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** Or at least he thinks he's a genius.
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correcting bad grammar
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* DoNotCallMePaul: The boys insist on being called on their nicknames. Stanley wonders why would anyone insist on being called "Armpit".
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* DoNotCallMePaul: The boys insist on being called on their nicknames. Stanley wonders why would anyone would insist on being called "Armpit".
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate]] chooses to [[spoiler: allow a yellow-spotted lizard to bite her]] rather than let Trout Walker kill her or tell him what he wants to know.
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate]] chooses to [[spoiler: allow a yellow-spotted lizard to bite her]] rather than let Trout Walker [[spoiler:Trout Walker]] kill her her, or tell him what he wants to know.
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No example was given for anachronic order
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* AnachronicOrder
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* AnachronicOrderAnachronicOrder: In between parts of Stanley's story, it occasionally jumps back in time to tell the stories of Elya Yelnats and Kissin' Kate Barlow.
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kissin' Kate Barlow. [[spoiler: Originally just a schoolteacher in 19th-century Texas, she eventually falls with the the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt black onion seller]], Sam. This results in not only a mob burning down the school, but Sam is sentenced to death for kissing a white woman. She then becomes the most notorious outlaw in the Wild West. Her first kill is the sheriff who [[ScarpiaUltimatum offered to not kill Sam in exchange for a kiss]].]]
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kissin' Kate Barlow. [[spoiler: Originally just a schoolteacher in 19th-century Texas, she eventually falls with the the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt black onion seller]], Sam. This results in not only a mob burning down the school, but Sam is sentenced to death for kissing a white woman. She then becomes the most notorious outlaw in the Wild West. Her first kill is the sheriff [[AssholeVictim sheriff]] who [[ScarpiaUltimatum offered to not kill Sam in exchange for a kiss]].]]
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Moving to YMMV.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** Mr Sir: "This ain't a Girl Scout camp."
** Sam: "I can fix that."
** Mr Sir: "This ain't a Girl Scout camp."
** Sam: "I can fix that."
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* GeniusBonus: Mr. Sir's creates a tough, cowboy persona in order to get over the embarressment of his real name: [[spoiler:Marion]]. This is very similar to '''Marion''' Robert Morrison, better known as [[spoiler:Creator/JohnWayne]].
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* UnintentionallySympathetic: The Warden in some ways, despite being the BigBad in the story [[spoiler:and actually allowing Stanley and Zero to (hopefully) be killed in a pit full of poisionous lizards]], her life was constantly nothing but a wild goose chase thanks to her [[AbusiveParents greed-obsessed Grandfather]]. In the film adaptation you can see the loss and anguish on her face when she's denied of the treasure her family has been looking for for years.
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* DrivenToSuicide: Kissin' Kate let a yellow-spotted lizard bit her, only to spite Trout.
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* DrivenToSuicide: In the film, Kissin' Kate let lets a yellow-spotted lizard bit bite her, only to spite Trout.Trout. (In the book, the lizard was a lucky accident.)
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* GeniusBonus: Mr. Sir's creates a tough, cowboy persona in order to get over the embarressment of his real name[[spoiler:, Marion]]. This is very similar to '''Marion''' Robert Morrison, better known as[[spoiler: JohnWayne]].
* GypsyCurse: Madame Zeroni's curse
* GypsyCurse: Madame Zeroni's curse
to:
* GeniusBonus: Mr. Sir's creates a tough, cowboy persona in order to get over the embarressment of his real name[[spoiler:, Marion]]. name: [[spoiler:Marion]]. This is very similar to '''Marion''' Robert Morrison, better known as[[spoiler: JohnWayne]].
as [[spoiler:Creator/JohnWayne]].
* GypsyCurse: Madame Zeroni'scursecurse.
* GypsyCurse: Madame Zeroni's
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* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor. Though, at least in the film, she didn't look too happy being suck with Igor.]]
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* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor. Though, at least in the film, she didn't look too happy being suck stuck with Igor.]]
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* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor.]]
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp". [[spoiler: In the epilogue, it's revealed that Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout camp.]]
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film.
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp". [[spoiler: In the epilogue, it's revealed that Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout camp.]]
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film.
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* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor. Though, at least in the film, she didn't look too happy being suck with Igor.]]
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp".[[spoiler: In [[spoiler:In the epilogue, it's revealed that Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout camp.]]
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film. Mostly due to being the only Yelnats that didn't appear in the book.
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp".
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film. Mostly due to being the only Yelnats that didn't appear in the book.
** She also slashed Mr. Sir's face just for wasting her time about Stanley covering up for someone over a water canteen. Then, Mr. Sir takes it out on Stanley (or anyone who mentions his scar).
* [[spoiler:EurekaMoment: "I don't smell anything."]]
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*** She felt as if she was, and then [[spoiler: she committed suicide via yellow-spotted lizard shortly afterwards.]]
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*** She felt as if she was, and then [[spoiler: she [[spoiler:she committed suicide via yellow-spotted lizard shortly afterwards.]]
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* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: When the Warden asks to see inside the trunk.]]
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* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: When [[spoiler:When the Warden asks to see inside the trunk.]]
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* {{Irony}}: When a woman spotted Kate kissing Sam, she tells them "God will punish [them]." After Sam was executed, it stopped raining and Green Lake became a barren desert. Who did God punish, indeed?
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* {{Irony}}: When a woman spotted Kate Katherine and Sam kissing Sam, each other, she tells them "God will punish [them]." After Sam was executed, it stopped raining and at Green Lake became and it dried up becoming a barren desert. Who did God punish, indeed?
* LaserGuidedKarma: The Warden, Mr. Pendanski, and Mr. Sir end up in legal trouble.
** The people of Green Lake are driven away due to no rain and the lake drying up, which happened not long after Sam's execution.
** The people of Green Lake are driven away due to no rain and the lake drying up, which happened not long after Sam's execution.
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* {{Mordor}}: Camp Green Lake, which is neither green nor a lake. It used to be, though. And by the ending of the book [[spoiler: it is implied that it did become a lake again afterwards.]]
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* {{Mordor}}: Camp Green Lake, which is neither green nor a lake. It used to be, though. And by the ending of the book [[spoiler: it [[spoiler:it is implied that it did become a lake again afterwards.]]
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* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: A SubvertedTrope. [[spoiler: It turns out one of the camp counselors was faking being a doctor.]]
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is [[spoiler: Hector [[XtremeKoolLetterz Zeroni]])]].
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is [[spoiler: Hector [[XtremeKoolLetterz Zeroni]])]].
to:
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: A SubvertedTrope. [[spoiler: It [[spoiler:It turns out one of the camp counselors was faking being a doctor.]]
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is[[spoiler: Hector [[spoiler:Hector [[XtremeKoolLetterz Zeroni]])]].
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is
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* DrivenToSuicide: Kissin' Kate let a yellow-spotted lizard bit her, only to spite Trout.
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* {{Irony}}: When a woman spotted Kate kissing Sam, she tells them "God will punish [them]." After Sam was executed, it stopped raining and Green Lake became a barren desert. Who did God punish, indeed?
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* GeniusBonus: Mr. Sir's creates a tough, cowboy persona in order to get over the embarressment of his real name[[spoiler:, Marion]]. This is very similar to '''Marion''' Robert Morrison, better known as[[spoiler: JohnWayne]].
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* MiseryBuildsCharacter: The staff of Camp Green Lake claim the boys are digging holes because it builds character.
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* DisproportionateRetribution / RageBreakingPoint: The campers get much lazier after the Warden personally takes over their digging area, and she gets very annoyed to find they're barely doing any digging now at all. Once Armpit returns, telling her he left to use a restroom, [[spoiler:she stabs him with a pitchfork. Luckily it's OnlyAFleshWound.]]
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** Not that much in the overall film, though. Several of the darker scenes are also in the DVD.
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* BerserkButton: After Mr. Sir [[spoiler:is slashed across the face by the Warden's venom coated nails, a camper asks him about his swollen wound the next day and promptly gets yelled at for it. Everyone quickly learns to not ask about it again.]]
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* HeyItsThatGuy: The {{Medium}} falls in love with Gus from ''{{Psych}}''. Hmmm...
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* HeyItsThatGuy: The {{Medium}} falls in love with Gus from ''{{Psych}}''.''{{Series/Psych}}''. Hmmm...
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** And his father is [[{{HappyDays}} The Fonz]].
** Madame Zeroni was Catwoman back in the day.
** Madame Zeroni was Catwoman back in the day.
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** And his father is [[{{HappyDays}} [[Series/HappyDays The Fonz]].
** Madame Zeroni was [[{{Series/Batman}} Catwoman back in theday.day]].
** Madame Zeroni was [[{{Series/Batman}} Catwoman back in the
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* HiddenAgendaVillain
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* HiddenAgendaVillainHiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:The camp is actually a scheme by the Warden to uncover Kate Barlow's treasure without having to dig up the whole desert herself.]]
