The Hundred Dresses- II: Summary and Analysis: 2022

Last updated on September 2nd, 2022 at 04:17 am

The Hundred Dress II is a continuation of The Hundred Dresses I by Eleanor Estes. It is about awhichool for a long time. Her family decided to move to a big city where no one would pay heed to their uncommon names. This came off as a shock to everyone. Maddie and Peggy were worried that they would not be able to apologize to her. 

The Hundred Dresses- II Summary

At the start of the lesson, Wanda’s father sends a letter to inform the school about their decision to move to a big city because no one would tease Wanda for her unfamiliar name or appearance. The letter put the teacher and the entire class in shock. They realized the derogatory comments they made to Wanda.

Maddie felt terrible about being a coward and not stopping Peggy from making fun of Wanda. This resulted in her being unable to focus on her studies. She wanted to meet Wanda and explain that she never wanted to hurt her feelings. She decided to visit her house and also inform her about her winning the prize. After school, Maddie and Peggy visited the Wanda residence at Boggins Height to meet her.

However, by then, Wanda and her family had already left from there. Their visit was fruitless. The girls decided to write a friendly letter to Wanda to inform her that she won the contest. However, after many days, Wanda did not respond. During Christmas, Miss Mason got a letter from Wanda. She wrote a letter and wished all the girls Merry Christmas. She wrote that the girls could keep those dresses because, in her new house, she would have a hundred new ones. She gifted all the unique drawings to Peggy and Maddie. They accepted these and pinned them in their bedrooms.

Maddie stared at the picture for a long time and realized that the face in the drawing was similar to her face. Then she visited Peggy’s to see her drawings. Peggy was very happy to know that she resembled her picture. Peggy consoled herself that Wanda liked them. Maddie agrees and blinks away the tear. Many instances in the story showed how racism affects social and personal lives. The story highlights it and makes people realize how discrimination feels.

The Hundred Dresses- II Theme

The Hundred Dresses is based on people who have discriminatory approaches and are judgemental. The Hundred Dresses reflects how one should not mistreat anyone simply because they are different. The story teaches everyone to never make fun of the unique differences of the people around us and make attempts to accept them for who they are. The story shows how ultimately the good, kind-hearted people are appreciated and that there is good in everyone. No one is born to harm anyone or berate someone. Once people realize their mistakes, they show their vulnerable side, accept their mistake, and move on, and that is the decent way to live life. Both the girls felt terrible about the way they treated Wanda and not getting a chance to amend the mistakes. They were relieved to realize that Wanda liked them and drew their faces on the pictures she gave them.

The Hundred Dresses- II Character Sketch

Wanda was a gentle girl. She had immigrated to America from Poland with her family. She was often made fun of by her classmates because her name was different from others, and she was not treated well. She was quite poor, so she wore a faded blue dress to school and was always quiet. She had no friends and was quite lonely. She travelled from far, and her feet were always covered with dry mud. She claimed to have a hundred dresses and was ridiculed for saying that. She presented the most beautiful drawings of some hundred dresses in the competition. She was really kind-hearted girl and gave all of her drawings to people who teased her the most. She knew how to stand up for herself. She knew the importance of forgiveness and applied it. 

Wanda’s father was a very sensible man. He informed the school about what went on in the school. He made it a point to inform the appropriate authorities about the racism and discriminatory behavior and stood up for his daughter.

Miss Mason was a teacher at Wanda’s school. Wanda wrote to her on Christmas and wished her. Miss Mason felt particularly terrible that this was going on in her presence.

Maddie was a poor girl. She was Peggy’s best friend. She was not in support of treating Wanda poorly but was too afraid of losing her best friend. She was scared she would become the target. She helped Peggy as she ridiculed Wanda every day. They even waited for her before school and constantly taunted and made remarks about her dresses and how she looked. She felt terrible for not standing up for Wanda and was relieved to know that Wanda actually liked her. 

Peggy was one of the most famous girls in the school. She ridiculed Wanda about her appearance and dressing. She was not trying to hurt her but was curious about her claim of a hundred dresses and sixty shoes. Maddie helped her throughout this. She felt terrible when she realized her mistakes and when she saw how creative Wanda was. She was trying to make amends when she realized what she unknowingly inflicted on Wanda. She was happy to know that Wanda really liked her.

The Hundred Dresses- II Analysis Key Points

This is the continuation of The Hundred Dresses I and shows the reason why Wanda was not coming to school. Her family made the decision to move to a big city where people would not pay heed to their uncommon last names. Maddy and Peggy were scared about not getting a chance to apologize for everything they put Wanda through. The girls wanted to amend their mistakes. They were relieved to know that Wanda actually liked them and had dedicated her drawings to them.