Holes is a classic novel revolving around a teenage kid named Stanley Yelnats and his family’s curse. This novel openly talks about finding acceptance in difficult areas.
I overly enjoyed this read, it was fast and easy to follow. First I watched the movie starring Shia LaBouf (2003), then I found out it was an adaptation of the novel. Like most book adaptations, they leave a lot of things out. Stanley’s character is an overweight kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing him to go to a correctional facility deemed as a “camp”. Casting Shia LaBeouf, he was nothing like the character described in the book.
That was my only complaint about the movie and the book, I think Stanley being fat was kind of a crucial part of his character, he was treated differently than in the book because of his physical appearance, and it didn’t have the same treatment. Other than that, it was both fun to watch the movie and read the book.
This book also has a lot of hidden meanings. This “camp” for teenage boys was deemed to be a correctional facility for troubled boys to learn their lesson. Sound familiar? This camp has a lot of similarities to modern-day prisons. Inmates are forced to work without pay in prison. In the book, they are reportedly supposed to dig one hole each day, 5 feet wide, five feet deep in the blazing heat. If they find something interesting (valuable), they are to report back to their “counselors immediately”.
Within modern-day prisons/ correctional facilities, inmates ‘Today, more than 76 percent of incarcerated workers surveyed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics say that they are required to work or face additional punishment such as solitary confinement, denial of opportunities to reduce their sentence, and loss of family visitation. They have no right to choose what type of work they do and are subject to arbitrary, discriminatory, and punitive decisions by the prison administrators who select their work assignments.” Stated by ACLU in their piece “CAptive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers”.