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After Zero [[spoiler: runs away]], the Warden orders his files to be deleted to make it appear that he never existed. This backfires when [[spoiler: he's saved and returns to the camp, revealing the coverup to the Attorney General.]]
to:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After [[spoiler:After Zero [[spoiler: runs away]], away, the Warden orders his files to be deleted to make it appear that he never existed. This backfires when [[spoiler: he's saved and returns to the camp, revealing the coverup to the Attorney General.]]
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* ImplausibleDeniability: Stanley denies that anything major happen after Mr. Sir took him to see the Warden. Even after [[spoiler:Mr. Sir shows up the next day with a swollen wound on his face.]]
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* DownerEnding: The in-universe reason why the guide is being written is that people read Stanley's account of Camp Green Lake, and thought that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint it was such a great idea, they should open another one.]]
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* HappyEndingOverride: At the end of ''Holes'', Camp Green Lake is closed, However, now the camp is open again, and the in-universe reason why the guide is being written is that people read Stanley's book and thought that [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Camp Green Lake was such a great idea, they should open it again.]]
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* UnintentionallySympathetic: The Warden in some ways, despite being the BigBad in the story [[spoiler:and actually allowing Stanley and Zero to (hopefully) be killed in a pit full of poisionous lizards]], her life was constantly nothing but a wild goose chase thanks to her [[AbusiveParents greed-obsessed Grandfather]]. In the film adaptation you can see the loss and anguish on her face when she's denied of the treasure her family has been looking for for years.
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In 2003, it was made into a fairly faithful film by WaltDisney Pictures, the script also written by Sachar. It was directed by Andrew Davis (of ''Film/TheFugitive'' fame) and stars ShiaLaBeouf as Stanley, SigourneyWeaver as [[BigBad the Warden]], Jon Voight as [[TheDragon Mr. Sir]] and a good deal of other notable actors in bit parts.
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In 2003, it was made into a fairly faithful film by WaltDisney Pictures, the script also written by Sachar. It was directed by Andrew Davis (of ''Film/TheFugitive'' fame) and stars ShiaLaBeouf as Stanley, SigourneyWeaver Creator/SigourneyWeaver as [[BigBad the Warden]], Jon Voight as [[TheDragon Mr. Sir]] and a good deal of other notable actors in bit parts.
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** Also averted with the vicious Warden, who is played by SigourneyWeaver.
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** Also averted with the vicious Warden, who is played by SigourneyWeaver.Creator/SigourneyWeaver.
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* SoMyKidsCanWatch: SigourneyWeaver's daughter begged her to play the Warden.
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* SoMyKidsCanWatch: SigourneyWeaver's Creator/SigourneyWeaver's daughter begged her to play the Warden.
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* SoUnfunnyItsFunny: Mr. Sir's story in the movie.
-->'''Mr. Sir''': Once upon a time there was a magical place where it never rained. The end.
-->'''Mr. Sir''': Once upon a time there was a magical place where it never rained. The end.
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* HiddenDepths: Of all the characters of Holes, did you really think ''Armpit'' would be the kind, thoughtful one?
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* HiddenDepths: Of all the characters of Holes, ''Holes'', did you really think ''Armpit'' would be the kind, thoughtful one?
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* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. Kaira does have a therapist, but doesn't trust her because she was hired by her father.
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remove example which reply shows is wrong; spelling of Kaira; add
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* IdolSinger: Keira De Leon.
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused to find a Keira song sings "Oh, you'd never guess, Armpit, [I'm a] damsel in distress." [[spoiler:It's actually a {{Mondegreen}} saying "I'm but". But Keira actually sings his version later.]]
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused to find a Keira song sings "Oh, you'd never guess, Armpit, [I'm a] damsel in distress." [[spoiler:It's actually a {{Mondegreen}} saying "I'm but". But Keira actually sings his version later.]]
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* IHaveThisFriend: Played with. Kaira thinks Armpit is doing this when he attempts to explain the situation.
* IdolSinger:Keira Kaira De Leon.
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused tofind a Keira song sings hear Kaira sing "Oh, you'd never guess, Armpit, [I'm a] damsel in distress." [[spoiler:It's actually a {{Mondegreen}} saying "I'm but". But Keira Kaira actually sings his version later.]]
* IdolSinger:
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused to
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* KnowNothingKnowItAll: El Genius. Keira points out to him the parallel with her name and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_León Ponce de León]], but he's never heard of him. [[spoiler:He turns out to be much smarter about committing murder.]]
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* KnowNothingKnowItAll: El Genius. Keira Kaira points out to him the parallel with her name and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_León Ponce de León]], but he's never heard of him. [[spoiler:He turns out to be much smarter about committing murder.]]
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* PoliceAreUseless: Trying to get into a concert with [[spoiler:tickets you didn't know were fake]] apparently constitutes being beaten with police batons.
** Well, also because [[spoiler:Ginny goes into a seizure and the police think Armpit drugged her.]] Averted with Debbie, who is shown to be a very capable policewoman.
* ProperlyParanoid: Keira believes [[spoiler:her stepdad was sending the death threat letters. He was. And tries to kill her.]]
* TheStoic: Keira's bodyguard, Fred.
* TitleDrop: "Small steps" is Armpit's motto to rebuilding his life, as well as Ginny's recovery. [[spoiler:It ends up being the title of Keira's new song.]]
** Well, also because [[spoiler:Ginny goes into a seizure and the police think Armpit drugged her.]] Averted with Debbie, who is shown to be a very capable policewoman.
* ProperlyParanoid: Keira believes [[spoiler:her stepdad was sending the death threat letters. He was. And tries to kill her.]]
* TheStoic: Keira's bodyguard, Fred.
* TitleDrop: "Small steps" is Armpit's motto to rebuilding his life, as well as Ginny's recovery. [[spoiler:It ends up being the title of Keira's new song.]]
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** Well, also because [[spoiler:Ginny goes into a seizure and the police think Armpit drugged her.]] Averted with Debbie, who is shown to be a very capable policewoman.
* TheStoic:
* TitleDrop: "Small steps" is Armpit's motto to rebuilding his life, as well as Ginny's recovery. [[spoiler:It ends up being the title of
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** And [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]], [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Samuel Sterns/The Leader]] and the Midnight Cowboy are in cahoots, running a ruthless detention camp.
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** And [[{{Alien}} [[{{Franchise/Alien}} Ellen Ripley]], [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Samuel Sterns/The Leader]] and the Midnight Cowboy are in cahoots, running a ruthless detention camp.
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* HereditaryCurse: A bad luck curse on the main character's family due to an ancestor cheating a gypsy drives the plot.
** The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys the woman's descendent to the top of a mountain were they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.
** The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys the woman's descendent to the top of a mountain were they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.
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* HereditaryCurse: A bad luck curse on the main character's family due to an ancestor cheating a gypsy drives the plot. \n** The [[spoiler:The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys Stanley's ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys carries the woman's descendent to the top of a mountain were where they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.]]
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** The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys the womans ancestor to the top of a mountain were they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.
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** The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys the womans ancestor woman's descendent to the top of a mountain were they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.
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Misuse/Zero Context Example of renamed trope. Please do not readd without writing up a full example that complies both with the trope description and with How To Write An Example
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* NotSoHarmless: [[spoiler:El Genius.]]
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* GypsyCurse: Madame Zeroni's curse
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** The way to lift the curse is hereditary as well. Madame Zeroni's part of the deal was for Stnleys ancestor to carry her to the top of a nearby mountain to eat so she may become strong. A century later Stanley carrys the womans ancestor to the top of a mountain were they find food to eat. Fufilling the Yelnets part of the bargain and lifting the curse.
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* RepeatWhatYouJustSaid: Stanley's grandfather asks Zero him to confirm if he just said his name was Zeroni, realising his grandson had fufilled his cheating ancestors bargain and lifting the curse.
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** Kate Barlow told the Warden's ancestors that they could dig for the next 100 years and never find her treasure. Exactly 100 years later it was found by another and the Warden was arrested without even seeing inside it.
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** Kate Barlow told the Warden's ancestors grandfather that they he, his children and his children's children could dig for the next 100 years and never find her treasure. Exactly 100 years later it was found by another and the Warden was arrested without even seeing inside it.
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* UnwinnableByDesign: The book has several quizzes, but most of them don't even have the correct answer. And the first quiz is ''very'' counter-intuitive.: Your canteen has a leak. Do you A. Angrily smash your canteen. B. Quickly guzzle your water. C. Ask for a new canteen. D. Turn the canteen so the hole is on the top and drink from it that way. Answer: [[spoiler:D is wrong; Dirt will get into your canteen and some water ''will'' eventually leak out. C is wrong; the counselor will just suggest you try D. The correct answer is B then A. The Warden knows you can't dig without water. You will be given a new canteen.]]
