Pictures Of Hollis Woods Theme Analysis

Major Themes in the Novel Pictures of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff has a lot of mixed emotions. The book is based on the character, Hollis Woods, who is a foster kid. She travels from home to home and is seen to be “troubled”. She has grown a very strong bond with one family and they are about to adopt her. It does not go as planned, so there she is again, going from house to house until she meets Josie. Josie is her new foster parent and she is old and has alzheimer's. Hollis gets really close with her. She goes back with the family before and they adopt her. Hollis is finally happy and she still is with Josie. During Pictures of Hollis Woods, there are many possible themes represented by the author

Hollis loved the Reagans’, she thought that she was going to stay with the Reagans’ and that she is finally going to be happy but she left because she thought she ruined the family in an incident. When she met Josie, she felt she had a real connection with her because of her ability to draw. Beatrice, Josie’s cousin, also visited Josie often. Hollis enjoyed hanging out with Beatrice and she made Hollis feel very proud with her art. In chapter 4, pages 45-46, Beatrice tells Hollis “‘You, the artist, can’t hide from the world, because you’re putting yourself down there, too.’ ‘I’m not hiding,’ I said, my eyes sliding away from her. She laughed. ‘Good thing, because your soul is right in front of you.’ She pointed to the sketch I’d drawn of Josie in her scarf. ‘You see, it’s what you think of her.’ She turned to Josie. ‘Maybe I can take that trip now, leave you in Hollis’ hands. She loves you already.’” For Beatrice to say that is a wonderful thing to say. Hollis has not loved a lot of families. In all the homes she has been, she has run away from them. She does not want to be with them and not cause them trouble. When she meets the Reagans’, she finally feels loved and cared for. Another reason why I think Unconditional Love is the main theme is that Hollis does not want to leave Josie. In chapter 5, page 54, it

Hollis has only loved two families, the Reagans’ and Josie. She is not that easy to come this close to a family. There is a lot of evidence that supports the main theme. Hollis loved the Reagans’. She felt she was in a real family and had a relationship to Steven like brother and sister. Izzy loved her so much and told her she has always wanted a daughter. Hollis made the perfect fit. The Old Man loved Hollis very much as well. Hollis knew that Josie loved her. Hollis knew that she had to be with Josie because she cared for her. The main theme of Pictures of Hollis Woods that I chose was Unconditional