Teaching Companion · Chapter 26 · Holes

This chapter's big question

The sheriff says the law will punish Sam and God will punish Katherine, but the narrator asks whom God punished. Where does this chapter place justice: with the law, with God, or with Katherine herself?

The tension The sheriff speaks as if the law and God are on his side, while the chapter shows a mob, a drunk sheriff and a boat doing the harm, and then Katherine taking punishment into her own hands.

Today's focus

Notice who the sheriff says will punish, and who is actually doing harm in this chapter.

Two core ideas

The sheriff says the law and God will do the punishing; the chapter shows a mob, a sheriff and a boat, and then Katherine herself.
The narrator hands the reader a question, "Whom did God punish?", and the chapter does not answer it.

The shape at a glance

Word of the kiss spreads through Green Lake and the school stands empty. A mob wrecks the school, the sheriff makes his demand, and Katherine and Sam flee across the lake, where Sam is killed. The narrator asks whom God punished, and Katherine shoots the sheriff and becomes the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow.

A way in

Start with the sheriff's last words to her: "The law will punish Sam. And God will punish you." Ask what the sheriff thinks he is promising.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the empty school, the mob, the sheriff's office, the flight across the lake, and Katherine's revenge.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one careful action by a person, then what that person became known for.

Debate Take sides: did the law, God, or Katherine herself do the punishing in this chapter? Each side uses at least one quote.

Purpose Close by asking why the author lets the narrator speak straight to the reader here.

Easier Read the sheriff's office scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 4 only.

On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.

Harder Ask the student to find one more line where a character claims to speak for the law or for God, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.

Discussion

The sheriff says the law punishes Sam for the kiss but not Katherine. What does the sheriff seem to think the law is for?Inference
What it asks It asks what the sheriff's words reveal about the law he stands for: a rule for everyone, or a tool for some people.
One reading

He thinks the law is there to keep some people in their place.
- It ain’t against the law for you to kiss him
- Just for him to kiss you.
Another reading

He uses the law as cover for what he wants himself.
- One sweet kiss, and I won’t hang your boyfriend.
Listen for
- Uses the sheriff's own words, not only the student's opinion.
- Notices that the same rule is treated differently for Sam and for Katherine.
If stuck
- Who does the sheriff say can be hanged, and who cannot?
- What does the sheriff offer Katherine in place of a hanging?
- Does a rule that works for one side only sound like a law or like something else?
A strong answer The sheriff says it is not against the law for her to kiss Sam, only for Sam to kiss her, so the rule falls on one person. He also offers to skip the hanging for one sweet kiss, which makes the law sound like something he can trade. A strong answer picks a reading and uses both of his speeches, and may say the two readings fit together.
Katherine says, “We’re all equal under the eyes of God,” and the sheriff answers with a question of his own. Whose idea of “equal” is stronger?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to weigh two uses of the same word and decide which one holds up.
One reading

Katherine's is stronger: equal means no one should hang for a kiss, and the sheriff only uses the word to get what he wants.
- We’re all equal under the eyes of God
- I’ll make you a deal. One sweet kiss, and I won’t hang your boyfriend.
Another reading

The sheriff's is stronger in the room: he tests her words against her own choice, and she leaves without an answer.
- Then if Sam and I are equal, why won’t you kiss me?
- Miss Katherine jerked her hand free.
Listen for
- Says what each person means by the word, not only who wins.
- Separates what is true from what is merely said cleverly.
If stuck
- What does the sheriff ask her right after she says it?
- What does Katherine do after his question?
- Is the sheriff asking because he believes in equality?
A strong answer Katherine means that no one should hang for a kiss. The sheriff takes the same word and turns it into a demand, so his idea of equal serves only himself. Still, she has no reply in the scene and hurries to the door. A strong answer can call hers the stronger idea and still admit his question is hard for her to answer in the moment.
The narrator says that since then not one drop of rain has fallen on Green Lake. Why might the author put that fact right after Sam's death?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author sets a fact about the lake next to a death, and what the reader is invited to wonder.
One reading

It hints that the town paid a price for what it did, and leaves the reader to wonder.
- Since then, not one drop of rain has fallen on Green Lake.
- You make the decision: Whom did God punish?
Another reading

It shows how long ago and how lasting this was, without saying one thing caused the other.
- That all happened one hundred and ten years ago.
Listen for
- Notices that the narrator does not say one thing caused the other.
- Talks about what the order of the sentences makes the reader do.
If stuck
- How long ago does the narrator say this happened?
- What does the narrator ask the reader to do next?
A strong answer The narrator sets the dry lake right beside Sam's death and never says one led to the other. That leaves a gap the reader fills, and the very next line asks the reader to decide something. A strong answer notices the gap and says what the reader does with it, without claiming the chapter has told us why the rain stopped.
Three days after Sam's death, Katherine shoots the sheriff and then gives him the kiss he asked for. Why might she do that?Character
What it asks It asks what the kiss means to her after Sam's death, and how she has changed in three days.
One reading

