diff --git a/mwparserfromhell/string_mixin.py b/mwparserfromhell/string_mixin.py
index 8ddf699..74ae42f 100644
--- a/mwparserfromhell/string_mixin.py
+++ b/mwparserfromhell/string_mixin.py
@@ -22,13 +22,16 @@
 
 __all__ = ["StringMixIn"]
 
-class StringMixIn(object):  # UnicodeMixIn?
+class StringMixIn(object):
     def __str__(self):
         return unicode(self).encode("utf8")
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return repr(unicode(self))
 
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
     def __lt__(self, other):
         if isinstance(other, StringMixin):
             return unicode(self) < unicode(other)
@@ -73,4 +76,6 @@ class StringMixIn(object):  # UnicodeMixIn?
         return unicode(self)[index]
 
     def __contains__(self, item):
+        if isinstance(item, StringMixIn):
+            return unicode(item) in unicode(self)
         return item in unicode(self)
diff --git a/mwparserfromhell/wikicode.py b/mwparserfromhell/wikicode.py
index ea97d5e..a5437be 100644
--- a/mwparserfromhell/wikicode.py
+++ b/mwparserfromhell/wikicode.py
@@ -65,17 +65,24 @@ class Wikicode(StringMixIn):
             for child in self._get_children(node):
                 yield child
 
-    def _do_recursive_index(self, obj):
-        for i, node in enumerate(self.nodes):
-            children = self._get_children(node)
-            if isinstance(obj, Node):
-                for child in children:
-                    if child is obj:
-                        return i
-            else:
-                if obj in children:
-                    return i
-        raise ValueError(obj)
+    def _is_equivalent(self, obj, node):
+        if isinstance(obj, Node):
+            if node is obj:
+                return True
+        else:
+            if node == obj:
+                return True
+        return False
+
+    def _contains(self, nodes, obj):
+        if isinstance(obj, Node):
+            for node in nodes:
+                if node is obj:
+                    return True
+        else:
+            if obj in nodes:
+                return True
+        return False
 
     def _show_tree(self, code, lines, marker=None, indent=0):
         def write(*args):
@@ -123,13 +130,15 @@ class Wikicode(StringMixIn):
 
     def index(self, obj, recursive=False):
         if recursive:
-            return self._do_recursive_index()
-        if isinstance(obj, Node):
             for i, node in enumerate(self.nodes):
-                if node is obj:
+                if self._contains(self._get_children(node), obj):
                     return i
             raise ValueError(obj)
-        return self.nodes.index(obj)
+
+        for i, node in enumerate(self.nodes):
+            if self._is_equivalent(obj, node):
+                return i
+        raise ValueError(obj)
 
     def insert(self, index, value):
         nodes = self._nodify(value)
@@ -151,8 +160,20 @@ class Wikicode(StringMixIn):
         for node in nodes:
             self.nodes.append(node)
 
-    def remove(self, node, recursive=True):
-        self.nodes.pop(self.index(node))
+    def remove(self, obj, recursive=True):
+        if recursive:
+            for i, node in enumerate(self.nodes):
+                if self._is_equivalent(obj, node):
+                    return self.nodes.pop(i)
+                children = self._get_children(node)
+                if self._contains(self._get_children(node), obj):
+                    return node.remove(obj, recursive=True)
+            raise ValueError(obj)
+
+        try:
+            return self.nodes.pop(self.index(obj))
+        except IndexError:
+            raise ValueError(obj)
 
     def ifilter(self, recursive=False, matches=None, flags=FLAGS,
                 forcetype=None):