The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes Book Analysis

Have you ever felt like no one likes you just because you are different? This emotion is portrayed by Wanda Petronski in “The Hundred Dresses” by Eleanor Estes. Wanda moves to a new school and is teased for being different and for living in a poor neighborhood. When Wanda says she has a hundred dresses, all the girls laugh at her. However, when it comes time for the art competition, everyone is amazed to see that Wanda had won by bringing in drawings of a hundred dresses. Yet, Wanda had moved so the girls were not able to apologize after they had realized that they had not been friendly. As you can see, the theme of “The Hundred Dresses” is getting picked on for being different. 

Getting teased for being different is the theme for “The Hundred Dresses” because Wanda is an immigrant and is targeted for being one. On page forty-seven, Wanda’s dad writes, “No more holler Polack. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city.” This shows the reader how severe the discrimination was towards Wanda. Because of how poorly Wanda was being treated, it led to her father deciding to move the entire family

The theme of “The Hundred Dresses” is getting bullied for being different because others bullied Wanda for not having a lot of money. For instance, on Page 9, it states “Wanda lived way up on Boggin Heights, and Boggin Heights was no place to live.” Here the author shows us that Wanda doesn’t live in a nice part of town. Living in Boggin Heights is yet another reason as to why Wanda was teased.

Overall, being bullied for being different is the theme for “The Hundred Dresses.” Wanda gets targeted for living in Boggin Heights because her family doesn’t have much money. She also gets made fun of for saying that she has a hundred dresses, yet she only wore one. It says on page 61, “... Wanda and her faded blue dress and the little house she had lived in….” It is clear to see that being picked on for being different is the theme of “The Hundred Dresses."