"The Hundred Dresses - I" is the first part of a two-part story by Eleanor Estes, a classic tale about a poor Polish girl named Wanda Petronski and the consequences of bullying. The story is set in an American school where Wanda is the target of daily ridicule, especially by a group of girls led by Peggy and her best friend Maddie. Wanda sits in the corner of the room, in the seat next to the last row, and she is teased for her unusual Polish name, her shabby clothes, and most of all for her strange claim that she has a hundred dresses at home.
The central conflict of the story revolves around Wanda's claim to have a hundred beautiful dresses all lined up in her closet. The other girls do not believe her and treat her claim as an amusing lie. Every day Peggy would ask Wanda how many dresses she had, and Wanda would reply "a hundred, all lined up in my closet", followed by descriptions of her "sixty pairs of shoes". The girls would laugh, and Wanda would quietly take her seat, never showing her pain openly.
The story also introduces the character of Maddie, Peggy's best friend, who silently watches the bullying without objecting. Maddie feels that it is wrong to make fun of Wanda, but she is too afraid of losing Peggy's friendship to speak up. The chapter ends with Wanda's father writing a letter to the school saying that Wanda will not be coming back to school; the family is moving to a big city where people of different nationalities can live together. The news leaves the girls shocked, and Maddie's guilt begins to grow.
2. Author: Eleanor Estes
Eleanor Estes (1906-1988) was an American children's author known for her warm, realistic stories about everyday childhood experiences. She won the Newbery Medal in 1952 for her novel "Ginger Pye". "The Hundred Dresses" (1944), illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, is one of her most famous works and is based on a real incident from Estes' own childhood — she once knew a girl named Wanda who wore the same blue dress every day and claimed to have a hundred dresses. The book is a gentle but powerful lesson on empathy, kindness, and the harmful effects of teasing.
3. Summary of the Chapter
The story is set in a small-town American school. Wanda Petronski, a shy Polish girl, lives with her family in Boggins Heights, a poor part of town. She comes to school every day wearing a faded blue dress, though she always keeps her shoes clean. She has no friends, and she sits in the seat next to the last row in Room Thirteen. Wanda's name, Petronski, makes her the target of teasing because it sounds strange and funny to the other children.
The main source of bullying is Wanda's claim that she has a hundred dresses at home. Peggy, the most popular girl in school, would lead the other girls in asking Wanda, "How many dresses did you say you had?" Wanda would answer "a hundred" and then add that she had "sixty pairs of shoes" as well. The girls found this extremely funny, and the daily ritual of questioning became a game of humiliation. Wanda's dresses were actually plain and patched; the hundred dresses existed only in her imagination.
Peggy's best friend, Maddie, watched all of this quietly. Although she did not join in the worst of the teasing, she did nothing to stop it. She knew that what was happening to Wanda was wrong, but she was afraid that if she stood up for Wanda, Peggy would stop being her friend. So she remained silent while her conscience troubled her.
One day, Wanda was absent from school. Soon after, a letter arrived from Wanda's father, Jan Petronski, stating that the family was moving to a big city where his children would not be laughed at because of their "funny" name. The teacher, Miss Mason, read the letter aloud to the class, and the girls were stunned into silence. Maddie felt a terrible guilt and resolved to find Wanda and apologise, but it was already too late — Wanda was gone. The chapter ends with this heavy atmosphere of regret and the beginning of Maddie's journey towards making amends.
4. Characters
Wanda Petronski: A poor, shy Polish girl who claims to have a hundred dresses. She is quiet, creative, and secretly talented at drawing. She endures the teasing of her classmates without complaint.
Peggy: The most popular girl in the class who leads the teasing of Wanda. She considers herself kind and never realises the hurt she causes.
Maddie: Peggy's best friend and the conscience of the story. She watches the bullying, feels it is wrong, but lacks the courage to stop it. Her guilt drives the story forward.
Miss Mason: The kind, sensible teacher who reads the Petronski letter to the class.
Jan Petronski: Wanda's father, whose letter announces the family's decision to move to the city.
Cecile: A younger girl who also occasionally teased Wanda.
5. Themes
Bullying and its Consequences: The story powerfully illustrates how teasing and humiliation can deeply hurt a person and drive them away.
Empathy and Kindness: The readers learn to feel for Wanda and understand the pain behind her quiet facade.
Guilt and Conscience: Maddie's internal conflict shows how silence in the face of injustice is itself a form of participation.
Class and Poverty: Wanda's shabby clothes and her family's move highlight the social divide that fuels the bullying.
