Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

“He prayed that the spirits of their ancestors were happy and peaceful. He gave thanks for his barbershop. He gave thanks for his fine children. And he prayed that his family would be protected from the atom bomb disease called leukemia. Many still died from the disease, even though the atom bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima nine years before. It had filled the air with radiation—a kind of poison—that stayed inside people for a long time.”

Eleanor Coerr’s straightforward sentence structure and heartfelt tone are hallmarks of her style throughout the novel. The author helps her young audience understand radiation poisoning and leukemia by using simple language. Mr. Sasaki’s prayer develops the theme of War’s Impact on Children because it contains the novel’s first reference to “the atom bomb disease called leukemia.” There’s a painful irony and foreshadowing to the disease first appearing in the context of a father’s prayer that his children will be spared. The fear of loved ones succumbing to sickness must weigh heavily on Mr. Sasaki and the other adults living in Hiroshima.

“‘I remember the Thunderbolt,’ Sadako whispered to her friend. ‘There was the flash of a million suns. Then the heat prickled my eyes like needles.’”

Sadako’s conversation with Chizuko in the memorial building develops the theme of War’s Impact on Children. Sadako was only two years old when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, meaning that one of her earliest memories is an event of unthinkable devastation. The people of Hiroshima call the atom bomb “the Thunderbolt.” The bomb struck as quickly as lightning, but its effects are long-lasting.

“The best part, Sadako thought, was looking at all the things to buy and smelling the good food. There were stalls selling everything from bean cakes to chirping crickets. The worst part was seeing people with ugly whitish scars. The atom bomb had burned them so badly that they no longer looked human. If any of the bomb victims came near Sadako, she turned away quickly.”

Coerr juxtaposes the celebratory scene filled with “things to buy” and “good food” with reminders of the suffering Peace Day commemorates. Sadako’s youth shows in how she tries to shield herself from the unpleasantness and fear she feels when she sees the survivors. The “ugly whitish scars” are a reminder that the Thunderbolt continues to impact lives even though it happened nearly a decade ago.

“‘I’ve been chosen from the bamboo class to be on the relay team.’ She danced around the room, gaily swinging her school bag. ‘Just think. If we win, I’ll be sure to get on the team in junior high school next year.’ That was what Sadako wanted more than anything else.”

Coerr helps the reader better understand Sadako by establishing her life and dreams before her diagnosis. The author uses active verbs and joyful descriptions like “danced” and “gaily swinging her school bag” to underline the protagonist’s effervescent energy and cheerful personality. Sadako’s dream of making the racing team is tinged with a melancholy dramatic irony. Her hospitalization prevents her from attending junior high school, let alone running competitively.

“‘Sadako chan, it is natural to be a little bit afraid. But don’t worry. When you get out there, you will run as fast as you can.’ Then it was time for the relay race. ‘Just do your best,’ Mr. Sasaki said, giving Sadako’s hand a squeeze. ‘We’ll be proud of you.’ The kind words from her parents made the knot in Sadako’s stomach loosen. They love me, no matter what, she thought.”

Sadako’s conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki before the relay race gives insight into the protagonist’s relationship with her parents. The race is important for her because it represents a step toward her dream of making the junior high school racing team. Her parents’ unconditional love soothes her fears in this scene and comforts her later in the novel as she copes with her illness.

“It was then that she first felt strange and dizzy. She scarcely heard someone cry, ‘Your team won!’ The bamboo class surrounded Sadako, cheering and shouting. She shook her head a few times and the dizziness went away.”

The triumphant mood turns to one of apprehension as Sadako’s “strange and dizzy” feeling gives the first indication that something is wrong with her health. Just as her classmates rally around her to celebrate her victory, so, too, do they join together to support Sadako during her illness and, ultimately, to share her story with the world.

“On New Year’s Eve Sadako hoped she could magically wish away the dizzy spells. How perfect everything would be if she didn’t have this secret! At midnight she was in her cozy bed quilts when the temple bells began to chime. They were ringing out all the evils of the old year so that the new one would have a fine beginning. With each ring Sadako drowsily made her special wish.”

The New Year’s Eve scene, focusing on wishes and new beginnings, develops the protagonist’s characterization and the theme of Hope and Perseverance. When the novel begins in August, Sadako enjoys looking for signs of good luck as a hobby. By January, she hopes to gain good luck so that her health will improve. Sadako’s decision to keep her dizzy spells a secret demonstrates her desire to shield her loved ones from pain and worry.

“By now the rest of Sadako’s family was at the hospital. Her parents were in the doctor’s office. Sadako could hear the murmur of their voices. Once her mother cried, ‘Leukemia! But that’s impossible!’ At the sound of that frightening word Sadako put her hands over her ears. She didn’t want to hear anymore. Of course she didn’t have leukemia. Why, the atom bomb hadn’t even scratched her.”

