Throughout the novel, Sadako is an inspiring model of hope and perseverance. At the story’s beginning, she wants to join the junior high school racing team “more than anything else” (23). With her heart set on this goal, she trains diligently every day. Her hard work is rewarded when she helps her relay team claim victory on Field Day: “The bamboo class surrounded Sadako, cheering and shouting” (25). This victory shows how her perseverance inspires others, especially her peers. Sadako persists with her training even after she develops worrisome dizzy spells, the first symptom of her leukemia.

Sadako remains optimistic after her illness manifests. Eleanor Coerr takes care to show that the protagonist’s hopefulness is not mere youthful naïveté but rather a brave and deliberate decision: “By now Sadako realized that she had leukemia, but she also knew that some patients recovered from the disease. She never stopped hoping that she would get well, too” (41). The author uses symbols and motifs to develop the theme of hope and perseverance. The origami birds serve as a motif for the theme because they give Sadako the strength to persevere and help her believe that anything is possible.