Question

Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses? Why are they surprised?

Answer 1

Hint: The context of the above question is given in the chapter ‘ The hundred dresses – II’ written by Eleanor Estes. The story is about a young poor Polish girl who is judged by her American classmates. The story is an account of the writer's real-life experience.

Complete answer:
Details of the characters mentioned in the question-
i) Wanda - She is the protagonist of the story. She was a quiet girl who lived in Boggins Height which was a poor part of the town. She did not have any friends and the only time her classmates talked to her was when they made fun of her. She was kind and loving.
ii) Peggy -The most popular girl in school. She was pretty, she had many pretty clothes and her hair was curly.
iii) Maddie - Maddie was the closest friend of Peggy. She used to make fun of Wanda with Peggy only to avoid becoming a target for fun herself.

Wanda used to wear the same blue dress every day to her school. So, Peggy and Maddie would make fun of her and ask her to describe the dresses she had in her closet. Wanda would say that she has a hundred dresses neatly lined up in her wardrobe.

She gave her drawings to Maddie and Peggy because she wanted to show them a hundred dresses that she had always talked about. She might have exaggerated the description of those dresses but she wanted to prove that she never lied.

Note: The theme of the story is about the fact that we mustn’t tease someone just because they are different. Everybody is unique in their own sense and thus we must learn to be kind and accepting.