Chapter 5: The Hundred Dresses–I
Introduction
"The Hundred Dresses–I" is a touching story about **Wanda Petronski**, a quiet Polish girl in an American school who is often made fun of by her classmates for her name and her claim of having a hundred dresses. The chapter explores themes of bullying, empathy, and the consequences of one's actions, particularly from the perspective of two of her classmates, Peggy and Maddie.
Story Summary
The story begins by introducing **Wanda Petronski**, a Polish immigrant girl who attends a school in America. She is an outlier – a quiet girl who comes from the impoverished Boggins Heights and wears the same faded blue dress to school every day. Despite her humble appearance, Wanda consistently claims to have a **hundred dresses** and sixty pairs of shoes, all lined up in her closet at home.
This claim becomes a source of amusement and a daily game for a group of girls, led by the popular and beautiful **Peggy**. Peggy, though not cruel, finds Wanda's claim ridiculous and starts a "game" of asking Wanda about her hundred dresses, often surrounded by her friends. Wanda would always reply in a soft, quiet voice that she had a hundred dresses, all different colors and styles, and sixty pairs of shoes.
**Maddie**, Peggy's best friend, is a poor girl herself, who wears hand-me-down clothes. She doesn't like Peggy making fun of Wanda and feels uncomfortable during these daily interrogations. She wishes Peggy would stop, but she never dares to speak up because she fears that if Wanda stops being the target, she might become the next one. Maddie is afraid of losing Peggy's friendship, which provides her with security and prevents her own poverty from being noticed.
The girls wait for Wanda before school, and sometimes they wait for her after school. However, for a few days, Wanda is absent from school, and no one initially notices or cares. It's only on a Wednesday, the day for the drawing and coloring contest, that Peggy and Maddie realize Wanda's absence, as they wonder who will win the contest.
The art teacher, Miss Mason, announces the results of the girls' drawing contest. To everyone's astonishment, **Wanda Petronski** is announced as the winner. Miss Mason reveals that Wanda has drawn **one hundred beautiful sketches of dresses**, all different and exquisite, and displayed them in the classroom. Each drawing is so unique and detailed that it's clear Wanda was telling the truth in her own way about having "a hundred dresses." This revelation leaves Peggy and Maddie, and the rest of the class, speechless, as they finally understand the true meaning behind Wanda's seemingly fantastical claims.
Main Characters
- Wanda Petronski: The quiet, poor Polish immigrant girl who is the subject of the "hundred dresses" game. She is talented in drawing.
- Peggy: The most popular girl in class, pretty and confident. She leads the teasing of Wanda, though without outright malice, more out of thoughtlessness.
- Maddie (Madeline): Peggy's best friend, a sensitive and poor girl who feels uncomfortable with the teasing but lacks the courage to stand up for Wanda.
- Miss Mason: The art teacher, a kind and fair teacher who organizes the drawing contest and appreciates Wanda's talent.
Key Themes
- Bullying and Teasing: The subtle yet impactful nature of teasing, and how it affects the victim.
- Empathy and Guilt: Maddie's internal conflict and her inability to speak up, highlighting the struggles of a bystander.
- Prejudice and Social Class: The discrimination faced by Wanda due to her unique name and her poverty.
- Appearance vs. Reality: Wanda's humble exterior contrasted with her rich imagination and artistic talent.
- Courage and Standing Up for What's Right: Maddie's internal struggle and her eventual realization (which will be explored further in Part II).
- The Power of Art: How art can be a form of expression and a surprising revelation of one's inner world.
Textbook Questions and Answers
I. Oral Comprehension Check (Page 64)
-
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
Wanda sits in the seat next to the last seat in the last row in Room 13. She sits there because it's where the roughest boys sat, who made the most noise and didn't get good marks. She came from Boggins Heights and her feet were usually caked with dry mud, so she probably sat there to avoid being noticed or to hide her muddy shoes.
-
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
Wanda lives in Boggins Heights. It is suggested to be a poor, isolated, and probably muddy area, as her shoes often have dry mud on them. It implies a less privileged background compared to the other students.
-
When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence?
Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda's absence on Wednesday, the day of the drawing contest. They notice because they were waiting for her before school to have some fun teasing her about her dresses, and she didn't show up. They also wondered if she would be there for the contest results.
-
What do you think “having a hundred dresses” meant to Wanda?
To Wanda, "having a hundred dresses" meant that she had a hundred beautiful drawings of dresses in her room. It was her way of expressing her artistic talent and her dream of owning beautiful clothes, which she could not afford in reality. It symbolized her rich imagination and creativity.
II. Oral Comprehension Check (Page 67)
-
Why did Maddie think Peggy was asking Wanda about all her dresses when she already had her?
Maddie thought Peggy was asking Wanda about all her dresses to tease and make fun of her. Peggy would already have her fun by making Wanda repeat her seemingly unbelievable claim of having a hundred dresses, and Maddie felt uncomfortable witnessing it.
-
What was Miss Mason’s reaction to Wanda’s drawings?
Miss Mason was very impressed and pleased with Wanda's drawings. She announced Wanda as the winner of the contest and admired the extraordinary talent displayed in the one hundred exquisite drawings of dresses, praising her artistic ability to the entire class.
III. Thinking about the Text (Page 68)
-
How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls?
Wanda is seen as different by the other girls due to several reasons: her unusual Polish name, her poverty which means she wears the same faded dress every day, her quiet and shy nature, and her fantastic claim of having a hundred dresses at home.
-
How does she describe her dresses?
Wanda describes her dresses as being made of different materials, in various styles and colors, some trimmed with lace, others with different trimmings. She mentioned a "pale blue with color trimmings" and a "brilliant jungle green with a red sash," among others. All of them were "all lined up" in her closet.
-
Why does Maddie stand by and not do anything? How is she different from Peggy? (Was Peggy cruel? Or was she merely thoughtless?)
Maddie stands by and does nothing because she is afraid of becoming the next target of teasing due to her own poverty and hand-me-down clothes. She fears losing Peggy's friendship and social standing. Maddie is different from Peggy because she is more sensitive and feels uncomfortable and ashamed about the teasing, whereas Peggy enjoys the game and doesn't seem to grasp the impact of her actions on Wanda. Peggy was probably not intentionally cruel but more thoughtless. She didn't mean to hurt Wanda deeply; she just found her claims amusing and didn't consider the emotional consequences of her jokes.
-
What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings?
Miss Mason thinks very highly of Wanda's drawings. She is amazed by her talent, calling them "exquisite" and declaring that any one of the one hundred designs was worthy of winning the contest. She considers Wanda a truly gifted artist.
(Uses browser's print-to-PDF function. Appearance may vary.)