Holes — Chapter 33

About This Passage

This is the 'halfway' moment — one of the quietest but most important moments in the whole book. Stanley is alone in the desert. He could die out here. So he makes a plan. And then he makes the plan BETTER by catching his own mistake. He even smiles at himself. The Stanley from Chapter 1 never would have thought this carefully. The desert is brutal, but Stanley's brain is finally waking up.

Narration Prompt

Retell Chapter 33 to a grown-up. Begin with Stanley slowing to a walk, realizing no one is chasing him. Then describe his halfway plan and his secret search of every hole. Describe the random, un-systematic holes far from camp — and what that tells us about the Warden. Then describe the lizards, the escape, and the empty sunflower seed sack that holds ONE single seed for lunch.

Discussion Questions

1. When Stanley realizes his first plan won't work and fixes it, Sachar writes that he SMILED. Why does Sachar give us that smile? What does a smile in the middle of a desert escape tell us about the person Stanley is becoming?
2. Sachar describes the holes near camp as 'systematic' and the holes far from camp as random — 'a fit of frustration,' 'like a lottery.' Why does the Warden dig neat rows where people can see her, and random holes where no one can? What is Sachar saying about who the Warden really is?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide