What Is the Climax of the Book “Holes”?

The climax of Louis Sachar’s novel “Holes” takes place when Stanley Yelnats and Zero are stuck in a hole full of infamous yellow-spotted lizards. The warden from Camp Green Lake, a disciplinary camp where the boys are enrolled, is standing outside the hole with a gun. Although the boys are surrounded by danger on all sides, the lizards never bite, the warden never shoots, and a lawyer rescues them.

Stanley Yelnats, his father and his grandfather have been experiencing bad luck for generations. Unfortunately, Stanley’s great grandfather failed to follow through on a promise made to a gypsy, and a curse was put on the family. Luckily, Stanley meets the gypsy’s grandson, Zero, and reverses the curse by carrying Zero up a mountain.

The climax of the book takes place just after the curse is reversed. For years, the warden from Camp Green Lake has been forcing troubled boys to dig holes in search of lost treasure. When she finds Stanley and Zero in the hole, she assumes they have found the buried treasure.

Surprisingly, the treasure was originally stolen from Stanley Yelnat’s grandfather, and it is marked with his name, which is also Stanley Yelnats. Stanley and Zero claim the treasure as their own, and their lawyer helps them out of the hole. They are sent home where they enjoy newfound riches and a life without a curse.