图书作者与内容简介

Louis Sachar, renowned for children's fiction, authored "Holes," a prize-winning hit. The book is divided into two storylines: one revolves around the unknown mystery beneath Camp Green Lake, while the other delves into the curse affecting Stanley Yelnats’ family. Stanley ended up at the camp by accident, and as he begins to unearth the lake's secret, he also embarks on a journey to break his family's curse.

我的观点

The book starts with Stanley committing a crime and being sent to Camp Green Lake, a camp for 「bad boys.」 He accidentally stole a pair of sneakers, unaware that they were donated by a famous baseball star to a homeless shelter for charity. Coming from a poor family that couldn't afford a lawyer, he had only two options: either going to jail or joining Camp Green Lake.
 
He chose to join Camp Green Lake, thinking that it might be a summer camp which only rich kids can go to. However, it was totally different from his expectations. It was located in the middle of a dried-up lake, and campers were required to dig a hole—about five feet deep and five feet across in every direction—every day. 
 
Stanley encountered numerous obstacles during his time at the camp. He started to uncover the personalities of those around him, the mystery beneath the dried-up lake, and also to prove his innocence in not having taken the pair of sneakers from the homeless shelter.
 
For instance, X-Ray, a boy in Stanley’s group, asked Stanley to hand over anything he found in his hole. Whenever a camper discovers something in their hole, they must show it to the Warden for inspection. If the Warden deems it special, she grants the camper a day off. Since X-Ray had been at the camp the longest, he requested that Stanley give him a break. When Stanley found a gold tube in his hole, X-Ray wanted him to let him have the gold tube to present to the Warden. Although Stanley was also eager for a day off, he chose to give the tube to X-Ray because he didn't want to create conflicts with the boys in the camp.
 
As for Stanley, I can find that he had an internal conflict in his mind. He was also tired like how X-Ray felt, but for the harmony with the other campers, he remained silent to the unfair deal. He was being bullied at school before he went to Camp Green Lake, and he didn’t want the terrifying scene to appear again. 
 
Besides Stanley’s internal struggle, I started to uncover the relationships within Stanley’s group of boys. There were distinct groups among them, similar to how a small society forms. X-Ray belonged to the top group, while Stanley, a newcomer, stayed at the bottom. After Stanley arranged a day off for X-Ray, he moved up a group, just before Zero, who was known as a 「weird」 guy.
 
As I read through the rising action of the novel, I began to understand why Zero was thought of as 「weird」 and had been behaving strangely toward the other boys in the preceding chapters. He couldn’t read and write. Despite being perceived as unintelligent, he was actually quite clever; he just struggled to express himself verbally. Stanley noticed this fact by chance and started teaching Zero the alphabet, spellings, and word pronunciations. They struck a deal: Zero would assist Stanley in digging his hole, and in return, Stanley would teach him ten letters a day.
 
This arrangement incited envy among the other campers, who believed Stanley was taking advantage of Zero's labor while Zero dug holes for him. The deal eventually came to the attention of the counselors, who instructed both boys to terminate it. Zero was irritated by the ridicule from the counselors, they kept mentioning about the stupidness of him and the fact that learning and reading is useless to him. Frustrated and disheartened, Zero left the camp, venturing alone into the vast desert.
 
This marked the story's climax. The counselors' continuous taunting of Zero left me heartbroken, and I struggled to comprehend how their actions would benefit them or the camp. The story's hints portrayed Zero as intelligent, a quick digger, and an eager learner. He possessed a clear sense of purpose: to learn and read. Furthermore, his kind-hearted nature is sharply different from X-Ray's self-centered personality.
 
Stanley was determined to rescue Zero after his departure from the camp two days earlier. He blamed himself for leading Zero into this situation and feared for Zero's survival due to the lack of water in the vast dry land. With these concerns, he escaped from the camp and went on a tough journey to locate Zero.
 
Eventually, he succeeded in finding Zero. The two boys then found expired food and mud water for themselves, which sustained them as they lived on the mountains for several days. However, due to consuming too much expired food, Zero fell ill and grew weak. Recognizing the urgency of the situation and the potential for both of them dying, Stanley made a difficult decision. They decided to return to Camp Green Lake, viewing it as their final opportunity for redemption, in their attempt to solve the hidden mystery.
 
Of course, there was a happy ending to the story. The two boys unearthed a suitcase, revealing the unknown mystery. Furthermore, Stanley’s lawyer came to their rescue, aiding both Stanley and Zero. Throughout the events leading up to this conclusion, there were numerous instances of verbal and physical conflicts. It was a relief that Stanley eventually proved his innocence, and Zero was saved from the harsh treatment at the camp. They both reentered society and achieved great success in their future pursuits.
 
Although the events Stanley encountered weren't real, his feelings throughout his journey resonate with me in many moments of my life. For example, the pressure Stanley felt from the counselors mirrors the way I feel when I have to obey authority figures. Both Stanley and I acknowledge that authorities aren't always right, yet we often find ourselves following the rules they establish.
 
The book 「Holes」 isn’t just the adventure of Stanley embarking on his journey to uncover the lake's mysteries and his family's curse. It also provides a realistic portrayal of the ongoing events in our lives. Much like Stanley, we unearth hidden truths using the shovels forged from courage and strength.