Holes Movie and Book Comparison Essay Example

Holes is a thrilling tale about friendship and acceptance full of yellow-spotted lizards and unique characters. Both the novel and the movie follow the same chain of events about a boy named Stanley. He’s transferred to a camp in the desert where he has to dig holes every single day to build “character”. But it’s a plot devised by the Warden to get free labor in order to dig for a certain treasure. It’s full of many lessons for readers and watchers but I believe the book has a more powerful message. It shows a bit more character development and more about Stanley’s journey at Green Lake. Both the movie and the book have meaningful messages. They’re very similar, but the book speaks to me the most. 

The film and the book have the same storyline about a teenage boy. Familiar names from the novel are incorporated into the movie like Zigzag, Mr. Pendanski, and Madam Zeroni. It ends the same way, with Stanley and Zero receiving the treasure and the camp shutting down. In both versions, Stanley believes that his horrible luck is the result of his great great great pig stealing grandfather’s curse. The shoes then fall on his head and he’s sent to Camp Green Lake because he was accused of stealing them. The flashbacks into the past about Kate Barlow and Stanley Yelnats the first are also accurate to the book. The plot in the movie is almost copied word for word from the novel. 

Overall, the movie does remove some details, though. For example, Hattie Parker was removed from the story, and instead, Trout Walker was the one who saw Kate and Sam kissing. He was mad at Kate for choosing Sam instead and he killed Sam. The book version says that Kate was in the boat with Sam when he was murdered, but in the film, she was watching from the land. Years later, Trout went to find Kate to demand where her treasure was. The movie shows that she lets the lizard bite her, unlike the book where she gets bit unintentionally. Stanley is also shown as overweight and always bullied at school in the novel, but average in the film. Nearing the end of the book, Stanley and Zero watch as the first drop of rain falls on Camp Green Lake in over a hundred years and the curse is broken. In the movie, it starts raining when they’re driving away with Ms. Morengo. All the kids from Group D were also at the ending party in the movie.

All in all, the reason I believe that the book has stronger communication is because it has more details that the movie doesn’t include. Stanley being bullied at home changes his character because he can’t stand up for himself that much when he’s being pushed around at camp. It may change how he feels about his home and his actions based on his experiences. Furthermore, the book also shows more interactions between Stanley and the Group D members and includes more signs of friendship between Zero and Stanley. In addition, the climb up God’s Thumb also seemed less inflated in the movie. I think the book did a better job conveying how tiring the journey up was to show more of Stanley’s diligence. The book sends me a more powerful message because it has  details that were not included in the movie that change what I think about it. It shows Stanley as not some random boy but as someone who doesn’t feel like he is treated well and that the bond between him and Zero is more special than what was shown in the film. 

To conclude, the original and the counterpart were great sources for teaching students about discipline and acceptance. The movie removed some details that I think changed what I learned but it also it followed a evidently similar plot. I believe the book was better for learning lessons because it showed more about the characters and what they did. Stanley has a better character in the book in my opinion, though. His journey felt more exciting for me because the movie exaggerates moments less. The message was well put together, to show how friendship is important and about discipline. Things have consequences. It shows a great perspective on Stanley’s obstacles and life and catches lots of little details that showed me more of Stanley’s story.