The kiss is cold mockery: she pays his demand back on her own terms.
- Then she carefully applied a fresh coat of red lipstick and gave him the kiss he had asked for.
- “Kiss me,” said the sheriff.
Another reading

It is her answer to him: he said God would punish her, and she takes the punishing into her own hands.
- And God will punish you.
- Miss Katherine shot the sheriff while he was sitting in his chair drinking a cup of coffee.
Listen for
- Connects the kiss at the end to the sheriff's demand earlier.
- Notices how calm and careful her steps are.
If stuck
- What did the sheriff ask her for in his office?
- How does the narrator describe her putting on the lipstick?
- What happened to Sam three days before?
A strong answer The kiss echoes the sheriff's own demand, so she is answering him in his own terms. The slow, careful lipstick shows she is not acting in a panic. A strong answer can read it as mockery or as her taking up the punishing the sheriff said belonged to God, and can say what each reading shows about who she has become.
Trout Walker leads the mob, the sheriff makes his demand, and Sam is killed. Who is most responsible for what happens to Sam? What makes you say so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh responsibility among a leader, an official and a law, and give reasons.
One reading

Trout Walker is most responsible: he leads the mob and his boat chases them down.
- They were led by Trout Walker.
- The Walker boat smashed into Sam’s boat.
Another reading

The sheriff is most responsible: he is the one who should stop the mob, and instead he sides with the Walkers and threatens a hanging.
- Now don’t go saying nothing bad about Charles Walker
- I always get drunk before a hanging.
Listen for
- Names one person and gives a reason, not just a list.
- Notices who has the power to stop things and does not.
If stuck
- What is the sheriff doing when Katherine runs into his office?
- Whose boat catches Sam and Katherine?
- What does the sheriff say about Charles Walker?
A strong answer Trout Walker leads the mob and his boat catches them, so his part is plain. But the sheriff is the one person Katherine asks for help, and he talks about hanging and protects the Walker name instead of acting. A strong answer names one person, gives a reason from the text, and says what makes that person's part heavier than the others.

Critical thinking

The mob comes to the school after word of the kiss spreads, then piles up the books. Using two pieces of evidence, what do you think the mob wants to punish?
What it asks It asks the student to decide what the mob is really angry about: the kiss, the teaching, or both.
One reading

They want to punish the kiss: the whole town hears of it and turns on her at once.
- everyone in Green Lake had heard that the schoolteacher had kissed the onion picker
Another reading

They want to punish her teaching: the mob goes straight for the books.
- “There she is!” Trout shouted. “The Devil Woman!”
- They began piling all the books in the center of the room.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why the books matter to the mob.
If stuck
- What does everyone in Green Lake hear by the end of the day?
- What does the mob do to the room, and to the books?
A strong answer The kiss is the spark: by the end of the day everyone has heard that the schoolteacher kissed the onion picker. But the mob does not go after Sam first; it comes for the school and piles up the books, and Trout calls her the Devil Woman. A strong answer picks the kiss, the teaching or both, and uses two different pieces of evidence to say why.
Katherine tells Sam they must leave Mary Lou behind. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what this moment shows about Sam.
What it asks It asks what Sam's hesitation and his answer show about the man who has to leave his donkey.
One reading

It shows how much Sam cares: he does not want to believe it, and he cries.
- He didn’t want to believe it.
- There were tears in his eyes.
Another reading

It shows how steady he is: he sees the danger and does what is needed.
- “Okay.”
- His powerful arms rowed them away from the shore.
Listen for
- Looks at what Sam does and says, not only how Katherine feels.
- Notices the change from hesitating to agreeing.
If stuck
- What does Sam say first when Katherine tells him?
- What does Sam do after he says okay?
A strong answer Sam hesitates because he does not want to believe it, and there are tears in his eyes when he agrees to leave Mary Lou. Then he says okay and rows them away. A strong answer uses both parts, showing that his love for Mary Lou and his steadiness are two sides of the same man.
The narrator says Katherine was rescued “against her wishes.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain what she has lost by the end of the lake scene.
What it asks It asks the student to name what has been taken from Katherine and to say which loss seems to weigh most.
One reading

She has lost Sam and Mary Lou, the two she was running with and for.
- Sam was shot and killed in the water.
- The donkey had been shot in the head.
Another reading

She has also lost her school and her place in town.
- She stepped back into the street and saw smoke rising from the schoolhouse.
- Katherine Barlow was rescued against her wishes.
Listen for
- At least two separate losses, each with its own evidence.
- A reason why 'against her wishes' fits what she has lost.
If stuck
- What happens to Sam in the water?
- What does Katherine see rising from the schoolhouse earlier?
A strong answer Katherine loses Sam, who is shot and killed in the water, and Mary Lou, shot in the head. She had already lost the schoolhouse, which she saw burning. The narrator says she was rescued against her wishes, which tells us she did not want to be left alive after all of it. A strong answer names the losses and says which one the words 'against her wishes' point to most.