Anne Frank Compare And Contrast

The settings of two very similar stories can make them seem completely different. In a similar way, Sonia and Anne from the novel I Promised I Would Tell by Sonia Weitz and the play The Diary of Anne Frank by Albert Hackett are Jewish girls in the Holocaust who are struggling to survive. Both of their lives are at risk each day and throughout both of the stories, the girls are put in many difficult and dangerous situations and settings. Although these girls are both living in fear of losing their lives, Anne lives in a somewhat comfortable room for the first couple years of her struggle while Sonia is living in a horrifying Concentration Camp.
In Sonia’s case, her and her sister are in a concentration camp. This is a camp in which Nazis torture

and kill Jewish people because of their difference in beliefs. Sonia is struggling to survive and knows that any day can be her last. For example, while in the when one of the prisoners fall while working in the field, a Nazi soldier yells, “No need to get up! Keep working!” (Weitz). Them and the fellow Jews were forced to work until they died.The Nazis are ruthless and don’t think twice about killing an innocent person. They don’t care if what they were doing can never be undone. On the contrary, Anne is living in an annex of her father’s business. This small living space is just large enough to cram eight people and a cat inside. They have enough food to last all of them, although they are never sure when the next delivery will arrive. Although she doesn’t always like it, the space allows Anne to be warm and somewhat comfortable. In this way Anne is rather lucky compared to Sonia because she at least has a warm bed to sleep in and her family surrounding her. Secondly, Sonia is scared and malnourished and can barely live through the day. Her and her older sister, Blanca, are in a desolate, disease ridden camp. In addition, the prisoners barely get any nutrients from the “watery substance” (Weitz) that resembled soup or the “liquid that resembled coffee” (Weitz). They know nothing about their other family members or their fate so all they can do is hope that they are safe. With barely any form of nourishment and a nearly impossible task of survival, Sonia and Blanca have to hold on for dear life. They have no control of the diseases they contract or the food they are given. Because they have no knowledge of their family’s whereabouts, they find themselves missing them every day. On the contrary, Anne is living will all of her family members and is aware of how they are doing. Sadly, the tight quarters of the Annex cause a lot of tension between Anne’s family members. Anne especially has problems with her mother. For example, she tells her father, “We have nothing in common, she doesn’t understand me” (Hackett 734). Although Anne truly loves her mother, she doesn’t feel understood. Her and her father connect on a deeper level. Because she is a teenager, it isn’t surprising that she has some arguments with her mother.
In conclusion, Anne and Sonia have some feelings and situations which were very similar, yet there are also many aspects of their lives which were unique. It proves how much the setting of a story can affect the lives of the characters as well as the effect on the reader.