Sadako’s leukemia diagnosis marks a major development for the plot and the theme of War’s Impact on Children. Her disbelieving insistence that “the atom bomb hadn’t even scratched her” and her attempt to shield herself from the “frightening word” by covering her ears emphasize her young age.

“‘Don’t you remember that old story about the crane?’ Chizuko asked. ‘It’s supposed to live for a thousand years. If a sick person folds one thousand paper cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again.’ She handed the crane to Sadako. ‘Here’s your first one.’”

In a key moment for the plot and the theme of Hope and Perseverance, Sadako’s best friend gives her the idea of folding 1,000 paper cranes. Significantly, Sadako knows that Chizuko doesn’t share her belief in good luck charms. All the same, the cranes and the hope they represent are a tremendous source of solace and meaning for Sadako in her final months.

“After visiting hours it was lonely in the hospital room. So lonely that Sadako folded more cranes to keep up her courage. Eleven...I wish I’d get better. Twelve...I wish I’d get better.”

From the first day she begins folding them, the cranes help Sadako “to keep up her courage” and persevere. Origami helps her cope with the physical and emotional pain she hides from her friends and relatives.

“Gradually the atom bomb disease took away Sadako’s energy. She learned about pain. Sometimes throbbing headaches stopped her from reading and writing. At other times her bones seemed to be on fire. And more dizzy spells sent Sadako into deep blackness. Often she was too weak to do anything but sit by the window and look longingly out at the maple tree in the courtyard. She would stay there for hours, holding the golden crane in her lap.”

This description of Sadako’s weakening health connects to the themes of grief and War’s Impact on Children. Her confinement and listless state contrast starkly with her energy and liveliness at the novel’s start. In addition, this passage mentions the maple tree outside Sadako’s window. As a symbol of the seasons, the tree helps to mark the passage of time and represents the protagonist’s limited contact with nature and the outside world.

“Sadako wanted so much to comfort him, but she didn’t know what to say. Then she remembered the cranes. ‘You can make paper cranes like I do,’ she said, ‘so that a miracle can happen.’ ‘I know about the cranes,’ Kenji replied quietly, ‘but it’s too late. Even the gods can’t help me now.’”

Although Sadako only knows Kenji briefly, he significantly contributes to the themes of Living With Grief and War’s Impact on Children. Kenji is only nine, yet he’s experienced devastating loneliness and suffering. Kenji’s resignation contrasts with Sadako’s optimism, and she tries to share hope with him by telling him about the cranes.

“‘Wherever he is, I’m sure that he is happy now,’ the nurse said. ‘He has shed that tired, sick body and his spirit is free.’ Sadako was quiet, listening to the leaves on the maple tree rustle in the wind. Then she said, ‘I’m going to die next, aren’t I?’ ‘Of course not!’ Nurse Yasunaga answered with a firm shake of her head. She spread some colored paper on Sadako’s bed. ‘Come and let me see you fold another paper crane before you go to sleep. After you finish one thousand birds, you’ll live to be an old, old lady.’”

The exchange between Sadako and Nurse Yasunaga after Kenji’s death touches on the themes of grief and hope. Sadako mourns her young friend and fears for herself. The cranes offer a way for the nurse and her patient to cope with these painful emotions. Nurse Yasunaga encourages Sadako to persevere in her efforts and to keep believing in miracles.

“The bamboo class sent a Kokeshi doll to cheer her up. Sadako liked the wooden doll’s wistful smile and the red roses painted on its kimono. The doll stood next to the golden crane on Sadako’s bedside table.”

The Kokeshi doll is one of many good luck symbols to appear in the novel, and it is the namesake of the book Sadako’s classmates publish about her after her death. Sadako keeps the gift beside the golden crane from Chizuko, which shows the doll’s significance to her. Knowing that her friends are thinking about her and wishing her well gives her strength in her final months.

“Sadako sniffed the paper. ‘Ummm! It smells like candy,’ she said. ‘I hope the gods like chocolate.’ The three burst out laughing. It was the first time Sadako had laughed in days. It was a good sign. Perhaps the golden crane’s magic was beginning to work. She smoothed out the paper and folded a bird.”

The scene with the paper candy wrapper touches on the theme of Hope and Perseverance. Sadako shows courage by holding onto her sense of humor. Even amid great pain and hardship, she and her family share love and laughter. At this point in the novel, her little brother Eiji is not allowed to come to the hospital, but the paper he sends with Masahiro shows that he’s thinking about his sister and wants to help.

