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Holes Characters

Louis Sachar

Two years after Camp Green Lake, Armpit digs himself out one small step at a time.

Who drives the story

Main characters

Theodore 'Armpit' Johnson

A former Camp Green Lake inmate digging ditches in Austin and caring for his young neighbor, determined to rebuild his life by small steps. He gets handcuffed over counterfeit tickets, framed for attempted murder, and still chooses the slow path.

Appears in:
Part 1: Digging Ditches, Not Holes
Part 2: Counterfeit at the Gate

Ginny McDonald

Armpit's ten-year-old neighbor, sharp-tongued and in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy. Her seizure at the concert gate is misread as a drug reaction, and she's the one who ends up at Kaira's side.

Appears in:
Part 1: Digging Ditches, Not Holes
Part 2: Counterfeit at the Gate
Themes:
The adults who fail children
Assumption and prejudice

Rex 'X-Ray' Washburn

Armpit's old camp friend, still running schemes. His counterfeit ticket hustle nearly ruins Armpit, who forgives him faster than most would.

Appears in:
Part 1: Digging Ditches, Not Holes

Kaira DeLeon

A teen pop star suffocating under thieving adults, who finds one honest friend in Armpit. She survives her stepfather's bat and her best friend's mother's theft, and keeps singing.

Appears in:
Part 1: Digging Ditches, Not Holes
Part 2: Counterfeit at the Gate
Part 3: San Francisco, and a Bat in the Dark
Part 4: Small Steps
Themes:
Small steps vs. big breaks
The adults who fail children

Detective Debbie Newberg

An Austin detective who questions Armpit twice about the counterfeit tickets. She sees through his lies, solves the ring, and lets him go.

Appears in:
Part 2: Counterfeit at the Gate
Part 3: San Francisco, and a Bat in the Dark
Themes:
Second chances
Assumption and prejudice

Also in the story

Supporting characters

Jerome 'El Genius' Paisley

Kaira's manager and stepfather, who attacks her with a baseball bat to steal her money and frame Armpit. He ends up in jail.

Appears in:
Part 3: San Francisco, and a Bat in the Dark
Themes:
Small steps vs. big breaks

How they are connected

Key relationships

Go deeper

Holes themes & symbols

Second chances · Small steps vs. big breaks · The adults who fail children · Assumption and prejudice

Themes explained

Read the full Holes summary

The full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.

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