Holes - Author's Use of Sub Plots and their Effectiveness

Authors Avatar

E X P L O R E   T H E   A U T H O R ’ S   U S E     O f   S U B – P L O T S   A N D   T H E I R    

    E F F E C T I V E N E S S

In the book Holes, the author, Louis Sachar has effectively made use of sub-plots throughout the book to indirectly help the readers in understanding the plot and enhance their understanding of the story and literally help the readers ‘fill in the holes’ left unfilled by the writer. In this essay, I shall look at two of the sub-plots mentioned in the book and show how they help the readers and hence are effective.

First, I will look at the sub plot of Kate Barlow and Sam. This Sub-Plot helps us to understand why Kate Barlow became an outlaw. We are told that Kate was a schoolteacher whom Charles Walker, the son of the richest person in the county, asked to marry, but she refused and he was greatly offended by this. Kate, on the other hand was in love with an onion seller, Sam who was a Negro and was killed because he and Kate were seen kissing and by the laws, this was illegal. Because of this Kate went mad and became on of the most feared outlaws in the west, she kissed every man who she killed and looted. This sub plot shows us why Kate Barlow became and outlaw and why she was called “Kissin’ Kate Barlow”. We can also see the connection between Stanley’s great grandfather being robbed by Kate Barlow and this sub-plot because Kate Barlow robbed him for his treasure however, she didn’t kiss him or kill him, but she left him stranded in the middle of wasteland. This also helps us to see what Stanley’s great grandfather meant by, “I found refuge on God’s Thumb”. Later on in the book, when Zero and Stanley run away from the camp, they found Sam’s boat and found some almost empty jars of spiced peaches. Stanley had long believed that some of the mountains that could be seen from the lake formed the shape of a thumb, and so, he and Zero set out to find God’s Thumb. They found the mountains and climbed up them and as they were very steep, this wasn’t easy. On the way, Zero fell sick and so Stanley had to carry him up the mountain. Funnily, without knowing, he had lifted of the so-called ‘curse’ that had been put on his family by madam Zeroni. It is later revealed to us that Zero’s real name was Hector Zeroni and he was a descendant of Madam Zeroni, and so without knowing, Stanley had fulfilled the promise made to Madam Zeroni by his great-great grandfather who had been unable to fulfill it. Also, Sam’s secret onion field is shown to us and we are able to see how exactly Stanley’s great grandfather had survived on the Thumb of God by eating the wild onions that grew there. Even though this sub plot is complex, it is still logically linked up with the various events in the book and helps the readers to fill in many holes in the plot and so, it is very effective.

Join now!

Now, I will look at sub-plot of Kate Barlow and Charles Walker and his wife, Linda Miller. Here, we are told that twenty years later, Kate Barlow returned to Green Lake, when it had all dried up. She was still insane as she had been for twenty years. Charles Walker and his wife burst into Kate’s log cabin one day and tortured her and told her to give them all the loot. She refused to do so and all that they knew was that the loot was buried somewhere in the huge wasteland. Kate was killed by a yellow spotted ...

This is a preview of the whole essay