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Part 2, Chapter 46
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
As the sun rises, Stanley counts eight lizards in the hole with him. Inexplicably, Zero says, "Satan." The Warden suggests that Mr. Sir take the suitcase from Zero, as the lizards clearly aren't hungry, but none of them move. Hours later, they watch a tarantula lumber along the ground. A lizard leaps from Stanley's head towards the tarantula, devouring it in one gulp. Mr. Sir observes that the lizards are absolutely hungry.
When the lizards show that they're hungry, just not for Stanley and Zero, it again appears as though fate and destiny are helping the boys get through this ordeal—but also, that nature is conspiring to help. The lizards keep the Warden and Mr. Sir away, even as they terrify the boys.
Themes
The lizards move lower in the hole to escape the sun as the day progresses. Stanley believes that there are two hiding between Zero's knees. The boys whisper to each other, and Stanley tries to climb out. He feels a claw dig in and gives up. Zero asks Stanley if his last name is his first name backwards. Stanley is amazed that Zero could figure that out. They hear cars approaching, and Mr. Sir says it's certainly not Girl Scouts with cookies.
When Zero asks Stanley about his last name, it again reinforces that Zero isn't dumb; he's just uneducated. By making that distinction, the novel is able to point to the ways that Zero, even as an intelligent kid, is disadvantaged because of not getting an education, especially when even Stanley is surprised.
Themes
A short while later, Mr. Pendanski leads a short woman and a tall man in a suit to the hole. When they're close enough to see, the woman (Ms. Morengo) turns to the man, the Texas Attorney General, and says that if anything happens to Stanley, they're filing charges against the Warden as well as the state of Texas. The Attorney General asks the Warden how long the boys have been stuck. The Warden insists that the boys snuck into her cabin, stole her suitcase, and then fell into the nest last night. Stanley says it's not true, but Ms. Morengo advises him not to speak. Stanley wonders who actually owns the suitcase.
The Warden's decision to lie shows that she believes herself to be above the law or, at the very least, outside of it—the setup of Camp Green Lake itself is testament to that. This also shows that she doesn't value Stanley or Zero's lives at all, given that if the Attorney General or Ms. Morengo believe her, Stanley and Zero will certainly be in deep trouble.
Themes
Ms. Morengo angrily says that this wouldn't have happened if the Warden had released Stanley to her yesterday, but the Warden insists that this is Stanley's fault. The Attorney General asks why the Warden didn't release Stanley when asked, and the Warden insists that Ms. Morengo didn't have proper authorization. She insists that she needed authentication from the Attorney General before she could abide by even a signed court order. She again says that Stanley has been delusional for days.
When the Warden insists that Stanley was delusional, she attempts to discredit him by creating an image of him that's not at all credible—which is very similar to the way that Mr. Pendanski thought of Zero as being wholly useless and unintelligent. This again shows that there's a great deal of power to be had by dehumanizing someone and making them seem uneducated.
Themes
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Stanley carefully pulls himself out of the hole and the lizards allow him to do so. He steadies himself and then helps Zero stand. As the last of the lizards skitter away, the Warden rushes to Zero, hugs him, and tries to take the suitcase. Zero jerks it away and says it belongs to Stanley. The Warden reminds him that it came from her cabin and threatens to press charges, but Zero points to Stanley's name written in big black letters on the suitcase. The Warden sputters.
It's fairly clear for the reader that the suitcase isn't Stanley's; it's likely the one that Kate Barlow stole from the first Stanley. This shows that even the Yelnats's decision to name their sons Stanley for generations is linked to destiny and was fated, as this will certainly help Stanley out of this pickle.
Themes
