Pictures Of Hollis Woods Character Analysis

In the novel Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, there are many examples of conflict. The self-conflict in this story is especially striking.

Hollis Woods, the main character, has had her fair share of ups and downs, but when she met the Regans, the one family who offers her a home, things started to change. Hollis felt like she would finally be part of a stable family. The one problem was the fighting between the Old Man and Steven, the Old Man's son. They were constantly fighting with each other. Most of the time they fought about the most diminutive things like leaving the shed open overnight.

The fighting wasn’t the real problem, though. The real problem was the way that Hollis perceived the fighting. The following quote

from the novel shows just how much Hollis blames herself for this: “ ‘Do they always fight?´ I asked. ‘Or…’ -- I hesitated, trying to sound as if I didn’t care, as if it weren’t important -- ‘do you think it’s because I’m here?’ ” (69). Based on the excerpt from the novel, you can tell that this will lead Hollis to believe that she is the cause of this dispute. Hollis solves this quandary by running away from the Regans. Running away is quite possibly the most unfavorable thing that she could’ve done. Though she did not handle the problem in the most culminating respect, Hollis Woods did exercise the conflict at hand.

Considering the way Hollis Woods handled the conflict, along with the reaction to it, led me to believe that there must be a better way to control the manner in a positive respect. I would have preferred Hollis to have talked to Steven, who she seemed very close to. Hollis could have also talked to the Old Man, and she might benefit the situation by simply asking him if Steven was being compared to herself. This may have aided the progression of Steven and the Old Man’s relationship. Had Hollis handled the animosity in a tolerable demeanor, like the example above, she would have had an exceptional time with a stable family, the Regans.

Although Hollis Woods could have handled the conflict in a more unobtrusive way, she handled it in the way she saw fit.