Holes
Chapter 36 — Teaching Companion
Louis Sachar · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Stanley has the sack, the strength and the plan, yet it is Zero's bleeding hands that hold him up the cliff. Over this chapter, who is carrying whom?
The tension Stanley thinks of himself as the stronger boy who must keep Zero going, while the chapter shows him depending on Zero's will, and finally Zero's hands.
Today's focus
Notice what each boy gives the other as they walk and climb.
Two core ideas
- Each boy keeps going partly because the other does: Stanley thinks that as long as Zero can keep going, so can he.
- At the cliff, the weaker boy's hands hold the stronger boy up, and the chapter shows what it costs him.
The shape at a glance
Stanley and Zero set out toward Big Thumb with four jars, a sack and a shovel. Zero has another attack, they spell words to keep going, and Stanley thinks about dying and his family. They reach the cliffs and climb. Zero holds the shovel blade so Stanley can get up, and his hands are cut. At the top they walk in the long thin shadow of the thumb.
A way in
Start with the line "As long as Zero could keep going, he could keep going, too." Ask what Stanley is counting on.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: setting out, Zero's attack, the spelling, the Italian restaurant joke, the cliff and the shadow of the thumb.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one for an injury, and one saying what the person was doing when it happened.
Debate Take sides: in this chapter, is Stanley or Zero carrying the other? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author lets Stanley think he is the stronger one right up to the cliff.
Easier Read the cliff scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 4 and 5 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 place where one boy keeps the other going, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Zero says that when you spend your whole life living in a hole, the only way you can go is up. What does that line tell us about him?Character
What it asks It asks what lies behind Zero's joke: hope, hard experience, or both.
One reading
It shows hope: he is not worried, and he turns a hard life into a reason to keep going.
Zero wasn’t worried.
the only way you can go is up
Another reading
It shows how hard his life has been: he has known nothing but the bottom.
When you spend your whole life living in a hole
They gave each other the thumbs-up sign, then headed out.
Listen for
- Says what Zero means by a hole, whether the digging or his whole life.
- Notices that he is answering Stanley's warning about his luck.
If stuck
- What has Stanley just said about his luck?
- How does Zero answer him?
- What do the boys do right after?
A strong answer Stanley warns Zero that he is not exactly the luckiest guy, and Zero says the only way to go is up. That can sound hopeful, since he is not worried. It can also sound like a hard truth from someone who has lived a long time at the bottom. A strong answer says which feeling is stronger and what in the line shows it.
- Stanley jokes that Big Thumb probably has an Italian restaurant on top. What does that joke do for the two boys?Tone
What it asks It asks what a joke does when two boys are weak, thirsty and still far from anywhere.
One reading
It lifts their spirits: they laugh and imagine food.
Zero managed to laugh.
“I want an ice cream sundae,” said Zero.
Another reading
It covers the truth: neither one knows what is up there, and they still have to climb it.
And if they ever reached it, he realized, then they’d still have to climb it.
It never did. It was like chasing the moon.
Listen for
- Names the mood of the joke and points to a line.
- Notices what the boys have just been thinking about.
If stuck
- What does Zero ask before Stanley makes the joke?
- What does Zero do when he hears it?
- What does Stanley think about the mountain just before?
A strong answer The joke gets Zero to laugh and makes both boys talk about pizza, root beer and ice cream sundaes, which lifts them. But it also sits beside Stanley's worry that Big Thumb never looks closer and that they would still have to climb it. A strong answer says whether the joke is a comfort, a cover, or both.
- What scares Stanley most about dying is not his own death. What does that tell us about him?Theme
What it asks It asks why Stanley fears the not-knowing for others more than his own pain, and what that shows.
One reading
It shows how much he cares about his family: he cannot bear what they would go through.
He hated to imagine what it would be like for his mother and father, day after day, month after month, not knowing, living on false hope.
But Stanley had a family.
Another reading
It shows how worn down he is: his own death no longer seems so frightening.
He figured he could handle the pain.
Death would be a relief.
Listen for
- Separates what Stanley fears for himself from what he fears for others.
- Uses lines about his family or about the pain.
If stuck
- What does Stanley think the pain of dying would be like?
- Who would be left not knowing?
- What does he say about the Warden and Zero's files?
A strong answer Stanley figures he could handle the pain, and even thinks death would be a relief, so his own fear is small. What he cannot stand is the thought of his mother and father living day after day on false hope. A strong answer says what that tells us about him, care for others, exhaustion, or both.
- Zero wants to rest and Stanley says, “We’re almost there,” though Big Thumb looks no closer. Was that a kind thing to say?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether a hopeful word that may not be true is kindness or a small lie, and what is at stake.
