Chapter 6

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

It was too much of a coincidence to be a mere accident. Stanley had felt like he was holding destiny’s shoes.

Read the passage aloud. What does the word mere tell you about how Stanley is thinking?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what Stanley remembers on his cot, in order: the school day, the sneakers, the arrest, the trial and what the judge said.

1. Stanley told the judge the sneakers “fell from the sky.” The narrator says they hadn’t exactly. Why might the author let us see both versions?Author's choice

2. The teachers never took Stanley’s complaints about Derrick seriously because Derrick was smaller. Why might they have looked at it that way?Inference

3. The narrator says Stanley might have done better to lie a little. What would a lie have gained him, and what might it have cost?Moral reasoning

4. Stanley’s story comes back in pieces as he lies on his cot. Why might the author tell it that way instead of all at once?Plot structure

5. Stanley says the worst part was that his hero thought he was a thief. Why might that hurt more than the judge's words?Character

Make a Connection Tell about a time you told the truth and were not believed, or a time you did not believe someone who was telling the truth.

Vocabulary

Crossword

1			2	3		4
					5
	6	7
8				9

Across

Across 1. Two things happening together by chance.
Across 5. Making someone feel ashamed or foolish.
Across 8. To hurt or bother someone again and again.
Across 9. Deserving to be hated; very low.

Down

Down 2. The future seen as already decided; fate.
Down 3. Proof used to show that something is true.
Down 4. Training that teaches self-control and order.
Down 6. Something that is expected to happen.
Down 7. Said in court what he knew or believed.

The words in the chapter

coincidence It was too much of a coincidence to be a mere accident.
destiny Stanley had felt like he was holding destiny’s shoes.
torment Back at school, a bully named Derrick Dunne used to torment Stanley.
prospect with the prospect of having to copy the ruined pages
humiliating his miserable and humiliating day at school

evidence was used as evidence of his guilt in the courtroom
testified Clyde Livingston testified that they were his sneakers
despicable The judge called Stanley’s crime despicable.
discipline the discipline of the camp might improve Stanley’s character

Critical thinking

1. When Stanley says he stole the sneakers, the other boys do not believe him. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why they might doubt him.

2. Stanley ran when the shoe hit him, and now he is not sure why. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what might have been going through his mind.

3. The judge says Stanley stole the shoes “just so you could have a souvenir.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain why the judge might think that.