Hana's Suitcase

This chapter describes Hana and George in their childhood. George is three years older than Hana, but they tend to play together. They like to play in streams and skate in the wintertime. On Sundays, the family does special activities together since they are the only days off for Hana and George’s parents.

At the start of 1938, with the Nazi rise to power in Germany, there is “talk of war” and a bad feeling in Nove Mesto about things to come (18). Hana and George often sneak into the hallway at night to eavesdrop on the radio as their parents try to hear news about what is happening. Other neighbors and friends sometimes come and listen. The radio mentions horrible things happening in Germany and Austria, and Hana and George whisper to each other about the possibility of whether war will come to them.

A neighbor, Mr. Rott, proposes one night that it won’t be safe for Jews anymore in Nove Mesto and that they should leave. The Bradys refuse this idea and happily celebrate the New Year in 1939. The chapter closes with a short anecdote about a fortune-telling activity where Hana’s candle falls into the water.