One reading
It was kind: Stanley is afraid that if Zero stops, he may never start again.
He was afraid if Zero stopped, he might never get started again.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
Another reading
It was not honest: Stanley does not know it is true, and Zero may need rest more than a promise.
It still didn’t look any closer.
He wondered which was closer: Camp Green Lake or Big Thumb?
Listen for
- Weighs kindness against honesty.
- Uses what Stanley thinks, not only what he says.
If stuck
- What does Stanley see when he looks at Big Thumb?
- What is Stanley afraid will happen if Zero stops?
- What does Stanley wonder just after he says it?
A strong answer Stanley says they are almost there while Big Thumb still looks no closer, so he does not know it is true. He says it because he fears Zero will not get started again, and Zero does collapse soon after. A strong answer takes a side and says what kindness and honesty are each worth in that moment.
- The chapter ends with the sun balanced on Big Thumb and the line “God was twirling a basketball.” What does that picture add?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a playful picture does at the end of a hard climb, and how it fits the thumb Stanley has been watching.
One reading
It lets the reader breathe: the hard part is done and the author ends on a smile.
It was a fairly easy climb the rest of the way.
God was twirling a basketball.
Another reading
It makes the thumb feel friendly or watchful, as if help might be near.
the sun, a fiery ball balancing on top of Big Thumb
Soon they were walking in the long thin shadow of the thumb.
Listen for
- Says what the picture does to the mood.
- Notices how it echoes the thumbs-up sign the boys keep giving.
If stuck
- How does the climb go in its last part?
- What does the sun look like at the top of the thumb?
- What are the boys walking in at the end?
A strong answer After a hard cliff, the climb is easy and the author ends on a light, playful picture. The sun sits like a ball on top of the thumb, and the boys walk in its shadow. A strong answer says what mood the picture sets and whether it feels like comfort, hope or a joke that fits the boys.
Critical thinking
- Zero asks Stanley for words, and Stanley spells them as they walk. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the spelling helps each of them.
What it asks It asks the student to see that the spelling does different work for each boy.
One reading
It helps Zero's body: it gives his mind something to hold besides his pain.
The spelling seemed to help Zero.
It gave him something to concentrate on besides his pain and weakness.
Another reading
It helps Stanley's sense of distance: the thumb seems closer once his mind is busy.
It distracted Stanley as well.
The next time he looked up at Big Thumb, it really did seem closer.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what each boy gets from the spelling.
If stuck
- What does the spelling give Zero to think about?
- What does Stanley notice the next time he looks at Big Thumb?
A strong answer For Zero the spelling gives him something to concentrate on besides his pain and weakness. For Stanley it is a distraction too, and the next time he looks, Big Thumb really does seem closer. A strong answer names what each boy gets and uses one piece of evidence for each.
- Zero says, “Yes, I will,” when Stanley says he cannot pull him up. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Zero makes it work.
What it asks It asks whether Zero succeeds because of how he plans it or because of what it costs him.
One reading
He plans it well: he sets the shovel so the rock helps hold it.
He set the shovel so that half the blade was supported by the rock slab.
Zero first grabbed hold of the sack, then the shovel.
Another reading
He pays for it with his hands: he holds the blade and takes the cuts.
He felt Zero’s hand clasp his wrist.
Zero had deep gashes in both hands.
Listen for
- Evidence about what Zero does and what it costs.
- Notices that Stanley doubted it would work.
If stuck
- What does Zero do with the shovel before Stanley climbs?
- What does Stanley find on his wrist afterward?
A strong answer Zero sets the shovel so half the blade rests on the rock slab, then holds it as Stanley climbs and clasps his wrist. It works, but it costs him deep gashes in both hands. A strong answer says whether the plan or the pain made it work, with two pieces of evidence.
- The boys give each other the thumbs-up sign again and again. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the sign means to them.
What it asks It asks what a simple sign carries between two boys who have little else to give each other.
One reading
It is a promise to keep going: it comes right after pain and falls.
But Zero did get up, once again flashing thumbs-up.
Zero gave the thumbs-up sign. Stanley did the same.
Another reading
It is a way of hiding how bad they feel: it comes with groans and whispers.
Zero groaned and clutched his stomach, but he remained standing. “I’m all right,” he whispered.
He looked at Big Thumb. It didn’t seem any closer than when they first started out.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the sign says when words are too much.
If stuck
- When does Zero give the sign after he falls?
- What does Zero say when he is clutching his stomach?
A strong answer The thumbs-up comes after Zero gets back up from a fall, and again when Stanley asks if he is okay. It can be a promise to keep going. But it often comes with groans and a whispered I'm all right, so it can also hide how bad things are. A strong answer says which meaning is stronger and uses two pieces of evidence.