University Essay: Plots in Hana's Suitcase and Paper Bag Princess

This essay provides a detailed analysis of the plots in Karen Levine's "Hana's Suitcase" and Robert Munsch's "The Paper Bag Princess." The essay examines the dual plot structure in "Hana's Suitcase," contrasting Fumiko Ishioka's discovery of Hana's story with Hana's biography, emphasizing the themes of the Holocaust and the impact on children. It highlights the significance of the suitcase as a symbol and the educational value of the story. In "The Paper Bag Princess," the essay discusses Munsch's use of fairy tales, particularly Cinderella and Rapunzel, and how he subverts traditional princess narratives by creating an independent and self-sufficient protagonist, Elizabeth. The essay focuses on the themes of choice, freedom, and female empowerment, contrasting the traditional passive role of the princess with Elizabeth's active role in saving the prince and ultimately rejecting him. The essay utilizes the provided references to support its analysis of both texts.

Running Head: DISCUSSION OF PLOTS IN “HANA’S SUITCASE” AND USE OF FAIRY
TALES IN “THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS”
Discussion of Plots in “Hana’s suitcase” and use of Fairy Tales in “The Paper Bag Princess”
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Name of the University:
Author Note:

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DISCUSSION OF PLOTS IN “HANA’S SUITCASE” AND USE OF FAIRY TALES IN
“THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS”
“Hana’s Suitcase”
There are two plots involved in Karen Levine’s “Hana’s Suitcase” where the
development of the story from the perspective of Fumiko Ishioka as she discovers Hana, her
suitcase and eventually her brother George who is a survivor of the holocaust; the other
perspective is the narrative that contains the biography of Hana.
Ishioka plays the role of putting the pieces of the puzzle in Hana’s story together in order
to find out more about the life of Hana before war, and the changes that the Brady family had to
goes as the Nazis planned for the execution of the Jews. The story contains contrasting elements
of sadness, cruelty, and immense joy as it serves as a reminder of the past. The motive of the
story is to focus on the manner in which Levine has constructed the plots. The significance of the
plots lie in the fact that they compliments each other (Levine, 2016). With the mission of
enlightening the children in Japan about the holocaust and its horrors, Japanese historian, Ishioka
conducts extensive and careful study of the documents in various museums of the world that are
dedicated to the holocaust and its survivors where she finds out about Hana Brady.
Simultaneously, the plot of Hana’s biography reveals to the readers about the town of Nove
Mesto na Morave, Czechoslovakia during the 1930’s, and the childhood of Hana Brady, her
brother George, and her parents. By using two different plots for the development of the story
lines, the author successfully builds the tension as she alternates the chapters that narrate the
various details of Ishioka’s discovery about Hana’s life. Another bifurcation takes place when
the readers are exposed to the truth of Hana’s death as the narrative moves to that of George and
Ishioka (Levine, 2016).
Success comes in the form of Hana’s brother, George’s discovery by Ishioka, along with
the children of the Small Wings club being able to meet George. The fulfillment of the plot

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DISCUSSION OF PLOTS IN “HANA’S SUITCASE” AND USE OF FAIRY TALES IN
“THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS”
structure also comes with George realizing that his little sister has not been forgotten by history.
Children being educated with the help of possessions such as Hana’s suitcase make the story of
the Holocaust even more potent and griping. The contribution of the plot is also significant as it
contributes to the knowledge of life before the war for the people of the various occupied
countries, and the drastic changes that were brought into the lives of the Jews because of the
Nazis (Levine, 2016). The theme of “Hana’s Suitcase” is extremely poignant is it brings forth to
the readers the narrative of children who were not spared from the horrors of the holocaust.
On this note, Anne Frank’s Diary too comes to the minds of the readers. Hana’s Suitcase
provides a different story telling method that upholds the two sides of the incident- the despair
and cruelty, and the hope that is still alive in the minds of the survivors. It also allows the scope
of educating the readers about the history of human race, and the lessons to be learned from the
brutality of the past. Ishioka, on a quest to find out meaningful ways to make the children of the
Small Wings club aware of the Holocaust, unearths the heart-wrenching story of Hana and her
suitcase. The suitcase stands as a symbol of her existence, as well as her tragic life (Levine,
2016).
“The Paper Bag Princess”
The two fairy tales to which Munsch alludes to are Rapunzel and Cindrella while
narrating his story of The Paper Bag Princess. Munsch specifically chooses these two tales
because of the stereotypical portrayal of the character of the princess who needed a prince to
save them. In The Paper Bag Princess, Munsch develops the character of the princess, Elizabeth,
who takes up the responsibility of rescuing the prince- “Elizabeth decided to chase the dragon

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DISCUSSION OF PLOTS IN “HANA’S SUITCASE” AND USE OF FAIRY TALES IN
“THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS”
and get Ronald back (Munsch & Martchenko, 2005).” Elizabeth is able to free the prince with
the help of her presence of mind and intelligence. However, she realizes that the prince is not her
happily ever after. This brings a significant change in the conventional method of storytelling by
making changes in the role of the princess being a victim, to the princess who is capable of
fending for her and saving the prince. She does not shy away from shunning the prince after
realizing his worthlessness- “‘Ronald,’ said Elizabeth, ‘your clothes are really pretty and your
hair is very neat. You look like a real prince, but you are a bum.’ (Munsch & Martchenko,
2005)”. The narrative changes from the traditional tales of being rewarded with a marriage to the
prince, where the sense of security is derive from the marriage with the prince and the
submission of the princess while her beauty which becomes her agency to that of the princess
being independent, and self-sufficient. By doing so, Munsch focuses on the aspects of choices,
freedom, and the various positions that are available for women. This is more significant as the
allusions to Cinderella and Rapunzel do not offer such perspectives.

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DISCUSSION OF PLOTS IN “HANA’S SUITCASE” AND USE OF FAIRY TALES IN
“THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS”
References
Levine, K. (2016). Hana's Suitcase: The Quest to Solve a Holocaust Mystery. Crown Books for
Young Readers.
Munsch, R., & Martchenko, M. (2005). The Paper Bag Princess [Ebook] (2nd ed., pp. 1-31).
New York: Annick Press Ltd. Retrieved from
https://mrta.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/the_paper_bag_princess1.pdf