Hollis Woods Essay

Hollis Woods Essay

 Dropped on a dirty street corner with only a blanket and a simple tag that says Call her Hollis Woods. What would it feel like to be abandoned, sitting on a sidewalk as a one day old baby, people and families pass by, not even realizing that you’re there? In Pictures of Hollis Woods, Hollis doesn't trust anyone based on the loneliness and sorrow of that she's felt from not being part of a family.

Going through foster home after foster home, running and hiding, this a one reason for her sadness. The families she lives with and tries to fit into get so annoyed and irritated with her that she runs away. But why are those families mad.  Because she's trouble. "A mountain of trouble, that Hollis Woods" is how one guardian had put it. But that running and hiding, that is what gets to her.  Throughout the entire book, she doesn't tell us, but drops hints that she wants to be   part of a family, where they love her and care about her.

  However, she did have a family, one that cared and loved her. The Regans.  Steven, Izzy, and as Hollis calls him, "Old man". Those three loved her, so much that they were about to make her part of the family when Steven and her got in an accident on "Old man's" mountain. She got upset that old man blamed it on Steven, so she left, leaving her only real family behind, which makes her feel even lonelier inside.

          Of course, after she left, it was off to another foster home. This one had an old confused art teacher and a sassy old cat named Henry. At first, Hollis doesn’t know if she can trust them, but finds that they have a lot in common. They both love art and both just want to have fun. Hollis cares for Josie but knows that Beatrice and Henry are Josie's real family. Hollis realizes at the end of the book that the Regans are her real family.

Through the book, Hollis feels unhappy about not having a family.However, at the end of the book, Hollis' loneliness is changed to happiness when she goes back to the Regans, and is accepted to their family.

Minor character responce

       When Hollis left, I didn't know what to do. I had always wanted a daughter, my whole life. But it seems like I only had one for a summer. Boy, do I miss her. Her kindness, her laugh, her smile. But the thing I miss most of all is her beautiful drawings. Oh, were they something. Steven and my husband both miss her too. She was part of the family. Or almost. We were about too make her a member of the family when her and Steven were driving the truck up my husband's mountain, or as she would called it "Old man's mountain", when they got in accident. I almost had a heart attack when we found them. The both got hurt but were fine in the end. Poor little Hollis Woods, she thought the whole thing was her fault, but of course "Old Man" blamed Steven. She must of felt so bad that she left, leaving just my husband, Steven, and me. I really miss her, and the worst part is that she never got the chance to call me mom.

                                                             "If………….."

If………... their was such thing as donut cats, I would be the happiest person in the world. The first thing I would do if their were such thing as donut cats is I would buy 5 of them and of course I would give them names. Fluffy, Frosting, Puffy, Sweetie, and Mr. Sprinkles. I know what your thinking, why donut cats? Because, well, um, I don't know, I just think they would be cool to have. Besides, normal cats are fine, but imagine if your cat was half donut. I just think cats would be ten times better as a sweet breakfast food. No, of course I would never eat them. Too hairy. Besides, there too awesome to eat anyway. If………… I had anything in the whole world, it would be to have donut cats.

Point of View

        Can you trust your main character in your book? Do they tell you everything that they know? Well, I can’t trust mine, which is Hollis Woods from the book “Pictures of Hollis Woods.” I can’t really believe her because she is trouble. “A mountain of trouble”. My guess is that she has left out a couple of details, such as what happened to Steven and his family and what if she has friends at school, when she goes to it. Plus, this story is coming from a kid’s point of view. Think about it, kids are never 100% honest. So, it hard to trust Hollis. Another thing to consider is that from Hollis’ point of view, it affects the way we, as the readers, interpret the story. Mostly because she’s a kid and we interpret the story how a kid would think. Like if she was an adult, she would think differently about the events in this book. So, Hollis is hard to trust, but she’s just a kid, so it’s the same as any kid.