“O flock of heavenly cranes / Cover my child with your wings.”

The poem Mrs. Sasaki recites over Sadako in June connects to the novel’s major themes and symbols. Her appeal to the “heavenly cranes” mingles hope and grief and invokes the bird symbolism prevalent throughout the story.

“‘Sadako certainly has good manners now,’ Mr. Sasaki said. ‘Oba chan’s spirit must be pleased to see how ladylike her granddaughter has become.’ ‘How can you say that!’ Mrs. Sasaki cried. ‘I would rather have our lively Sadako back.’ She dabbed at her eyes and hurried into the kitchen.”

This incident during Sadako’s July home visit hints at the strain her condition places on her parents and their relationship. Mr. Sasaki’s words hurt his wife and show a lack of understanding of her emotions. While he praises his daughter’s quiet behavior as “good manners,” his wife longs to have their “lively Sadako back.” The change in Sadako’s behavior reminds the reader how drastically the protagonist’s health has changed since the start of the book.

“‘I will get better,’ she murmured to the Kokeshi doll, ‘and someday I’ll race like the wind.’”

The Kokeshi doll symbolizes good luck and is a source of comfort for Sadako, making it a fitting audience for her wish. Her desire to “race like the wind” connects to her dream of being on the racing team and foreshadows the novel’s final chapter, “Racing With the Wind.” Although Sadako does not live to join the team, she receives her wish in a way because her death liberates her from suffering and makes her as free as the wind.

“The leaves on the maple tree were turning rust and gold when the family came for one last visit. Eiji handed Sadako a big box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a red ribbon. Slowly Sadako opened it. Inside was something her mother had always wanted for her—a silk kimono with cherry blossoms on it. Sadako felt hot tears blur her eyes. ‘Why did you do it?’ she asked, touching the soft cloth. ‘I’ll never be able to wear it and silk costs so much money.’ ‘Sadako chan,’ her father said gently, ‘your mother stayed up late last night to finish sewing it. Try it on for her.’”

Mrs. Sasaki demonstrates her love for her daughter by sewing her a kimono. The family’s low socioeconomic status makes the costly gift even more significant. In addition, the scene uses autumnal imagery to reflect Sadako’s declining health and imminent death; the “rust and gold” matches the present wrapped in “gold paper” and “a red ribbon.”

“At that moment Chizuko came in. Dr. Numata had given her permission to visit for a short time. She stared at Sadako in surprise. ‘You look better in that outfit than in school clothes,’ she said. Everyone laughed. Even Sadako. ‘Then I’ll wear it to classes every day when I’m well again,’ she joked.”

Chizuko demonstrates her loyalty by visiting Sadako in the hospital. This is the last time that the best friends see one another. The scene also develops the theme of Hope and Perseverance. In this passage, Sadako holds onto hope and makes everyone around her feel better with her courage and sense of humor.

“‘Don’t cry,’ she begged. ‘Please don’t cry.’ Sadako wanted to say more, but her mouth and tongue wouldn’t move. A tear slid down her cheek. She had brought her mother so much grief. And all Sadako could do now was make paper cranes and hope for a miracle. She fumbled with a piece of paper. Her fingers were too clumsy to fold it.”

This moving scene depicts a confrontation between grief and hope. Throughout the novel, Sadako, her friends, her relatives, and even the hospital staff have looked to the paper cranes as a way to cope with grief. Shortly before her death, Sadako tries to comfort her mother and give them both “hope for a miracle,” but her condition has deteriorated to the point that she can’t fold cranes anymore.

“The next time she awoke, the family was there. Sadako smiled at them. She was part of that warm, loving circle where she would always be. Nothing could ever change that. Already lights were dancing behind her eyes. Sadako slid a thin, trembling hand over to touch the golden crane. Life was slipping away from her, but the crane made Sadako feel stronger inside. She looked at her flock hanging from the ceiling. As she watched, a light autumn breeze made the birds rustle and sway. They seemed to be alive and flying out through the open window. How beautiful and free they were! Sadako sighed and closed her eyes. She never woke up.”

After all the pain Sadako endures during her illness, the mood is peaceful when she dies. Cranes play a key role in Sadako’s final moments. The golden crane Chizuko gave her helps her feel “stronger inside,” and the last things she sees are the “beautiful and free” paper cranes she folded. The image of the paper birds flying out of the hospital window foreshadows how Sadako’s message of peace spreads after her death.

“In a way she got her wish. She will live on in the hearts of people for a long time.”

This excerpt connects to the theme of hope by suggesting a way in which Sadako’s wish came true despite her early death. In addition, this develops the theme of perseverance by showing the endurance of Sadako’s spirit and her story.