Theme: Kindness vs cruelty
Cruelty is slain by the spirit of the kind through words and actions. A prime example is the novel Holes by Louis Sachar. Where shown through the meaningful teachings of Stanley to Zero, Zero and Stanley help each other, sacrifices are made, and Stanley and Zero make sacrifices for each other.
The meaningful teachings of Stanley to Zero
Stanley teaches zero to read
Stanley teaches Zero how to read which builds trust and friendship which pushes their commitment to each other eventually showing in kindness and caring for each other in the desert.
Zero and Stanley help each other.
Stanley cares for Zero in the desert even though Stanley is weak.
During their escape attempt Zero gets badly hurt and needs caring, stanly takes this task upon him without being asked, this shows there bond to be more then colleagues or an accomplice, even though they are in a cruel place like camp green lake and the desert they find time and energy to build friendship and show kindness towards each other.
Stanley and Zero make sacrifices for each other.
Zero shares the food he found with Stanley.
While on their escape mission from camp greenlake Zero finds a small boat with sploosh in it when Stanley finds zero hiding from the sun under the small boat, Stanley who is thirsty and tired joins him under the small boat. To quench Stanley’s thirst Zero shares the sploosh with him. It is a classical act of kindness which shows that even the little things have great consequences. As we see later on in the book where Stanley uses the energy he regained from the sploosh to help Zero.
Holes shows that even in hard times it pays to be kind, as shown in the novel many acts of kindness shape the path to Stanley and Zero’s freedom.