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Part 1, Chapter 23
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Holes, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fate and Destiny
Cruelty vs. Kindness
Justice
Power, Money, and Education
Man vs. Nature
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, Stanley is wide awake as soon as he sees Mr. Sir's face at breakfast. Half his face is the size of a melon, and there are three angry, dark purple lines running down it. Nobody in Stanley's tent says anything, but another boy asks what happened to Mr. Sir's face. Stanley hears a crash and turns around to see Mr. Sir holding the boy's head against the oatmeal pot, asking him if there's something amiss with his face. Mr. Sir lets the boy fall to the ground with a thud, and the boy agrees when Mr. Sir says he's handsome.
Mr. Sir's willingness to lash out at any boy, not just Stanley, shows that Mr. Sir's power makes him feel as though he doesn't even need to adhere to some form of justice. Not that this kind of abuse is ever acceptable, but it's telling that Mr. Sir appears to blame the entire inmate population for his fate, not just the person he probably blames for the incident.
Themes
Stanley refuses to talk about Mr. Sir's face the rest of the day. He looks forward to his break, which Zero said he could have whenever he's ready. When the water truck comes around the second time, Mr. Sir is driving. Stanley is extremely thirsty. Mr. Sir takes Stanley's canteen, but holds it to the side of the stream of water. Stanley watches the water evaporate but thanks Mr. Sir anyway.
By depriving Stanley of water, Mr. Sir turns the landscape into even more of an enemy. Along with the lack of guard towers or fences, this illustrates how the adults in charge at Camp Green Lake manipulate the natural world to help them achieve their own terrible goals.
Themes
