Hana's Suitcase

“In it lies a story of terrible sadness and great joy, a reminder of the brutality of the past and of hope for the future.”

The Introduction to the story states many of the core thematic elements that Levine will show throughout the text. Levine notes that the story will have “terrible sadness” about the “brutality” of what the Bradys will experience. This is important as a moment of foreshadowing and as a tool to make explicit the goal of this text, which looks toward “the future.”

“In white paint, across the front, there is a girl’s name: Hana Brady. A date of birth: May 16, 1931. And one other word: Waisenkind.”

One of the most interesting symbols in the story is Hana’s suitcase, which represents what happens to her even before Fumiko Ishioka discovers the full context of Hana’s story. The suitcase, which has some details that reflect that it was a well-loved object, has also been painted on by Nazis, who use the incorrect spelling of Hana’s name and call her an orphan, or Waisenkind in German. The paint on the suitcase reflects the overwhelming trauma that will impact Hana’s life. The suitcase is a tangible object in the Reckoning With the Past.  

“Fumiko promises the children to do everything she can to find out about the girl who owned the suitcase, to solve the mystery.”

Fumiko’s passion for helping children understand the Holocaust is a critical part of her personality and plays a pivotal role in Hana and George Brady’s story. Time and again, Fumiko listens to what the children she works with are interested in, and their perspectives shape her choices.