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''Holes'' is an extremely well-regarded children's novel by Louis Sachar (''WaysideSchool''). It's about teenager Stanley [[BackwardsName Yelnats]], who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and sent to a juvenile detention center called "Camp Green Lake". At the camp, the boys are mistreated by the suspicious owners, who force them to continually dig holes in the middle of a desert. And there are curses. And thumbs. And a story from the past about a romance destroyed by bigotry.
to:
''Holes'' is an extremely well-regarded children's novel by [[WaysideSchool Louis Sachar (''WaysideSchool'').Sachar]]. It's about teenager Stanley [[BackwardsName Yelnats]], who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and sent to a juvenile detention center called "Camp Green Lake". At the camp, the boys are mistreated by the suspicious owners, who force them to continually dig holes in the middle of a desert. And there are curses. And thumbs. And a story from the past about a romance destroyed by bigotry.
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[[quoteright:263:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/holes2.jpg]]
->"With broken hands and withered souls,\\
Emancipated from all you know,\\
You got to go and dig those holes..."
''Holes'' is an extremely well-regarded children's novel by Louis Sachar (''WaysideSchool''). It's about teenager Stanley [[BackwardsName Yelnats]], who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and sent to a juvenile detention center called "Camp Green Lake". At the camp, the boys are mistreated by the suspicious owners, who force them to continually dig holes in the middle of a desert. And there are curses. And thumbs. And a story from the past about a romance destroyed by bigotry.
Not so depressing or angsty as the premise makes it seem, but still a bit "adult" for a kids' book, hence its success. The narrative includes two other timelines in addition to Stanley's that appear to be almost irrelevant to each other, until the resolution when they all come together.
In 2003, it was made into a fairly faithful film by WaltDisney Pictures, the script also written by Sachar. It was directed by Andrew Davis (of ''Film/TheFugitive'' fame) and stars ShiaLaBeouf as Stanley, SigourneyWeaver as [[BigBad the Warden]], Jon Voight as [[TheDragon Mr. Sir]] and a good deal of other notable actors in bit parts.
Sachar wrote a sequel called ''Small Steps'' which follows Theodore ("Armpit") and X-Ray after their release from Camp Green Lake. Two years later, he is trying to finish passing high school, earn some money, and get his life back on track. X-Ray, however, plans a get-rich-quick scheme with him by scalping tickets. Those tickets, however, are for the concert of Kaira De Leon, a troubled teen pop singer. Their lives intersect in unexpected ways.
He also wrote a guide to surviving Camp Green Lake, [[{{Defictionalization}} narrated by Stanley]].
----
!!These books provide examples of:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Holes]]
* ActorAllusion: In the movie, a bluesy version of "Down To The River To Pray" from ''OBrotherWhereArtThou'' is heard after we're introduced to the "counselor", who was a member of ''O Brother'''s PowerTrio.
* AdaptationDistillation: A rare example where TheFilmOfTheBook compares favorably with the original work. It helps that the author wrote the screenplay.
** And it could have been a lot worse; just [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090206012740/http://richard-kelly.net/multimedia/scripts/Holes-Script72.pdf look up the original script]], written by [[DonnieDarko Richard Kelly]]. What with being set in a PostApocalyptic CrapsackWorld, having the Camp Green-Lake staff be Psychotic Escaped Criminals, all the characters being changed (Zero and Stanley are [[NobleDemon murderers]], Armpit is a [[TheFundamentalist Born-Again]] after [[DrivenToSuicide trying to kill himself]], Squid is a drug-addled stud and X-Ray is psychic), and the plot is about the boys trying to escape the Evil Camp and find an all-powerful relic of World War III.
** It could actually pass very well as [[PoesLaw a parody of]] AdaptationDecay.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, Stanley is fat; his nickname, Caveman, is derived from his being a big guy. In the movie he's played by a young and skinny {{Shia LaBeouf}}.
** They call him "Caveman" in the film because he found a fossil, and the other boys said he belongs in a cave.
** Noted by the film-makers [[PragmaticAdaptation that it would've been very difficult to try and film a fat 14-year-old actor gradually losing a lot of weight]], which happens in the book due to all the strenuous hole-digging.
** ShiaLaBeouf, Stanley's actor, also mentioned in an interview that he tried "gobbling down Twinkies" in order to gain the weight, but Sachar himself told him that it was more important that he focus on depicting the character's diffidence.
* TheAlcatraz: There's nothing stopping a kid from escaping from Camp Green Lake, but the escapee will die of dehydration, seeing as the camp is in the middle of nowhere. A very arid middle of nowhere.
--> '''Mr. Sir:''' You see any barbed wire fences? Any guard towers? No? That's because we don't need 'em. Go ahead, start running away. I won't stop you. Because in three days, you'll be buzzard food.
* AlliterativeName: Myra Menke, and her father Morris Menke.
* AnachronicOrder
* AndYourLittleDogToo: After Trout Walker [[spoiler:had killed Sam]], Miss Katherine found out the town [[spoiler:had also killed Sam's beloved donkey Mary Lou]].
* AntiVillain: Arguably the Warden, after the audience learns about what she herself had to endure as a kid from her abusive grandfather [[spoiler: Trout Walker]].
* AppropriatedAppellation: How the boys get their nicknames. (Although many turn out to have [[NonindicativeName Nonindicative Names]].)
* ArcWords:
** "Vacancies don't last long at Camp Green Lake."
** "If only, if only, the woodpecker cries..."
** "It's destiny..."
* ArrangedMarriage: Elya Yalnets is in love with Myra Menke, but Myra's father will decide who she's going to marry; Elya or Igor Barkov. When Myra ends up being the one who has to decide between them, she just gets confused.
* ArtifactTitle: In-universe. Camp Green Lake once used to be a lush lake with a thriving town, but the town dried up with the lake, leaving only a barren wasteland.
* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Stanley not having a lawyer. Even if the family was too poor to afford one (the reason given as to why he didn't have one during the trial), he should have had a public defender assigned to him anyway.
** Stanley gets to keep the orange jumpsuit as he leaves Camp Green Lake, which is forbidden in the real life and can ironically result in regaining your sentence.
*** [[FridgeBrilliance Probably why it was suggested by the Attorney General that he could burn it instead]].
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Averted. The protagonist is self-conscious and overweight.
** Although he's played by [[AdaptationalAttractiveness Shia Labeouf]] in the movie.
** Also averted with the vicious Warden, who is played by SigourneyWeaver.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate]] chooses to [[spoiler: allow a yellow-spotted lizard to bite her]] rather than let Trout Walker kill her or tell him what he wants to know.
* BigBad: The Warden.
** Her grandfather Trout Walker might be considered the BiggerBad, since although he's long-since died, it's his actions many years ago that both created the situation and plot of the story ''and'' made the Warden who she is (she is, after all, essentially driven to fulfill the goal he started.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: A male example, Mr. Pendanski. A doctor, he [[spoiler: acts as if he]] really wants to help the boys, and he takes on the nickname "Mom". [[spoiler: But he's not really a doctor, and he treats Zero like crap. Later, he is willing to let Zero die to avoid scrutiny by the authorities. He was even willing to let both Zero and Stanley die at the orders of the Warden, when the kids were trapped with yellow-spotted lizards.]]
* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor.]]
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp". [[spoiler: In the epilogue, it's revealed that Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout camp.]]
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film.
* CassandraTruth: RealLife example from the commentary of the film. Khleo Thomas, who plays Zero, tries to explain to his fellow D Tent actors the reason why Zero is in Camp Green Lake (stealing a pair of shoes from Payless, arriving before Stanley because Zero didn't get a court hearing). They don't believe him, due to confusion over the time frame.
* ChekhovsArmoury: Almost everything noted in the first part becomes important in the later part.
** Taken to a ridiculous extreme in TheFilmOfTheBook where, by sheer coincidence, it turns out that [[spoiler: peaches and onions are the missing ingredient in Staley's dad's foot-odor cure]].
* ClearMyName
* CosmicPlaything
* CurseIsFoiledAgain: Even more so in the movie as [[spoiler:the camp counselors are arrested]].
* DarkReprise: Inverted. "If Only, If Only", a Latvian folk tune passed down by Stanley's family, is a bitter, cynical song about getting shafted in life. But at the end of the book, we hear a much more uplifting version of the song sung by [[spoiler: Zero's mom]].
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: "Dig It" for the movie, which is sung/rapped by the boys of Camp Green Lake, notably Stanley, Zero, X-Ray, Armpit, and Zigzag.
* DoNotCallMePaul: The boys insist on being called on their nicknames. Stanley wonders why would anyone insist on being called "Armpit".
* TheDragon: Mr. Sir
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Stanley is proven innocent, Zero is rescued and freed, the two receive Stanley Yelnats the First's treasure, the Yelnats buy a new house, Zero reunites with his mom, Clyde Livingston befriends Stanley, rain returns to Camp Green Lake, which is closed and turned into a Girl Scout camp.]] A lot of luck for the world's most unlucky family.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: In the film, Mr. Sir's first name turns out to be [[spoiler:Marion.]]
