Hana's Suitcase

“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. 

“Hana never told on George. And he never told on Hana.”

Early in her descriptions of Hana and George, Levine demonstrates the closeness of their sibling relationship. In this moment, Levine establishes that George and Hana were allies and didn’t tell on each other, which is not always typical of siblings. Their closeness is later revealed as important because of the grief George carries with him as a survivor of the Holocaust. Their childhood closeness adds to their Family Connection Across Time. 

“When Fumiko felt sad about things in her own life, she often thought about these survivors. They were so strong-willed and wise. They had so much to teach her.”

Without Fumiko, Hana and George’s story would have remained a secret. Fumiko’s interest in pursuing Holocaust education is heightened when she meets living survivors who shape her perspective and motivations. By telling Hana’s story and sharing it with others, Fumiko as museum director and Levine as author become this turning point for others. 

“It couldn’t happen here, could it?”

The events of the Holocaust transpired as they did partly because they were so unexpected for ordinary people. The feeling of people in Nove Mesto before the Nazi invasion, as in many other places, was that their town wouldn’t be the kind of place that would be impacted by the war. As a result of this attitude, many Jews lost the chance to flee the horrors of the Holocaust.

“Eight-year-old Hana launched hers and, for a moment, it glided along without a quiver. Then it shook, turned on its side, and the candle hit the water and went out.”

This powerful image from Hana and George’s childhood provides a fitting symbol for the experiences that Hana will have after Nazis invade Nove Mesto. The candle in the walnut boat foreshadows Hana’s death as well as the brief smooth moments of her childhood and the shaky moments of her time in Theresienstadt. 

“Every week seemed to bring a new restriction.”

Nazi rule functioned through a series of tightening rules that slowly limited Jews’ abilities to move about and live normal lives. The development of these restrictions over time enabled Nazis to slowly convince non-Jews that what was happening was normal and necessary; through the laws they introduced, Nazis gained control over entire cities and countries. 

“In the morning when Hana woke up, Mother was gone.”

In many ways, the turning point of the narrative happens when Hana and George’s mother is arrested and moved to a concentration camp. This moment forces Hana to realize what is happening will worsen, foreshadowing the coming events. Losing a parent at such a young age has a profound impact on a child’s development, and while Levine doesn’t focus on the psychological change that this instigated in George, it remains clear that in Hana’s two remaining years of life, her separation from her mother has had a profound influence on her.

“In the top right hand corner of each of the drawings was the name ‘Hana Brady.’”

Fumiko discovers several drawings from Hana’s time at Theresienstadt. The discovery of these drawings is a critical point in the story because, without them, Fumiko might not have been able to get evidence of Hana’s path through the Holocaust. The drawings from children at Theresienstadt are one of the most unique artifacts from the Holocaust, and they have been preserved in museums and books.

“Father hugged the children, implored them to be brave. And then he, too, was gone.”

In this scene, Levine portrays the devastating emotional moment of a father having to leave his children. Since this text is primarily written for younger audiences, Levine is careful to show the trauma that Hana and George experience without delving too deeply into the impact of these moments. By ending the section with the brief “he, too, was gone,” Levine makes it possible for readers to move forward despite the intensity of this interaction. 

“George thought Hana was too young to know the whole truth about the harsh conditions in prison and how desperate Father was to be free. She was not too young, though, to be deported by the Nazis.”

This important moment of foreshadowing shows George feeling that he must take care of his younger sister by withholding information. George’s ability to keep his feelings and memories inside, even years after the Holocaust, is a factor in keeping Hana’s story from being shared more widely. However, his courage later in life to share Hana’s story with children illustrates his growth over time. 

“Though they were interested in the shoe, the can of Zyklon B gas, and the little jumper, it was the suitcase that became a magnet.”

Although Hana’s suitcase could be perceived as a simple everyday object, it inspires significant interest when displayed in Tokyo. While this is partly due to the writing on it, which intrigues viewers about the mystery of Hana Brady, the suitcase also reflects other symbolic aspects. A suitcase is used to travel, pack belongings, and move from one place to the next; an empty, abandoned suitcase invites curiosity because it no longer serves that function.

“Should we leave some things here, Hana and George wondered, to lighten our load? No, everything in their suitcases was precious, the only reminders of the life they used to have.”

