Hole In My Life

The underlying current of violence is present in each chapter. Gantos alludes to the color red, blood, and physical violence at multiple points in the memoir. Focus on one instance of violence in Hole in My Life that was particularly memorable and/or disturbing to you. Why does this instance stand out?

One predominant color that Gantos uses in his narrative is yellow. Where is the color yellow used in the memoir to represent decay, and how does Gantos attach this color to himself?

Prior to prison, Gantos alludes to several famous authors and their works; he visits where they lived and wrote, hoping to jumpstart his own writing. Explore one of the literary allusions in depth: what are the parallels or contrasts between that author’s work and Gantos’ story?

During his smuggling trip, Gantos reads classic stories about sailing and is inspired to write in the captain’s log. How do Gantos’ journal entries onboard compare to the great sea adventures Gantos recounts during his own sea voyage?

Freedom is a constant theme in the novel: freedom from control, freedom from fears, and freedom through drugs. Compare Gantos’ early years of freedom with his imprisonment. How does his imprisonment make his earlier thirst for adventure and danger seem naive?

At the end of the novel, Gantos recalls a Halloween that was canceled due to escaped prisoners. Why does he choose to prioritize that story above the violent stories he’s more accustomed to witnessing in prison?

Before his own sentencing, Gantos tries to visit Lucas, one of the clients that bought hash from his smuggling venture,but finds out from his wife that Lucas has been arrested as well. She accuses Gantos of not thinking about how selling drugs affects the people he sells to, which stuns him. How does Gantos approach the topic of guilt in Hole in My Life? Does this approach change over the course of the memoir?

One of the major settings of the story is St. Croix, which is described by Gantos as a city engulfed in racial violence: explore the circumstances of that tension during that time. How is this tension portrayed in Gantos’ memoir?