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.