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: None of the bad guys make very good first impressions on the audience; Mr. Sir might as well have "I'M A VILLAIN" (or at least "I'M A JERK") stamped on his forehead, Mr. Pendanski acts all amicable only to throw an insult in Zero's face in the most disgustingly perky tone, and The Warden slashes her own employee with her FemmeFatalons tipped with ''rattlesnake venom''.
* EvilGenius: Mr. Pendanski.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Mr. Pendanski.
* FemmeFatalons: The Warden, and to an extent Kissin' Kate.
* TheFilmOfTheBook
* FreudianExcuse:
** Kissin' Kate [[spoiler: (formerly known as Miss Katherine)]] became the infamous bank robber history remembers her as because her black lover was lynched.
** The Warden's current activities stem from her horrible childhood.
** Possible reasons for criminality seem to be a minor theme of the book. For example, when Zero and his mother were homeless, they fed themselves by stealing.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate Barlow]] was once a schoolteacher before becoming [[spoiler: one of the most feared outlaws in the Old West.]]
* FunWithPalindromes: Stanley Yelnats.
* [[spoiler: HappyRain: At the end, after a century of curse-induced drought, it begins to rain at Camp Green Lake.]]
* HereditaryCurse: A bad luck curse on the main character's family due to an ancestor cheating a gypsy drives the plot.
** Kate Barlow told the Warden's ancestors that they could dig for the next 100 years and never find her treasure. Exactly 100 years later it was found by another and the Warden was arrested without even seeing inside it.
* HeyItsThatGuy: The {{Medium}} falls in love with Gus from ''{{Psych}}''. Hmmm...
** And [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]], [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Samuel Sterns/The Leader]] and the Midnight Cowboy are in cahoots, running a ruthless detention camp.
** At the center of it all is [[{{Film/Transformers}} Sam Witwicky]].
** And his father is [[{{HappyDays}} The Fonz]].
** Madame Zeroni was Catwoman back in the day.
*** Although viewers who were kids at the time the movie was released were probably thinking "Why is [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Yzma]] a gypsy?"
* HiddenAgendaVillain
* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: Mr. Sir's last name really is Sir. [[EmbarrassingFirstName His first name]] [[GenderBlenderName on the other hand...]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After Zero [[spoiler: runs away]], the Warden orders his files to be deleted to make it appear that he never existed. This backfires when [[spoiler: he's saved and returns to the camp, revealing the coverup to the Attorney General.]]
* IfICantHaveYou: Charles "Trout" Walker is upset for Kate rejecting him, but is ''very'' furious that she chose a black man.
* TheIgor: Elya's rich rival suitor. His name is also literally Igor!
* ImColdSoCold
--> '''Miss Katherine:''' It's so hot, Sam, but I feel so cold...
** Although she wasn't dying when she said it.
*** She felt as if she was, and then [[spoiler: she committed suicide via yellow-spotted lizard shortly afterwards.]]
* InventorOfTheMundane: The father spends the entire movie trying to invent the perfect odor-eater. He finally succeeds not only at inventing it, but also at marketing.
** In the book he's trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: When the Warden asks to see inside the trunk.]]
--> '''Stanley:''' ''Excuse'' me?
* KillerRabbit: Yellow-spotted lizards.
* KissOfDeath: Kissin' Kate's calling card.
* LighterAndSofter: The film in comparison to the book. Especially at the end.
* MeaninglessMeaningfulWords: The Yelnats family's song. The book says the song rhymes and makes sense in its original language.
* {{Mordor}}: Camp Green Lake, which is neither green nor a lake. It used to be, though. And by the ending of the book [[spoiler: it is implied that it did become a lake again afterwards.]]
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: A SubvertedTrope. [[spoiler: It turns out one of the camp counselors was faking being a doctor.]]
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is [[spoiler: Hector [[XtremeKoolLetterz Zeroni]])]].
* NeverLearnedToRead: Zero, until Stanley teaches him.
* NonIndicativeName: X-ray, as mentioned below. Also Armpit, as we find out in the sequels, and Caveman (Stanley) for halfheartedly telling a bully to leave him alone.
** The yellow-spotted lizards also count, as it's often noted that their yellow spots are actually too difficult to see on their body, and their more prominent features are their "red" eyes, black teeth, and white tongue.
** Camp Green Lake is neither green nor a lake.
* OneSteveLimit[=/=]OneDegreeOfSeparation: No characters ever realize this, but the narration mentions that both Stanley and the Warden have ancestors with the last name "Miller". In a book with this small a cast and this tight a plot, that can't be a mistake, so you gotta wonder...
* ParanoiaGambit: After Stanley has learned to no longer expect water from the vengeful Mr. Sir, Mr. Sir surprises him by refilling his canteen. But then he takes it to his car and gives it back a minute later, still full. Then he waits for Stanley to drink from it. When he's so thirsty he can no longer bear it, Stanley pours the entire contents of the canteen, refusing to drink from it thanks to his suspicion.
* PetTheDog: Mr. Sir gives Zigzag an extra carton of orange juice for his birthday.
* PigLatin: "X-Ray" is so nicknamed because it's pig latin for his real name, "Rex".
* TheQuietOne: Zero.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Yellow-spotted lizards are regularly mentioned to have red eyes, but they actually have yellow eyes with red spots around them.
* SaharanShipwreck
* ScarpiaUltimatum: G-rated version where the Sheriff offers to [[spoiler: run Sam out of town instead of hanging him]] if Miss Kate kisses him. She takes him up on his offer [[spoiler: ''after'' she kills him -- which earns her the nickname "Kissin' Kate" Barlow]].
* {{Schoolmarm}}: Kate Barlow originally was one.
* ShaggyDogStory: The Warden and her ancestors have spent decades trying to find Kate Barlow's treasure in the dried ruins of the lake (which she even mentions her father forced her to dig through most of her childhood, ''even Christmas'') so much so that the [[spoiler: whole point of the camp was to use kid labor to do the dirty work and find the treasure faster. In the end all that effort was wasted as not only does she not get the treasure chest, Stanley denies her the dignity of even looking inside it.]] Ouch.
* ShootTheHostage: After [[spoiler: Stanley and Zero]] get covered in yellow-spotted lizards, the counselors aren't sure whether to wait for the lizards to kill them, or to shoot, risk killing them, and have to deal with the Attorney General arriving to see it.
* SmellyFeet: Trout Walker and Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston both have terrible foot odor. [[spoiler: Stanley's father in the end comes up with a cure to foot odor.]]
* SoMyKidsCanWatch: SigourneyWeaver's daughter begged her to play the Warden.
* SpoiledBrat: Myra Menke
* StarCrossedLovers: Poor Miss Katherine and Sam.
* ThereAreNoCoincidences: Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for stealing a pair of shoes, which by his account he found after they fell from an overpass. His best friend at Camp Green Lake is Zero, [[spoiler: who was the one who actually stole the shoes and threw them off the overpass. Furthermore, Zero's ancestor placed the HereditaryCurse on Stanley's family.]]
* TheStinger in the movie version: At the very end of the credits, Hector "Zero" Zeroni quotes the curse his great-great-great-grandmother made with her accent and speech patterns.
* ThirdLineSomeWaiting: The hole-digging plot, the Madame Zeroni/Elya Yelnats/Myra plot, and the Camp Green Lake romance plot.
* TruthInTelevision: There ''are'' [[http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-gulags.html many juvenile correction camps]] in the US that are just as bad, if not ''worse'', than the one in this story.
* TunnelKing: Zero.
* UnfortunateImplications: Invoked InUniverse. X-Ray and many of the other campers get angry at Stanley because Zero, a black boy, is helping Stanley dig his holes, though the reader knows that's not Stanley's intention and Zero was the one to suggest the deal.
* {{Unperson}}: To keep themselves for being responsible for Zero's [[spoiler: potential death in the desert]], the Warden orders his files deleted from the computer. The task is easier because Zero was a ward of the state with no family. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard But it backfires miserably]].
* VillainousBreakdown: Trout Walker, after searching MANY years for the treasure.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[DonnieDarko Richard Kelly]] was offered the chance to do this movie. He was replaced when they saw his screenplay, which was set in a post-apocalyptic CrapsackWorld. It had ''nothing'' to do with the book.
** Kissin' Kate's signature KissOfDeath was originally going to be to wear lipstick made from rattlesnake venom. This was later changed to be the Warden's nail polish.
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Kate and Sam.
