Hana's Suitcase

As told by Karen Levine, Hana's story is a narrative of how children respond and adapt to oppressive circumstances. Hana’s and George’s experiences in the Holocaust are told in a way that reveals the psychological impact of what they went through. In particular, as the younger child, Hana’s feelings about what is happening are more reactive; everything that happens to her receives an immediate response. Adults and older adolescents may have more past encounters with trauma and may have already developed coping mechanisms, but Hana, who is 11 when she first enters the Theresienstadt ghetto, has few predetermined methods of dealing with traumatic experiences. Thus, Hana’s resilience directly reflects the horrors she experiences at the hands of the Nazis.

Among other smaller events, Hana experiences the loss of both parents, separation from her brother, and starvation and isolation before her death. At each turn, Hana’s psychological state is shown by Levine, often in connection with the suitcase. When Hana and George are first deported, Levine describes how Hana and George “[are] not in the mood for company” with other adults (52). Hana consistently rejects adult intervention in her state of being; later, she will also vehemently decline a former neighbor’s attempts at kindness. This rejection seems to stem from her initial loss of her mother and father, who cannot be replaced. In fact, Hana is almost entirely shown as relying on peer relationships with George and a friend, Ella. Besides these relationships, Hana clings to her suitcase and its “precious” contents, which remind her of “the life they used to have” (59). She also finds comfort in drawing and art, one of the few things that bring her happiness in the ghetto.

As a reaction to losing both of her parents, Hana no longer trusts in adults, forcing her to hold on to her memories of the past. Additionally, Hana builds stronger relationships with her peers—Ella and George—who become almost parental in their relationships. On the train to Auschwitz, Ella and Hana try “to comfort each other, singing songs of home” (80). Hana deals with the trauma of her experience by deepening her friendship with Ella while consistently bringing up her own memories of comforting times in the past. This reaction makes sense because it allows her to preserve a feeling of psychological stasis from the happiness of her childhood and the closeness of her friendship with Ella.

Many children were murdered in the Holocaust, and Hana’s narrative is an important example of how young people had to adapt to survive in response to such horrifying circumstances. Through peer relationships and comforting memories, children and adolescents clung to the things that would help them feel safe despite the terrifying events around them.