40 pages • 1 hour read
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 5-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “The Golden Crane”
On Sadako’s first full day in the hospital, a nurse gives Sadako a shot, and the girl wishes for “the sickness to be over with [...] so [she] can go home” (35). Chizuko visits her best friend that afternoon and brings her paper and scissors. According to a Japanese legend, the gods will heal a sick person who folds 1,000 paper cranes. Chizuko reminds Sadako of this story and makes the first crane for her out of golden paper. Sadako is moved by the gesture, especially because she knows her friend doesn’t share her belief in good luck charms. After folding 10 paper cranes with Chizuko’s guidance, Sadako feels hopeful that she’ll soon receive her wish and be strong enough to go home.
Later that afternoon, Masahiro brings his sister her homework and promises to hang every crane Sadako folds from the ceiling of her hospital room. That evening, Mrs. Sasaki and Sadako’s younger siblings visit her and admire the beautiful paper birds. After her relatives leave, a lonely Sadako keeps her courage up by folding more cranes.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Kenji”
Sadako’s friends, relatives, and nurses save paper for her to fold into cranes. Masahiro keeps his promise and hangs all of the birds from the ceiling. Months go by, and Sadako remains in the hospital, but she “never stopped hoping that she would get well” (41). She passes the time by completing schoolwork, writing to friends and pen pals, entertaining visitors, and folding cranes.
As Sadako’s condition advances, she experiences painful headaches, dizzy spells, and low energy. Sometimes, she feels so weak that she can only gaze out her window at a maple tree in the hospital courtyard. One day, Nurse Yasunaga takes Sadako outside for some fresh air, and she meets a fellow patient, a nine-year-old boy named Kenji. He rarely receives visitors because his parents are dead, and his guardian is an elderly aunt. Sadako is taken aback to learn that Kenji also has leukemia because he wasn’t born when the bomb dropped. He explains that the radiation poisoning passed from his mother to him. Sadako tells him about the legend of the crane, but he replies that it’s too late for him. When Nurse Yasunaga asks how he can be certain, he reminds her that he can read his medical chart and sees how his condition is declining daily. Not to be deterred, Sadako sends Kenji “a big crane out of her prettiest paper” in the hope that it will bring him luck (44). One night, Nurse Yasunaga informs Sadako that Kenji is dead. The girl bursts into sobs and asks if she’ll die next. The nurse assures Sadako that she’ll live a long life after she finishes her cranes.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Hundreds of Wishes”
June is the rainy season for Hiroshima, and Sadako listlessly watches the rain drip from the maple tree outside her window. Only her older brother and parents are allowed to visit her at the hospital, but her classmates send her a Kokeshi doll. One evening, Mrs. Sasaki brings Sadako all of her favorite foods, including pickled plums and bean cakes, but her gums hurt too much for her to eat. Sadako feels angry at herself for making her mother sad and guilty because “the Sasaki family had no extra money for expensive food” (50). Mrs. Sasaki takes her daughter in her arms, tells her that she’ll recover soon, and soothes her by reading from a book of poems.
The mood lifts when Masahiro arrives and gives his sister a silver paper candy wrapper from Eiji. Sadako quips, “I hope the gods like chocolate” (51) and laughs for the first time in days. Sadako folds the silver wrapper into her 541st crane, and then lies down wearily. As Mrs. Sasaki quietly exits her daughter’s hospital room, she recites a poem, “O flock of heavenly cranes / Cover my child with your wings” (51).
Chapters 5-7 Analysis
In this section, the novel’s central motif emerges, and the paper cranes lift Sadako’s hopes during her first months in the hospital. In Chapter 5, Chizuko’s role in the novel expands significantly. Sadako’s best friend is the one who reminds her of the legend about the crane and gives her the idea of folding 1,000 birds to gain a wish. In Japanese culture, cranes symbolize longevity and happiness. Additionally, the origami cranes serve as a motif for the theme of hope and perseverance. The story about the cranes resonates with Sadako because of her fascination with luck and wishes, and Chizuko proves herself to be a considerate friend by suggesting the idea even though she herself doesn’t believe in good luck charms. The creation of the paper cranes foregrounds the theme of Hope and Perseverance. From the beginning, the cranes, especially the golden crane folded by her best friend, give Sadako the strength and courage to persevere: “Sadako took the golden crane and made a wish. The funniest little feeling came over her when she touched the bird. It must be a good omen” (36). In addition, the cranes offer the people in Sadako’s life an opportunity to express their love for her in a united effort. They can’t cure her, but gathering paper gives them a way to offer their support. The paper cranes assist all of the characters in their efforts to be strong and cheerful for Sadako, including Sadako herself.
In Chapter 6, Coerr explores War’s Impact on Children by introducing a new character. Kenji is three years younger than Sadako, but his bleak resignation contrasts starkly with her optimism. Despite his young age, Kenji is no stranger to living with grief because his parents are dead, and he has been “in the hospital for a long time” (43). Kenji tests Sadako’s belief in miracles and forces her to confront her mortality. When she tries to give her young friend hope by telling him about the legend of the cranes, he answers, “Even the gods can’t help me now” (44). These words appear to be confirmed when Kenji dies even though Sadako sent him a paper crane, hoping it would “bring him luck” (44). However, when Kenji’s death prompts Sadako to consider her own lifespan, Nurse Yasunaga falls back on the cranes to comfort her patient, showing that the origami birds still hold the power to help Sadako cope with her fear and pain. The Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima honors not just Sadako but all children who died because of the atomic bomb. By including Kenji’s story, Coerr recognizes the children who don’t have a novel written about them but still suffered from the war’s impact.
This section introduces two more of the novel’s symbols. The maple tree outside Sadako’s hospital room represents the seasons. The tree helps Coerr show the passage of time, comprises Sadako’s limited connection to nature and the outside world during her hospitalization, and mirrors the protagonist’s physical and emotional state. For example, in Chapter 7, Sadako feels as washed-out as the maple tree buffeted by June’s endless gray rain. The Kokeshi doll gifted to Sadako by her classmates is another important symbol. Traditionally, these wooden dolls represent wishes for good fortune. As such, the doll represents good luck and signals her peers’ hope that she will recover.
Chapter 7 shows how Living With Grief wears on Sadako and the rest of the Sasaki family. Socioeconomic factors exacerbate the strain the family is under. Mrs. Sasaki purchases expensive food in the hope that it will awaken her daughter’s appetite and help her grow stronger. Instead, Sadako’s inability to eat reinforces her daughter’s deteriorating health and Mrs. Sasaki’s powerlessness to stop this decline. At the same time, Sadako experiences guilt, frustration, and self-reproach over worrying her mother. Eiji’s present helps to lighten the mood, which reaffirms the origami cranes’ efficacy as a coping mechanism for Sadako and her loved ones. At the end of this section, Sadako is over halfway to her aim of folding 1,000 cranes. However, given her dwindling strength, it’s unclear whether she will reach her goal.
Unlock all 40 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: