Chapter 6: A Doll that Grew Old and Chapter 7: Forward to the Past Summary and Analysis

Slavenka visits East Berlin early in the morning to buy various products from Poles. She sees a doll that reminds her of one she received decades ago. Slavenka buys the doll and recalls the past, thirty years ago, when she had the same doll. In her memory, she is traveling on a boat to Italy and is seasick. With a new coat, Slavenka becomes popular when she returns to school. She leaves her doll at home and misses her. The girls of Eastern Europe try to play with dolls to the best of their ability, to imagine a world in which they could be beautiful.

As Slavenka grows up, the doll grows old. Her own daughter, whom Slavenka has...