* WhyIsntItAttacking: [[spoiler: Stanley and Zero]] fall into a pit of yellow-spotted lizards. But they don't attack, and it's implied it's because [[spoiler: they were repelled by the boys' onion diet.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kissin' Kate Barlow. [[spoiler: Originally just a schoolteacher in 19th-century Texas, she eventually falls with the the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt black onion seller]], Sam. This results in not only a mob burning down the school, but Sam is sentenced to death for kissing a white woman. She then becomes the most notorious outlaw in the Wild West. Her first kill is the sheriff who [[ScarpiaUltimatum offered to not kill Sam in exchange for a kiss]].]]
** To a certain extent, the Warden counts as well. She had a rough childhood due to her grandfather abusing her and forcing her to dig nonstop for the treasure Kissing Kate robbed, not even being allowed to stop for Christmas. Evidently, this lasted to her adulthood.
* WritersCannotDoMath: Too much time passes, relative to the number of generations stated, between the time of Kissin' Kate Barlow and the main characters.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Small Steps]]
* AdultsAreUseless: Armpit's parents seem unable to believe that their son has become a better person. Kaira's mom throws everything to her husband. [[spoiler:The husband tries to kill her.]]
* AffablyEvil: Billy Boy, an anonymous person who regularly sends Kaira letters telling he loves her, she's beautiful, [[BreadMilkEggsSquick and one day he'll kill her.]] [[spoiler:He turns out to be El Genius.]]
* AwesomeMcCoolName: Kaira De Leon, and her stepfather, El Genius.
* BatmanGambit: Kaira hates her bodyguard Fred and regularly tries to ditch him. [[spoiler:El Genius had hoped for this, so that he could murder her in secret and not get the blame for it since he was the one who hired Fred.]]
** This was also done earlier in the book, as it's revealed the story about how Kaira's tickets sold for $750 in Philadelphia was planted by El Genius to increase demand for them.
* BittersweetEnding: Kaira is saved, but [[spoiler:she not only has memory loss but her voice is damaged and she is financially ruined. It is said that she starts singing again, with some difficulty, so there is hope for her to recover her old life.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: To Armpit, Kaira opens up almost instantly, but it takes an entire [[spoiler:murder attempt]] for her to open up to her bodyguard.
* DemotedToExtra: Stanley is only mentioned once, and not even by name. Apparently he gave Armpit lots of free boxes of ''Sploosh''.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Armpit got into Camp Green Lake because he beat up a group of boys who tripped him and made him spill his popcorn.
* DisabilitySuperpower: Ginny is implied to be good at math. Each of her stuffed animals are also disabled, with some kind of hidden talent.
* DudeNotFunny: In-universe. El Genius jokes about [[spoiler:how Ginny went into a seizure, causing the cops to think Armpit had given her drugs.]] Kaira hates this, and personally requests to see them.
* FailOSuckyName: El Genius, Kaira's stepfather, real name being Jerome Paisley. Kaira also nicknames her bodyguard "Doofus".
** One of Armpit's goals is to try to lose his nickname.
* FlippingTheBird: A jogger does this to X-Ray after he flirts with her from his van.
* HiddenDepths: Of all the characters of Holes, did you really think ''Armpit'' would be the kind, thoughtful one?
** The movie actually implies it, by giving Squid/Alan's lines at the end to him (in which [[spoiler:he gives Stanley a phone number and tells him to call his mother and tell her he's sorry for something]]).
* IdolSinger: Keira De Leon.
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused to find a Keira song sings "Oh, you'd never guess, Armpit, [I'm a] damsel in distress." [[spoiler:It's actually a {{Mondegreen}} saying "I'm but". But Keira actually sings his version later.]]
* InnocentInnuendo:
-->'''Armpit''': "Did you tell her my nickname?"
-->'''Ginny''': "I just told her it was a part of the body."
* InsistentTerminology: X-Ray insists that "X-Ray" isn't his nickname, [[PigLatin it's actually his name in another language.]]
* {{Irony}}: Armpit's new job after leaving Camp Green Lake? Digging holes. (Well, technically trenches, but...)
* {{Jerkass}}: X-Ray has clearly learned ''nothing'' from his experiences at Green Lake.
** And El Genius.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: El Genius. Keira points out to him the parallel with her name and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_León Ponce de León]], but he's never heard of him. [[spoiler:He turns out to be much smarter about committing murder.]]
* MoralityPet: Ginny to Armpit. Also counts as a sort of LittlestCancerPatient.
* TheNotSecret: [[spoiler:Debbie finds out Armpit was one of the ticket scalpers, but doesn't arrest for it because "As I said, case closed."]]
* NotSoHarmless: [[spoiler:El Genius.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: Trying to get into a concert with [[spoiler:tickets you didn't know were fake]] apparently constitutes being beaten with police batons.
** Well, also because [[spoiler:Ginny goes into a seizure and the police think Armpit drugged her.]] Averted with Debbie, who is shown to be a very capable policewoman.
* ProperlyParanoid: Keira believes [[spoiler:her stepdad was sending the death threat letters. He was. And tries to kill her.]]
* TheStoic: Keira's bodyguard, Fred.
* TitleDrop: "Small steps" is Armpit's motto to rebuilding his life, as well as Ginny's recovery. [[spoiler:It ends up being the title of Keira's new song.]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Should I sign [your cast] 'Theodore' or 'Armpit'?"]] Subverted with the next line. [[spoiler:"As I said, case closed."]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Stanley Yelnat's Guide to Surviving Camp Green Lake]]
* BerserkButton: Don't touch anything in a camper's private box. Or Zigzag's TV.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Remember that even the seemingly harmless ones were arrested for good reason.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Stanley notably asks the reader to keep an eye out for Barf Bag, who ran away, and tell him it's safe to come home.
* ChekhovsSkill: Zigzag may be stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop, but thanks to it he always knows what the time, day, and date is.
* CutHimselfShaving: The default answer for every question about an injury at Camp Green Lake is: "I slammed the tent door on it."
** This point is further emphasized when a quiz is held asking the reader how you got a black eye. Was it from a fight? Stepping on a shovel? Not bathing? The right answer is ''still'' "The tent door slammed in your face."
* DownerEnding: The in-universe reason why the guide is being written is that people read Stanley's account of Camp Green Lake, and thought that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint it was such a great idea, they should open another one.]]
* GoneHorriblyRight: Armpit has a suggestion about the showers, that the four-minute shower should be changed so the water sprays for a minute, stops for one minute to allow them to apply soap, then restart for three minutes to finish. The suggestion is taken, but instead of three minutes of water, there are now only two, allowing the Warden to save a minute of water each.
** Also how Camp Green Lake got reopened. Stanley published his book, officials read it, thought "What a great idea!", and reopened the camp and another camp with the original staff back in charge.
* GroundhogDayLoop: Not the camp, but Zigzag, who keeps a TV guide from the week of March 22nd, 1986 and reads it daily, informing everyone what will be on TV "tonight".
* HairTriggerTemper: E-Z. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Then he meets Zig-Zag.]]
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Magnet tries to escape by grabbing onto the supply truck and hitching a ride to freedom. When he turns up at dinner hours later, he merely asks for the ketchup and the others comply and never ask about it.
* MaybeEverAfter: Stanley is implied to have a girlfriend now.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Armpit's idea for the showers was intending to make them a minute longer. They ended becoming a minute shorter.
** Barf Bag recovered from his snake bite, bur ran away from the hospital because he thought they'd send him back to Camp Green Lake. He was unaware that his time in recovery counted as time for his prison sentence, and he had in fact completed it all. Now he's a fugitive.
* NarrativeProfanityFilter: "Magnet told Armpit where to stick his next idea, and it wasn't in the suggestion box."
* NonIndicativeName: Armpit is explained to have gotten his name not from being smelly, but because a scorpion once stung him in the armpit and he wouldn't stop complaining about it. (In the movie, it ''is'' because he's smelly.)
** Another example is E-Z, who is named that because of his initials, [[HairTriggerTemper but is anything but easygoing]].
* TheNotSecret: Stanley leaves Zero's name and history when going through the campers' bios, but anybody who read the previous book should know his story.
* PlayingWithFire: Zigzag got arrested because he was burning Styrofoam on his school's lawn, only for the flames to get out of control and burn down one of the classrooms.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: X-Ray was arrested for selling what everyone thought was cocaine and marijuana, [[spoiler:but it turned out to be chopped up aspirin and parsley. However, selling aspirin without a pharmaceutical license was still illegal.]]
* SeriousBusiness / DisproportionateRetribution: Zigzag is obsessed with the broken TV in the wreck room, even though it never plays anything. E-Z tries "changing the channel" and Zigzag smashes his hand into the dial button so hard it cuts his hand open.
** E-Z himself got into Camp Green Lake for beating up a man and his dog because the dog pooped in front of his skateboard.
** By default, any of the personal items in a camper's box are immediately off-limits.
* TooDumbToLive: Twitch. On his very first day he decides to go poking through all the campers' boxes, blab to all the bunkmates, mouth off to the counselors, dig too fast and get himself tired, guzzle down all his water and run out when he needs it, get dirt in the camper's holes, and just as Stanley is escaping on the car, he hears Twitch say: "Hey, everyone check out [[KillerRabbit this awesome lizard!]]"
