Holes Essay- Fate V/S Free Will

Holes Essay- Fate v/s Free Will Redemption? Destiny? "Holes" (by Louis Sachar) is an engrossing novel that revolves around these. In fact, everything, for whatever the reason might be, seems to line up, linking many generations and histories together through "Stanley Yelnats IV", the protagonist. Nevertheless, he doesn’t know about it! Nor does he know that his endeavors have actually reformed him into a better person.

This essay will now explore and examine how Stanley, unaware of what he was actually doing, set things right and how this changed him from a mousy to a confident character. The reader will discover how Stanley gets rid of a curse…a curse put on the Yelnats which completely eliminates their chances of making a fortune, in fact, is believed to be the reason they face such problems. Moreover, this “redemption” results in many worthy implications. In addition, the reader will also acquire how Stanley re-unites Zero and his missing mother... o, how does our environment affect us? Does it make us who we are? Does it change us? The entire Yelnats family struggled and suffered heavily, supposedly, due to a curse put on them by a one-legged gypsy, Madame Zeroni. An old, Egyptian woman, Madame Zeroni reluctantly provided Stanley’s great-great grandfather, Elya Yelnats, with a piglet, to get the love of his life, Myra Menke. As her father was already in talks with Igor Barkov, who offered an enormous pig, he demanded something similar.

Thus, Madame Zeroni told Elya to carry the piglet up the mountain where water ran uphill, make him drink that water and sing to it, every day. While it would grow, he would get stronger and tougher too. She, however, had strictly warned him to come back for her, to carry her up the mountain, let her drink from the same water and sing to her, otherwise, “He and all his descendants would be cursed for eternity. ” Being a fifteen-year old, Elya did not take this very seriously and forgot about the assurance he had given Madame Zeroni.

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It only struck him whilst he was on the way to America, dazed and frustrated on how Myra couldn’t make the obvious decision of choosing him against Igor; knowing what a foul man he was when their pigs weighed the same. Then onwards, the Yelnats were cursed. They always seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad luck seemed to follow them everywhere. However, even though they had no luck at all, they always remained hopeful and persistent. In fact, Stanley’s great-grandfather did make a fortune in the stock market but bad luck befell on him too.

He lost everything…he was robbed by one of the most feared outlaws in all the west, Kissin’ Kate Barlow and was left stranded in the middle of a desert where he found refuge on “God’s thumb. ” However, Stanley wiped out the curse when he carried Hector Zeroni (Zero), Madame Zeroni’s great-great-grandson up a mountain, made him drink from the water and sang to him when they both ran away from Camp Green Lake; a juvenile detention center for boys and found refuge on “God’s thumb”, on an onion field (that belonged to Sam) just like Stanley’s great-grandfather did.

Apparently, Madame Zeroni’s wish had just been fulfilled indirectly. As Stanley had heard a lot about his great-grandfather finding refuge on “God’s thumb”, when he saw a figure as such he was desperate to know about it and thought that could be a possibility where he and Zero could find refuge. Therefore, they climbed the mountain in the first place. Soon, however, he had the responsibility to carry Zero up as well. Stanley was just helping a friend but he didn’t know doing this would be the end to his bad luck.

It might even interest the reader that Stanley’s father invented the cure to foot odor, something he had been trying to find for years, the day after the great-great grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-grandson Madame Zeroni up the mountain. As a matter of fact, that is how Stanley’s father hired an attorney for his son which resulted in him out of Camp. Moreover, Zero, too, was let out due to no claim of records. This, in turn, lead to the end to Camp Green Lake and the start to a Girls’ Scout Camp. In addition, the land that had been in the Walker family for generations was snatched away.

The Warden was in desperate need of money and had to sell the land. In fact, after over a hundred years, Green Lake finally experienced rain again... all because of Stanley. Furthermore, Stanley also helped re-unite Zero and his mother…Zero wasn’t always an orphan. Nor was he always homeless. Being a single mother, things weren’t very easy for Zero’s mum either. She’d often leave him behind and tell him to wait at particular places while he just played around with his stuffed toys; after all, she couldn’t take him with her every time, everywhere.

One day, however, she didn’t come back. She was just…gone. Zero waited and waited and waited. He stayed at Laney Park for a month, was treated poorly by other visitors, slept in the playground tunnels and who knows what else but, never saw his mother again. However, things did change. When Stanley and Zero dug up rather discovered the buried fortune which had been robbed from Stanley’s great-grandfather by Kissin’ Kate Barlow, Stanley proved to be a good friend. He shared this prosperity with Zero, thinking he deserved it equally. Their hard-work to find the treasure was worthwhile.

It all was in millions- the jewels were actually less valuable than the stack of papers underneath which belonged to Stanley’s great-grandfather. These consisted of stock certificates, deeds of trust and promissory notes. After all the taxes and legal fees, Stanley and Zero each received about a million dollars, enough for Zero to hire private investigators to find his mother. By the end of the novel, we see Zero with his mother, re-united, because of Stanley. Nevertheless, Stanley went through a lot during the time he spent at or after Camp Green Lake, which reformed him into a better person.

His actions altered him from a mousy to a confident character. In fact, he also learned a lot about himself. Going through times good and bad, easy and difficult, rough and tough, testing and challenging, Stanley changed. The environment he was in got out the real Stanley. He built a lot upon his self-esteem and self-worth and valued his dignity, integrity and self-respect and was a lot more firm, resolute, spirited, confident and dauntless. Not only mentally, Stanley also changed physically. He was a lot more fit, much stronger and could stand up for himself.

In fact, the only reasons he could carry Zero up the mountain, perhaps go through the entire journey were that he was physically and mentally fit- strong, determined, persistent, hopeful and courageous. He also understood his strengths. He realized that he wasn’t as rough as the other campers and was rather a very kind, gentle, generous, friendly and an optimistic boy. If he wasn’t such a character he would never have tried running away from Camp to look for Zero. He would never have tried going up the mountain, after all, he wasn’t certain at all if there’d be food and water. He would never have tried going to look for the treasure again.

Zero would never have been with him if he wasn’t so persistent at getting him out of Camp. Nobody would ever have checked his records. Zero would never have found his mother if Stanley wasn’t a good friend. In fact, none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Stanley being so truthful. If he had just lied about the sneakers falling on his head from the sky, he would never have gone to Camp Green Lake, but then he would never have end up with such luxuries. He got an opportunity to develop upon his strengths and mend his weaknesses. All in all, this experience metamorphosed Stanley into the real Stanley.

Ultimately, we get the answers to “Does your environment make you “you”? Does it change you? ” Certainly…. it is the environment that affects our actions which make us who we are, which creates our destiny. Therefore, Destiny seems to be about people making decisions to do what they know or think is right. “Holes” is a novel, just like a jigsaw puzzle. At first, you have no idea how these little pieces will fit and make any sense and by the end, it is all so perfect. In “Holes”, the whole idea on Destiny and Redemption is very well expressed. It was Stanley who created his destiny by his actions.

His redemptions created the future of everyone related. Stanley’s endeavors made him who he was. They changed his personality for good. These actions then resulted into many worthy implications. However, our actions may not always result in consequences in our favor. For example, Kate Barlow’s life completely drifted from being what it was. Her action of falling in love with Sam resulted in a horrific tragedy and a terrible injustice with a miserable life ahead. It changed her from being an ordinary teacher to one of the most feared outlaws in the entire West. Thus, Redemption and Destiny go hand in hand. Fate is the result to Free Will!

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