Imagination and Escape: Wanda's "hundred dresses" are a product of her imagination — an escape from her difficult reality.
Courage to Stand Up: The story underscores the need to speak up against wrong, even at personal cost.
6. Literary Devices
Imagery: The descriptions of Wanda's faded blue dress, the "queer" house in Boggins Heights, and the hundred dresses in the closet create strong visual impressions.
Irony: Wanda actually possesses a hundred beautiful dresses — the drawings she makes — a fact the girls discover only later.
Symbolism: The hundred dresses symbolise Wanda's dreams, dignity, and inner world. The blue dress symbolises her poverty.
Foreshadowing: Wanda's absence and the unusual atmosphere before the letter hint at the family's departure.
Repetition: The recurring question "How many dresses did you say you had?" emphasises the ritual of bullying.
Characterisation through Contrast: Maddie and Peggy are contrasted — one guilt-stricken and sensitive, the other confident and careless.
7. Quick Revision Tables
Character Table
Character
Key Trait
Role in Story
Impact
Wanda
Shy, imaginative, creative
Target of bullying
Leaves school; reveals her talent
Peggy
Popular, confident
Leads the teasing
Does not realise her cruelty
Maddie
Sensitive, guilty
Silent observer
Feels guilt, wants to apologise
Miss Mason
Kind, fair
Reads the letter
Symbol of fairness and adulthood
Plot Events Table
Event
Cause
Effect
Daily questioning
Wanda's claim of 100 dresses
Humiliation of Wanda, fun for the girls
Wanda's shabby clothes
Family poverty
Her being singled out
Wanda's absence
Family moving away
Shock and confusion
Letter from Jan Petronski
Discrimination against the family
Wanda leaves school for good
Maddie's realisation
Her silent complicity
Guilt and the wish to make amends
8. Mind Map
flowchart TD
A["The Hundred Dresses - I - Eleanor Estes"] --> B["Wanda Petronski - poor Polish girl"]
B --> C["Claim: a hundred dresses, sixty shoes"]
C --> D["Peggy and others tease her daily"]
D --> E["Maddie watches silently, feels guilty"]
E --> F["Wanda absent one day"]
F --> G["Letter from father - family moving to city"]
G --> H["Class stunned; Wanda gone forever"]
H --> I["Themes: bullying, empathy, guilt"]
I --> J["Foreshadows Maddie's search for Wanda"]
9. Important Diagrams (SVG)
10. Common Mistakes
Thinking Wanda really owned a hundred dresses: The hundred dresses existed only in Wanda's imagination; she owned only one faded blue dress.
Believing Peggy was a cruel villain: Peggy considered herself kind and never understood the hurt she caused; her cruelty was thoughtless, not malicious.
Forgetting that Wanda was a Polish immigrant: Wanda's 'different' name and background were the reasons she was teased.
Saying Maddie took part in the teasing: Maddie never directly teased Wanda; her fault was silence — she did nothing to stop Peggy.
Confusing Boggins Heights: Wanda lived in Boggins Heights, the poorer part of the town, not in the city.
Missing the significance of the drawings: The hundred dresses later turn out to be Wanda's beautiful drawings, revealing her talent.
Thinking Wanda left happily: Wanda left because her family could no longer bear the discrimination; the departure is tinged with sadness.
11. Exam Tips
Describe Wanda's character using the traits: shy, creative, imaginative, and dignified.
Present Maddie as the story's conscience — her guilt is the key to the story's moral.
When asked about bullying, connect the story to real life and to the theme of empathy.
Quote the letter: "my children should not be laughed at because of my name" — it reveals the family's pain.
Explain the irony of the title: Wanda's 'hundred dresses' were her drawings, discovered after her departure.
For value-based questions, contrast Peggy's thoughtless behaviour with Maddie's troubled conscience.
End answers by noting that the story continues into Part II, where Maddie tries to make amends.
12. Conclusion
"The Hundred Dresses - I" is a moving story about a quiet girl whose imagination becomes her refuge from the cruelty of her classmates. Through Wanda's silent endurance, Peggy's thoughtless teasing, and Maddie's guilty silence, the story paints a realistic and painful picture of how bullying works and how easily it can be overlooked. Wanda's departure and the father's letter serve as a wake-up call, showing the class — and the reader — the real consequences of their behaviour. The story sets the stage for the second part, where Maddie's guilt drives her towards a search for Wanda, teaching us that it is never too late to recognise our mistakes, and that true kindness demands courage.