[[/folder]]
----
->"With broken hands and withered souls,\\
Emancipated from all you know,\\
You got to go and dig those holes..."
''Holes'' is an extremely well-regarded children's novel by Louis Sachar (''WaysideSchool''). It's about teenager Stanley [[BackwardsName Yelnats]], who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and sent to a juvenile detention center called "Camp Green Lake". At the camp, the boys are mistreated by the suspicious owners, who force them to continually dig holes in the middle of a desert. And there are curses. And thumbs. And a story from the past about a romance destroyed by bigotry.
Not so depressing or angsty as the premise makes it seem, but still a bit "adult" for a kids' book, hence its success. The narrative includes two other timelines in addition to Stanley's that appear to be almost irrelevant to each other, until the resolution when they all come together.
In 2003, it was made into a fairly faithful film by WaltDisney Pictures, the script also written by Sachar. It was directed by Andrew Davis (of ''Film/TheFugitive'' fame) and stars ShiaLaBeouf as Stanley, SigourneyWeaver as [[BigBad the Warden]], Jon Voight as [[TheDragon Mr. Sir]] and a good deal of other notable actors in bit parts.
Sachar wrote a sequel called ''Small Steps'' which follows Theodore ("Armpit") and X-Ray after their release from Camp Green Lake. Two years later, he is trying to finish passing high school, earn some money, and get his life back on track. X-Ray, however, plans a get-rich-quick scheme with him by scalping tickets. Those tickets, however, are for the concert of Kaira De Leon, a troubled teen pop singer. Their lives intersect in unexpected ways.
He also wrote a guide to surviving Camp Green Lake, [[{{Defictionalization}} narrated by Stanley]].
----
!!These books provide examples of:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Holes]]
* ActorAllusion: In the movie, a bluesy version of "Down To The River To Pray" from ''OBrotherWhereArtThou'' is heard after we're introduced to the "counselor", who was a member of ''O Brother'''s PowerTrio.
* AdaptationDistillation: A rare example where TheFilmOfTheBook compares favorably with the original work. It helps that the author wrote the screenplay.
** And it could have been a lot worse; just [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090206012740/http://richard-kelly.net/multimedia/scripts/Holes-Script72.pdf look up the original script]], written by [[DonnieDarko Richard Kelly]]. What with being set in a PostApocalyptic CrapsackWorld, having the Camp Green-Lake staff be Psychotic Escaped Criminals, all the characters being changed (Zero and Stanley are [[NobleDemon murderers]], Armpit is a [[TheFundamentalist Born-Again]] after [[DrivenToSuicide trying to kill himself]], Squid is a drug-addled stud and X-Ray is psychic), and the plot is about the boys trying to escape the Evil Camp and find an all-powerful relic of World War III.
** It could actually pass very well as [[PoesLaw a parody of]] AdaptationDecay.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, Stanley is fat; his nickname, Caveman, is derived from his being a big guy. In the movie he's played by a young and skinny {{Shia LaBeouf}}.
** They call him "Caveman" in the film because he found a fossil, and the other boys said he belongs in a cave.
** Noted by the film-makers [[PragmaticAdaptation that it would've been very difficult to try and film a fat 14-year-old actor gradually losing a lot of weight]], which happens in the book due to all the strenuous hole-digging.
** ShiaLaBeouf, Stanley's actor, also mentioned in an interview that he tried "gobbling down Twinkies" in order to gain the weight, but Sachar himself told him that it was more important that he focus on depicting the character's diffidence.
* TheAlcatraz: There's nothing stopping a kid from escaping from Camp Green Lake, but the escapee will die of dehydration, seeing as the camp is in the middle of nowhere. A very arid middle of nowhere.
--> '''Mr. Sir:''' You see any barbed wire fences? Any guard towers? No? That's because we don't need 'em. Go ahead, start running away. I won't stop you. Because in three days, you'll be buzzard food.
* AlliterativeName: Myra Menke, and her father Morris Menke.
* AnachronicOrder
* AndYourLittleDogToo: After Trout Walker [[spoiler:had killed Sam]], Miss Katherine found out the town [[spoiler:had also killed Sam's beloved donkey Mary Lou]].
* AntiVillain: Arguably the Warden, after the audience learns about what she herself had to endure as a kid from her abusive grandfather [[spoiler: Trout Walker]].
* AppropriatedAppellation: How the boys get their nicknames. (Although many turn out to have [[NonindicativeName Nonindicative Names]].)
* ArcWords:
** "Vacancies don't last long at Camp Green Lake."
** "If only, if only, the woodpecker cries..."
** "It's destiny..."
* ArrangedMarriage: Elya Yalnets is in love with Myra Menke, but Myra's father will decide who she's going to marry; Elya or Igor Barkov. When Myra ends up being the one who has to decide between them, she just gets confused.
* ArtifactTitle: In-universe. Camp Green Lake once used to be a lush lake with a thriving town, but the town dried up with the lake, leaving only a barren wasteland.
* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Stanley not having a lawyer. Even if the family was too poor to afford one (the reason given as to why he didn't have one during the trial), he should have had a public defender assigned to him anyway.
** Stanley gets to keep the orange jumpsuit as he leaves Camp Green Lake, which is forbidden in the real life and can ironically result in regaining your sentence.
*** [[FridgeBrilliance Probably why it was suggested by the Attorney General that he could burn it instead]].
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Averted. The protagonist is self-conscious and overweight.
** Although he's played by [[AdaptationalAttractiveness Shia Labeouf]] in the movie.
** Also averted with the vicious Warden, who is played by SigourneyWeaver.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate]] chooses to [[spoiler: allow a yellow-spotted lizard to bite her]] rather than let Trout Walker kill her or tell him what he wants to know.
* BigBad: The Warden.
** Her grandfather Trout Walker might be considered the BiggerBad, since although he's long-since died, it's his actions many years ago that both created the situation and plot of the story ''and'' made the Warden who she is (she is, after all, essentially driven to fulfill the goal he started.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: A male example, Mr. Pendanski. A doctor, he [[spoiler: acts as if he]] really wants to help the boys, and he takes on the nickname "Mom". [[spoiler: But he's not really a doctor, and he treats Zero like crap. Later, he is willing to let Zero die to avoid scrutiny by the authorities. He was even willing to let both Zero and Stanley die at the orders of the Warden, when the kids were trapped with yellow-spotted lizards.]]
* BrainlessBeauty / DumbBlonde: Myra Menke. Madame Zeroni calls her "emptier than a flower pot". But Elya is too entranced by her beauty [[spoiler:but abandons her when he sees she's too dumb to choose between marrying him or TheIgor.]]
* BrickJoke: Mr. Sir frequently reminds the inmates that "this isn't a Girl Scout camp". [[spoiler: In the epilogue, it's revealed that Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout camp.]]
* CanonForeigner: Stanley's grandfather, Stanley Yelnats II, in the film.
* CassandraTruth: RealLife example from the commentary of the film. Khleo Thomas, who plays Zero, tries to explain to his fellow D Tent actors the reason why Zero is in Camp Green Lake (stealing a pair of shoes from Payless, arriving before Stanley because Zero didn't get a court hearing). They don't believe him, due to confusion over the time frame.
* ChekhovsArmoury: Almost everything noted in the first part becomes important in the later part.
** Taken to a ridiculous extreme in TheFilmOfTheBook where, by sheer coincidence, it turns out that [[spoiler: peaches and onions are the missing ingredient in Staley's dad's foot-odor cure]].
* ClearMyName
* CosmicPlaything
* CurseIsFoiledAgain: Even more so in the movie as [[spoiler:the camp counselors are arrested]].
* DarkReprise: Inverted. "If Only, If Only", a Latvian folk tune passed down by Stanley's family, is a bitter, cynical song about getting shafted in life. But at the end of the book, we hear a much more uplifting version of the song sung by [[spoiler: Zero's mom]].
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: "Dig It" for the movie, which is sung/rapped by the boys of Camp Green Lake, notably Stanley, Zero, X-Ray, Armpit, and Zigzag.
* DoNotCallMePaul: The boys insist on being called on their nicknames. Stanley wonders why would anyone insist on being called "Armpit".
* TheDragon: Mr. Sir
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Stanley is proven innocent, Zero is rescued and freed, the two receive Stanley Yelnats the First's treasure, the Yelnats buy a new house, Zero reunites with his mom, Clyde Livingston befriends Stanley, rain returns to Camp Green Lake, which is closed and turned into a Girl Scout camp.]] A lot of luck for the world's most unlucky family.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: In the film, Mr. Sir's first name turns out to be [[spoiler:Marion.]]
