“Guilt is regret for what we’ve done. Regret is guilt for what we didn’t do.”

As I read the story, I felt the author’s remorse and bitterness regarding Tal’s death by narrating their childhood experiences, retelling how Tal ended down in the hole, and what he felt about it until now. He feels that in some way it was his fault because he persuaded Tal to just slip the mowing bag and eventually let his friend go down into the hole even though both of them weren’t sure what was down there. I assume that the reason why he feels so guilty all this time was because he wasn’t able to help save Tal. It is obvious that he hadn’t moved on from that traumatic experience. There is so much guilt in the way he talks about the dreams he had especially the one in which his best friend lives.

The main character, Tal Walker, is described as a kid who decides on things and takes it back afterwards. His decisions were easily influenced by other people. He was not afraid of taking the risk even without considering the consequences. Many adults are similar to Tal. They make up their minds but they can’t live up with their lives’ decisions. At the young age of ten, Tal was already aware of his responsibilities and valued the trust of others unlike the kids we commonly have today. When he decided to take the mowing bag out after slipping it into the hole, he was thinking of cleaning up the mess he made. I believe most of us would do the same – undo what we’ve done after realizing it was a mistake just before it becomes too late for us.

As a whole, the story is interesting. It is introduced by an intriguing statement in the first paragraph. The statement made me wonder what really happened to Tal and why he never came out from the hole. It made me anticipate and imagine the scene the author was conveying. As I read further and unraveled the mystery, my queries were answered and I find the content of the story somewhat satisfying. It was revealed on the later part of the narrative that the cause of Tal’s death was suffocation caused by toxic fumes. The last paragraph gave a lasting impact on me. I felt the writer’s burden and his desire that somehow Tal did not die in the hole.

I totally agree with the author’s statement that when a story is being retold, it becomes another version of the story. Based on the discussions we had on our history class, how a person relates the past episodes of his life is greatly influenced by two things: the gist or the prevailing idea and feeling of the person during the event and his acquired knowledge over time. These two influences explain why a person sees the same thing differently. As what the author justified, he really can’t remember the details of the incident but he can relive how the incident made him feel.

Hole tells the story of two childhood friends: the one who lost his life and the other who is still haunted by the incident for twelve years both because of their guilty feelings.