Character Conflict in Holes

Introduction: There are many examples of Person-to- Person Conflict in the novel Holes. One example is between Stanley and the bully Derrick Dunne. Another example is between Kate Barlow and Charles “Trout” Walker. Also Mr. Pendanski and Zero do not get along. These characters have to work through difficult situations to solve their problems.

Stanley is confronted by a bully at school. The student is smaller than he is, so no one believes that it is an issue. However when Derrick Dunne takes Stanley’s notebook from him and puts it in the toilet at school, Stanley has to think about what to do. This causes Stanley to miss the bus and walk home. Therefore the beginning of more problems.

Kate Barlow does not like Charles “Trout” Walker. She finds him rude and without manners. He thinks that she should like him because of his money. When she rejects him he finds a way to get even. He burns the school down and kills Sam. This causes Kate to change her personality. She reacts to the problem by becoming an outlaw.

Mr. Pendanski, as the counselor at Camp Green Lake, tries to help the boys think about taking responsibility for their actions. They must think about what they will do when they leave Camp Green Lake. However, he often does not encourage Zero. Zero responds by hitting Mr. Pendanski and running away. His reaction to the problem is to avoid it.

The conflicts in the novel Holes are handled differently by each character. Stanley does not fight back against the bully Derrick Dunne. Kate Barlow decides to get even with the character with whom she disagrees. Zero decides to run away from the person who bothers him. Character conflicts are resolved differently by different characters.