Journey to Manhood

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Young boys grow up to be the men, as friends and family are heavily influencing them. The book Holes written by Louis Sachar and is a story of a young man who has gotten into some trouble, who learns about bullying and being self-reliant. The main character Stanley Yelnats, finds himself at a juvenile detention center due to the family “curse.” Camp Green Lake is the center where Stanley is attending. The land that Camp Green Lake currently resides is on a dried up lake. At one point in time, it was once a huge lake, in the middle of a thriving city, which now is a washed up desert wasteland. It has not rained in that area in years, which is why camp counselors believed this, would be a perfect place to teach troubled kids a lesson. Throughout the novel, Stanley learns that though the people who surround him are the biggest influences. Stanley realizes his transformation from being a young boy and entering manhood. The novel Holes shows that negative treatment from friends and family have a positive impact on the journey towards manhood.
The way friends and family treat a person and act around them could become inherit traits. As you grow up you need to become tougher and stronger in a way that you can present yourself as a confident figure as Mr. Sir did in the novel Holes. One camp counselor said, “My name is Mr. Sir,” ‘Whenever you speak to me you must call me by my name, is that clear?’ Stanley hesitated. ‘Uh, yes, Mr. Sir,’ he said, though he could not imagine that was really the man’s real name. ‘You’re not in the girl scouts anymore,’ Mr. Sir said,” (Sachar 13). Mr. Sir intimidated Stanley because he presented himself as the dominant force. Continuing onto manhood is one attribute you will encounter during your journey of...

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...ticism and turn it around to work in your favor. It is crucial to be able to pick and choose what kind of people will be surrounding you. Finally having the ability to be completely self-reliant, and to be able to provide for oneself. One must have the strength in order to defend and stand up for themselves and not be pushed around. There are a few things that should be taken from this, that it is not an easy task when becoming a man. It is something that is earned, something that cannot just happen. It is a combination of a lifetime of experiences that accumulates and one finally understand what it is to becoming a man. The journey to manhood is a huge road that should not be taken lightly. One will encounter many twists in the road; many challenges are to be faced. The challenges can be beaten and will not be easy task. Then again, who said anything was easy.

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