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: None of the bad guys make very good first impressions on the audience; Mr. Sir might as well have "I'M A VILLAIN" (or at least "I'M A JERK") stamped on his forehead, Mr. Pendanski acts all amicable only to throw an insult in Zero's face in the most disgustingly perky tone, and The Warden slashes her own employee with her FemmeFatalons tipped with ''rattlesnake venom''.
* EvilGenius: Mr. Pendanski.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Mr. Pendanski.
* FemmeFatalons: The Warden, and to an extent Kissin' Kate.
* TheFilmOfTheBook
* FreudianExcuse:
** Kissin' Kate [[spoiler: (formerly known as Miss Katherine)]] became the infamous bank robber history remembers her as because her black lover was lynched.
** The Warden's current activities stem from her horrible childhood.
** Possible reasons for criminality seem to be a minor theme of the book. For example, when Zero and his mother were homeless, they fed themselves by stealing.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Kissin' Kate Barlow]] was once a schoolteacher before becoming [[spoiler: one of the most feared outlaws in the Old West.]]
* FunWithPalindromes: Stanley Yelnats.
* [[spoiler: HappyRain: At the end, after a century of curse-induced drought, it begins to rain at Camp Green Lake.]]
* HereditaryCurse: A bad luck curse on the main character's family due to an ancestor cheating a gypsy drives the plot.
** Kate Barlow told the Warden's ancestors that they could dig for the next 100 years and never find her treasure. Exactly 100 years later it was found by another and the Warden was arrested without even seeing inside it.
* HeyItsThatGuy: The {{Medium}} falls in love with Gus from ''{{Psych}}''. Hmmm...
** And [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]], [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Samuel Sterns/The Leader]] and the Midnight Cowboy are in cahoots, running a ruthless detention camp.
** At the center of it all is [[{{Film/Transformers}} Sam Witwicky]].
** And his father is [[{{HappyDays}} The Fonz]].
** Madame Zeroni was Catwoman back in the day.
*** Although viewers who were kids at the time the movie was released were probably thinking "Why is [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Yzma]] a gypsy?"
* HiddenAgendaVillain
* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: Mr. Sir's last name really is Sir. [[EmbarrassingFirstName His first name]] [[GenderBlenderName on the other hand...]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After Zero [[spoiler: runs away]], the Warden orders his files to be deleted to make it appear that he never existed. This backfires when [[spoiler: he's saved and returns to the camp, revealing the coverup to the Attorney General.]]
* IfICantHaveYou: Charles "Trout" Walker is upset for Kate rejecting him, but is ''very'' furious that she chose a black man.
* TheIgor: Elya's rich rival suitor. His name is also literally Igor!
* ImColdSoCold
--> '''Miss Katherine:''' It's so hot, Sam, but I feel so cold...
** Although she wasn't dying when she said it.
*** She felt as if she was, and then [[spoiler: she committed suicide via yellow-spotted lizard shortly afterwards.]]
* InventorOfTheMundane: The father spends the entire movie trying to invent the perfect odor-eater. He finally succeeds not only at inventing it, but also at marketing.
** In the book he's trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: When the Warden asks to see inside the trunk.]]
--> '''Stanley:''' ''Excuse'' me?
* KillerRabbit: Yellow-spotted lizards.
* KissOfDeath: Kissin' Kate's calling card.
* LighterAndSofter: The film in comparison to the book. Especially at the end.
* MeaninglessMeaningfulWords: The Yelnats family's song. The book says the song rhymes and makes sense in its original language.
* {{Mordor}}: Camp Green Lake, which is neither green nor a lake. It used to be, though. And by the ending of the book [[spoiler: it is implied that it did become a lake again afterwards.]]
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: A SubvertedTrope. [[spoiler: It turns out one of the camp counselors was faking being a doctor.]]
* MyHeroZero: Played straight, although it's an intentionally derogatory nickname (his full name is [[spoiler: Hector [[XtremeKoolLetterz Zeroni]])]].
* NeverLearnedToRead: Zero, until Stanley teaches him.
* NonIndicativeName: X-ray, as mentioned below. Also Armpit, as we find out in the sequels, and Caveman (Stanley) for halfheartedly telling a bully to leave him alone.
** The yellow-spotted lizards also count, as it's often noted that their yellow spots are actually too difficult to see on their body, and their more prominent features are their "red" eyes, black teeth, and white tongue.
** Camp Green Lake is neither green nor a lake.
* OneSteveLimit[=/=]OneDegreeOfSeparation: No characters ever realize this, but the narration mentions that both Stanley and the Warden have ancestors with the last name "Miller". In a book with this small a cast and this tight a plot, that can't be a mistake, so you gotta wonder...
* ParanoiaGambit: After Stanley has learned to no longer expect water from the vengeful Mr. Sir, Mr. Sir surprises him by refilling his canteen. But then he takes it to his car and gives it back a minute later, still full. Then he waits for Stanley to drink from it. When he's so thirsty he can no longer bear it, Stanley pours the entire contents of the canteen, refusing to drink from it thanks to his suspicion.
* PetTheDog: Mr. Sir gives Zigzag an extra carton of orange juice for his birthday.
* PigLatin: "X-Ray" is so nicknamed because it's pig latin for his real name, "Rex".
* TheQuietOne: Zero.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Yellow-spotted lizards are regularly mentioned to have red eyes, but they actually have yellow eyes with red spots around them.
* SaharanShipwreck
* ScarpiaUltimatum: G-rated version where the Sheriff offers to [[spoiler: run Sam out of town instead of hanging him]] if Miss Kate kisses him. She takes him up on his offer [[spoiler: ''after'' she kills him -- which earns her the nickname "Kissin' Kate" Barlow]].
* {{Schoolmarm}}: Kate Barlow originally was one.
* ShaggyDogStory: The Warden and her ancestors have spent decades trying to find Kate Barlow's treasure in the dried ruins of the lake (which she even mentions her father forced her to dig through most of her childhood, ''even Christmas'') so much so that the [[spoiler: whole point of the camp was to use kid labor to do the dirty work and find the treasure faster. In the end all that effort was wasted as not only does she not get the treasure chest, Stanley denies her the dignity of even looking inside it.]] Ouch.
* ShootTheHostage: After [[spoiler: Stanley and Zero]] get covered in yellow-spotted lizards, the counselors aren't sure whether to wait for the lizards to kill them, or to shoot, risk killing them, and have to deal with the Attorney General arriving to see it.
* SmellyFeet: Trout Walker and Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston both have terrible foot odor. [[spoiler: Stanley's father in the end comes up with a cure to foot odor.]]
* SoMyKidsCanWatch: SigourneyWeaver's daughter begged her to play the Warden.
* SpoiledBrat: Myra Menke
* StarCrossedLovers: Poor Miss Katherine and Sam.
* ThereAreNoCoincidences: Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for stealing a pair of shoes, which by his account he found after they fell from an overpass. His best friend at Camp Green Lake is Zero, [[spoiler: who was the one who actually stole the shoes and threw them off the overpass. Furthermore, Zero's ancestor placed the HereditaryCurse on Stanley's family.]]
* TheStinger in the movie version: At the very end of the credits, Hector "Zero" Zeroni quotes the curse his great-great-great-grandmother made with her accent and speech patterns.
* ThirdLineSomeWaiting: The hole-digging plot, the Madame Zeroni/Elya Yelnats/Myra plot, and the Camp Green Lake romance plot.
* TruthInTelevision: There ''are'' [[http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-gulags.html many juvenile correction camps]] in the US that are just as bad, if not ''worse'', than the one in this story.
* TunnelKing: Zero.
* UnfortunateImplications: Invoked InUniverse. X-Ray and many of the other campers get angry at Stanley because Zero, a black boy, is helping Stanley dig his holes, though the reader knows that's not Stanley's intention and Zero was the one to suggest the deal.
* {{Unperson}}: To keep themselves for being responsible for Zero's [[spoiler: potential death in the desert]], the Warden orders his files deleted from the computer. The task is easier because Zero was a ward of the state with no family. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard But it backfires miserably]].
* VillainousBreakdown: Trout Walker, after searching MANY years for the treasure.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[DonnieDarko Richard Kelly]] was offered the chance to do this movie. He was replaced when they saw his screenplay, which was set in a post-apocalyptic CrapsackWorld. It had ''nothing'' to do with the book.
** Kissin' Kate's signature KissOfDeath was originally going to be to wear lipstick made from rattlesnake venom. This was later changed to be the Warden's nail polish.
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Kate and Sam.
* WhyIsntItAttacking: [[spoiler: Stanley and Zero]] fall into a pit of yellow-spotted lizards. But they don't attack, and it's implied it's because [[spoiler: they were repelled by the boys' onion diet.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kissin' Kate Barlow. [[spoiler: Originally just a schoolteacher in 19th-century Texas, she eventually falls with the the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt black onion seller]], Sam. This results in not only a mob burning down the school, but Sam is sentenced to death for kissing a white woman. She then becomes the most notorious outlaw in the Wild West. Her first kill is the sheriff who [[ScarpiaUltimatum offered to not kill Sam in exchange for a kiss]].]]
