is a big issue in this novel. During the Depression era, blacks were still highly subjugated members of society. Blacks were not permitted to be with whites in public settings, as exemplified in the courthouse physical separation of races and in the clearly distinct black and white areas of town.…

    • 1445 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism is and continues to be one of the most common types of prejudice experienced and exercised within the international community. Traditionally, the importance of race and skin tones was believed to signify the wealth or superiority of an individual or group. Written in the 1960’s America, Lee’s novel concentrates on the negative impact and effect of the orthodox prejudices held against the coloured community. Derogative connotation to the minority black community as “niggers”, portray the constant racial prejudice experienced by them within the small town of. Although the protagonist family are of Anglo descent, they fall victims to racial prejudice in their attempt to defend a black person in the court of law. The importance of skin tone is expressed through imagery, where Atticus explains the need to symbolically “climb” into someone’s “skin” to consider the light of their circumstances. Further, the repetition of “nigger lover” connotes the negative attitude Atticus and the Finch family experiences in response to helping Tom Robinson, one of the mockingbirds in the text. Lee’s employment of the mockingbird as a motif symbolises the harmless and caring nature of the…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Discrimination today is often done by accident and is commonly unnoticed; done without knowing the possible consequences that can arise. Whether it be a simple remark on the soccer field such as “stop playing like a girl”, which seems to be an insult towards girls, or using ʻgayʼ as an insult, discrimination & prejudice can often be subconscious and unnoticed. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, set in the 1930ʼs during the depression era aims to challenge the notion of discrimination in general, whether it be based on race, class or gender. Through the use of various literary techniques, such as symbolism, foreshadowing and characterisation, Lee portrays her opinion of discrimination throughout the novel.…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays