루이스 새커의 소설 『구덩이』에 나타난 동화적 특성

The Fairy Tale Aspects of Louis Sachar’s Holes

This paper intends to research the fairy-tale aspects of Holes (US, 1998; UK, 2000) to identify the way writers for children and young adults incorporate these classic elements into their texts as an effective means of tackling twenty-first-century issues. Holes is a novel with both realism and fairy tale aspects that follows the story of how Stanley Yelnats IV lifts a curse, inflicted by his great-great grandfather, that has influenced the Yelnats family for generations. The novel takes place in a desert penal establishment for young offenders, allowing for the fairy tale structure of home-departure-adventure-home, as well as other fairy tale signifiers such as misfortune and fortune, fulfillment of a destined task, coincidental events, and a happy ending. The message of this novel is to live positively, the most common motif of many fairy tales. This positivity is exemplified by the main characters, Stanley and Zero, despite going through undeserved evil situations, are able to live with hope and integrity. The novel encourages the reader to make their own efforts and then thank God or providence even in evil situations, as there is often good within evil.