Related to the theme of memory is the power of storytelling in the novel. In the opening, Hannah belittles and refuses to listen to her grandparents’ stories. However, soon after arriving in the past, even before she is taken to the concentration camps, Hannah begins to recognize the power of stories. The day after she arrives in the Jewish village, Hannah meets some of the children and tells them the plots of modern books and movies, in the form of oral stories. Hannah’s words fascinate the children, and Hannah herself is amazed “at this strange power she held in her mouth.”

Hannah draws on her newly discovered “strange power” of storytelling at the time she needs it most—when she is headed to the gas chamber. As she and two other girls walk toward their deaths, Hannah tells the girls a story about her future self: “a girl named Hannah” who lives in New York. Thus, even in her moment of darkest despair, Hannah uses a story to maintain hope for the future—in both herself and others.