Even as younger adolescents, Hana and George are acutely aware of their desire to remember “the life they used to have.” Levine intentionally portrays these difficult choices in part to reflect the challenges many families faced as they fled persecution in the Holocaust. Belongings were often abandoned in the transition to concentration camp or freedom. 

“‘Think of space,’ she told Hana and the others. ‘Think of freedom. Let your imagination run wild. Tell me what is in your hearts. Put it down on paper.’”

The art teacher at Theresienstadt is one of the only adults Hana trusts after being separated from her family. In this scene, the artist assists the young children in her care to imagine beyond their current circumstances, giving them the freedom to tell “what is in [their] hearts.” This scene also speaks to Children’s Resilience in the Face of Oppression, as making art provides moments of joy for the young girl. It also mirrors Fumiko’s educational philosophy with the children in Tokyo, who are supported to investigate what they are interested in and produce art and writing about it. 

“‘I have a mother,’ Hana spat out. ‘Go away! Leave me alone.’”

A common psychological impact of being separated from one’s parents at a young age is having difficulty forming healthy emotional attachments. In this scene, Hana’s feelings of isolation and loss are clear when she rejects a former neighbor who tries to mother her. Hana’s feeling that she has “a mother” stems from her need to survive her situation by clinging to the hope that her past attachments are still secure. 

“Besides Hana’s name was a check mark. In fact, there was a check mark beside every name on the page—except one. Beside the other Brady, George Brady, there was nothing. What did this mean?”

This moment reveals the likelihood that either George or Hana died during the Holocaust; the ominous and slow nature of Levine’s narration keeps readers on edge as they wait to find out what Fumiko has discovered. The austerity of the list and the checkmarks contrast the immense emotional weight of the realization. The checkmarks are another Reckoning With the Past, in this case an accounting of death and survival.

“Death was all around them. In fact, so many people were dying so fast, the cemetery was full.”

Many narratives about the Holocaust wrestle with the sheer number of people who were murdered. Over 10 million people died throughout the Holocaust, and many peoples’ stories are lost forever. The description of death being “all around” Hana and George helps make concrete the gravity of how many people had already died in close proximity to the Brady children. 

“When Hana closed her eyes, she saw the strong, smiling face of her brother.”

This is one of the few times that Levine imagines what Hana might have thought or felt in the text. This moment occurs on the train to Auschwitz after George has seen Hana for the last time. Even though they are separate, Hana feels a Family Connection Across Time and space. In this moment, Levine reinforces the strength of the relationship between the two siblings, laying the groundwork for the story’s conclusion. 

“Fumiko bowed her head and closed her eyes. She had already guessed the awful truth. But hearing it spoken, seeing it on paper was still a blow.”

In many ways, Hana’s Suitcase is designed to inspire empathy in readers, particularly through Fumiko’s eyes. The description of Fumiko’s brutal moment of realization helps readers feel the impact of “the awful truth” that Hana had died in the Holocaust.  

“When she thought about Hana having a big brother, Fumiko couldn’t help picturing her own little sister, three years younger.”

Much of Holocaust education focuses on helping people to make connections between their own lives and the events and experiences of those in the past. Through this, as in Fumiko’s case, people can develop empathy for the atrocities experienced and, ideally, make decisions that lead to a more peaceful world. These Connections Across Time motivate Fumiko and her students to learn Hana’s story.

“She worried that his memories might be so bitter and painful that he wouldn’t want to hear anything about Hana’s suitcase and the Holocaust Center in Japan.”

Fumiko takes enormous care in approaching George about his sister. Her thoughtfulness in this moment reflects her understanding of Holocaust survivors and her intentionality in building museum exhibits with an ethical stance. Her letter to George, included in the novel on Page 94, shows Fumiko’s reflectiveness and kind wording. 

“The loss of his sister Hana was George’s most private and deepest sorrow.”

Levine’s portrayal of adult George is sensitive and honest, showing the impact of the Holocaust on him without baring all of his feelings or memories. This is a strong example of the careful descriptions Levine uses to illustrate the immense losses George experienced. 

“It was comforting to know that Hana had had a good life before the war ruined everything.”

By uncovering Hana’s story, Fumiko brings to life a young person who would have been lost forever. George’s stash of family photographs, which are included throughout the book, helps make Hana’s happy childhood more real, making the tragedy of what happened to her more devastating.