** To a certain extent, the Warden counts as well. She had a rough childhood due to her grandfather abusing her and forcing her to dig nonstop for the treasure Kissing Kate robbed, not even being allowed to stop for Christmas. Evidently, this lasted to her adulthood.
* WritersCannotDoMath: Too much time passes, relative to the number of generations stated, between the time of Kissin' Kate Barlow and the main characters.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Small Steps]]
* AdultsAreUseless: Armpit's parents seem unable to believe that their son has become a better person. Kaira's mom throws everything to her husband. [[spoiler:The husband tries to kill her.]]
* AffablyEvil: Billy Boy, an anonymous person who regularly sends Kaira letters telling he loves her, she's beautiful, [[BreadMilkEggsSquick and one day he'll kill her.]] [[spoiler:He turns out to be El Genius.]]
* AwesomeMcCoolName: Kaira De Leon, and her stepfather, El Genius.
* BatmanGambit: Kaira hates her bodyguard Fred and regularly tries to ditch him. [[spoiler:El Genius had hoped for this, so that he could murder her in secret and not get the blame for it since he was the one who hired Fred.]]
** This was also done earlier in the book, as it's revealed the story about how Kaira's tickets sold for $750 in Philadelphia was planted by El Genius to increase demand for them.
* BittersweetEnding: Kaira is saved, but [[spoiler:she not only has memory loss but her voice is damaged and she is financially ruined. It is said that she starts singing again, with some difficulty, so there is hope for her to recover her old life.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: To Armpit, Kaira opens up almost instantly, but it takes an entire [[spoiler:murder attempt]] for her to open up to her bodyguard.
* DemotedToExtra: Stanley is only mentioned once, and not even by name. Apparently he gave Armpit lots of free boxes of ''Sploosh''.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Armpit got into Camp Green Lake because he beat up a group of boys who tripped him and made him spill his popcorn.
* DisabilitySuperpower: Ginny is implied to be good at math. Each of her stuffed animals are also disabled, with some kind of hidden talent.
* DudeNotFunny: In-universe. El Genius jokes about [[spoiler:how Ginny went into a seizure, causing the cops to think Armpit had given her drugs.]] Kaira hates this, and personally requests to see them.
* FailOSuckyName: El Genius, Kaira's stepfather, real name being Jerome Paisley. Kaira also nicknames her bodyguard "Doofus".
** One of Armpit's goals is to try to lose his nickname.
* FlippingTheBird: A jogger does this to X-Ray after he flirts with her from his van.
* HiddenDepths: Of all the characters of Holes, did you really think ''Armpit'' would be the kind, thoughtful one?
** The movie actually implies it, by giving Squid/Alan's lines at the end to him (in which [[spoiler:he gives Stanley a phone number and tells him to call his mother and tell her he's sorry for something]]).
* IdolSinger: Keira De Leon.
* INeverToldYouMyName: Armpit is confused to find a Keira song sings "Oh, you'd never guess, Armpit, [I'm a] damsel in distress." [[spoiler:It's actually a {{Mondegreen}} saying "I'm but". But Keira actually sings his version later.]]
* InnocentInnuendo:
-->'''Armpit''': "Did you tell her my nickname?"
-->'''Ginny''': "I just told her it was a part of the body."
* InsistentTerminology: X-Ray insists that "X-Ray" isn't his nickname, [[PigLatin it's actually his name in another language.]]
* {{Irony}}: Armpit's new job after leaving Camp Green Lake? Digging holes. (Well, technically trenches, but...)
* {{Jerkass}}: X-Ray has clearly learned ''nothing'' from his experiences at Green Lake.
** And El Genius.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: El Genius. Keira points out to him the parallel with her name and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_León Ponce de León]], but he's never heard of him. [[spoiler:He turns out to be much smarter about committing murder.]]
* MoralityPet: Ginny to Armpit. Also counts as a sort of LittlestCancerPatient.
* TheNotSecret: [[spoiler:Debbie finds out Armpit was one of the ticket scalpers, but doesn't arrest for it because "As I said, case closed."]]
* NotSoHarmless: [[spoiler:El Genius.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: Trying to get into a concert with [[spoiler:tickets you didn't know were fake]] apparently constitutes being beaten with police batons.
** Well, also because [[spoiler:Ginny goes into a seizure and the police think Armpit drugged her.]] Averted with Debbie, who is shown to be a very capable policewoman.
* ProperlyParanoid: Keira believes [[spoiler:her stepdad was sending the death threat letters. He was. And tries to kill her.]]
* TheStoic: Keira's bodyguard, Fred.
* TitleDrop: "Small steps" is Armpit's motto to rebuilding his life, as well as Ginny's recovery. [[spoiler:It ends up being the title of Keira's new song.]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Should I sign [your cast] 'Theodore' or 'Armpit'?"]] Subverted with the next line. [[spoiler:"As I said, case closed."]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Stanley Yelnat's Guide to Surviving Camp Green Lake]]
* BerserkButton: Don't touch anything in a camper's private box. Or Zigzag's TV.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Remember that even the seemingly harmless ones were arrested for good reason.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Stanley notably asks the reader to keep an eye out for Barf Bag, who ran away, and tell him it's safe to come home.
* ChekhovsSkill: Zigzag may be stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop, but thanks to it he always knows what the time, day, and date is.
* CutHimselfShaving: The default answer for every question about an injury at Camp Green Lake is: "I slammed the tent door on it."
** This point is further emphasized when a quiz is held asking the reader how you got a black eye. Was it from a fight? Stepping on a shovel? Not bathing? The right answer is ''still'' "The tent door slammed in your face."
* DownerEnding: The in-universe reason why the guide is being written is that people read Stanley's account of Camp Green Lake, and thought that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint it was such a great idea, they should open another one.]]
* GoneHorriblyRight: Armpit has a suggestion about the showers, that the four-minute shower should be changed so the water sprays for a minute, stops for one minute to allow them to apply soap, then restart for three minutes to finish. The suggestion is taken, but instead of three minutes of water, there are now only two, allowing the Warden to save a minute of water each.
** Also how Camp Green Lake got reopened. Stanley published his book, officials read it, thought "What a great idea!", and reopened the camp and another camp with the original staff back in charge.
* GroundhogDayLoop: Not the camp, but Zigzag, who keeps a TV guide from the week of March 22nd, 1986 and reads it daily, informing everyone what will be on TV "tonight".
* HairTriggerTemper: E-Z. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Then he meets Zig-Zag.]]
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Magnet tries to escape by grabbing onto the supply truck and hitching a ride to freedom. When he turns up at dinner hours later, he merely asks for the ketchup and the others comply and never ask about it.
* MaybeEverAfter: Stanley is implied to have a girlfriend now.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Armpit's idea for the showers was intending to make them a minute longer. They ended becoming a minute shorter.
** Barf Bag recovered from his snake bite, bur ran away from the hospital because he thought they'd send him back to Camp Green Lake. He was unaware that his time in recovery counted as time for his prison sentence, and he had in fact completed it all. Now he's a fugitive.
* NarrativeProfanityFilter: "Magnet told Armpit where to stick his next idea, and it wasn't in the suggestion box."
* NonIndicativeName: Armpit is explained to have gotten his name not from being smelly, but because a scorpion once stung him in the armpit and he wouldn't stop complaining about it. (In the movie, it ''is'' because he's smelly.)
** Another example is E-Z, who is named that because of his initials, [[HairTriggerTemper but is anything but easygoing]].
* TheNotSecret: Stanley leaves Zero's name and history when going through the campers' bios, but anybody who read the previous book should know his story.
* PlayingWithFire: Zigzag got arrested because he was burning Styrofoam on his school's lawn, only for the flames to get out of control and burn down one of the classrooms.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: X-Ray was arrested for selling what everyone thought was cocaine and marijuana, [[spoiler:but it turned out to be chopped up aspirin and parsley. However, selling aspirin without a pharmaceutical license was still illegal.]]
* SeriousBusiness / DisproportionateRetribution: Zigzag is obsessed with the broken TV in the wreck room, even though it never plays anything. E-Z tries "changing the channel" and Zigzag smashes his hand into the dial button so hard it cuts his hand open.
** E-Z himself got into Camp Green Lake for beating up a man and his dog because the dog pooped in front of his skateboard.
** By default, any of the personal items in a camper's box are immediately off-limits.
* TooDumbToLive: Twitch. On his very first day he decides to go poking through all the campers' boxes, blab to all the bunkmates, mouth off to the counselors, dig too fast and get himself tired, guzzle down all his water and run out when he needs it, get dirt in the camper's holes, and just as Stanley is escaping on the car, he hears Twitch say: "Hey, everyone check out [[KillerRabbit this awesome lizard!]]"
[[/folder]]
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