Diary Of A Young Girl Anne Frank Analysis

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl narrates the journey of adolescent Anne Frank during World War II. The diary allows insight into the changes Anne went through during the war after going into hiding to avoid persecution. Over the course of her time in hiding she matured, and used her diary to voice her innermost thoughts and desires. Anne’s diary shows how she came to terms with change as a result of her circumstances, and how she herself changed as a result.
Anne’s diary began on her thirteenth birthday. She had a normal life for a girl of her age, and valued the same things as any girl; she loved being with her friends, enjoyed school and already had established a passion for writing which she expressed through her diary. She first wrote “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support,” it is established that Anne, although a very social young girl, felt that she could not confide in her friends. The tone with which she wrote and the trivial matters that she wrote about exemplify her young age and lack of maturity. She wrote for the sake of writing, and wrote about the happenings in her life. When the first signs of anti-Semitism started to show, signs of worry showed through her writing, but she never wrote too deeply about it.
Anne’s escaped the Nazis and anti-Semitism and went into hiding in the Annex. During her time in the Annex Anne grew in maturity. Very suddenly she was forced to undergo the change from a fairly free

life to a life of solitude with limited freedom. She lived with 8 people, 3 from her family and 4 others, one being Peter, a boy not much older than her. During her time in hiding she became more introspective and thoughtful; the environment Anne was in was very different from the outside. She wrote “Now that I’m rereading my diary after a year and a half, I’m surprised at my childish innocence. Deep down I know I could never be that innocent again, however much I’d like it to be,” showing how she understood how much she’d changed in a short time and how she reflected upon her past using her diary. In her first year she struggled to grow accustomed to the change. She was afraid and saddened by the atrocities happening to the Jews, but she was optimistic and tried not to think about what was happening outside and focused on her own life, “I could spend hours telling you about the suffering the war has brought, but I’d only make myself more miserable.” She was forced to live in the Annex to survive but understood she was lucky to be alive and safe. “I sometimes wonder if anyone will ever understand what I mean . . . and merely see me as a teenager badly in need of some good, plain fun.” Readers learn she was a normal girl. She had the same problems other girls had; she was just living in extraordinary circumstances.
Whilst living in the Annex, Anne wrote about her inner self and outer self, referring to how she acted around others versus how she really felt. She expressed her innermost feelings in the diary, because she still felt she could not confide in anybody. However she also realized that although she could confide to her diary, it did not offer the same comfort that people could, and longed for human comfort and affection. She felt isolated and lonely, so she sought out Peter to fulfil this desire. Young readers can relate to the confusion and isolation of growing up. The loneliness of adolescence is a key theme expressed through Anne’s perspective as she grows up in a limited environment, where she goes through getting her menarche, questioning sexuality and love with limited means to answer her questions. Readers may interpret her perspective differently. Adolescent readers will better grasp the maturing aspect of the story as Anne came to grips with growing up in her environment with limited knowledge. Older readers might focus on the theme of WWII and the suffering endured, as they’ve already matured and can relate less to that aspect of her struggle. Readers who experienced similar circumstances can sympathize with her situation. There are many aspects of her diary that are relatable because it was written by a real person with real problems.
Nearer to the end of her time in the Annex, Anne’s maturity had increased drastically as a of the conditions she had grown up in. She reflected on her own changes from when she began the diary, to her time in the Annex. Her voice, a convention, changed; she wrote less about trivial matters and instead wrote about her innermost thoughts and dreams. She wrote about her future; her dreams and aspirations. She wanted to become a writer or journalist, and began editing her diary. The tone changed to become more oriented towards a reading audience. She came to terms with the constant fear that she may not have made it to the end of the war through writing in her diary, which is part of the reason it was a key aspect to her coming to terms with change. She wanted a future, and planned what she would do when the war ended, readers can relate to her optimism. Her dreams and aspirations make her feel all the more real and truly shows how despite her circumstances, she still had hope. “It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Her awareness of human nature grows; her opinions of good and evil, greed and generosity were integrated in her writings as she tried to understand the people around her as well as herself. She discovered that as well as she, everybody else also had an inner self, and she still desired to share her inner self with others but didn’t know how to. “I get cross, then sad, and finally end up turning my heart inside out, the bad part on the outside and the good part on the inside, and keep trying to find a way to become what I’d like to be and what I could be if . . . if only there were no other people in the world.” Her diary ended abruptly because the Annex was discovered. Anne died in a concentration camp, but her diary was published, along with her dreams and aspirations. This brings a new level of reality for readers, because it reminds them that Anne was a real person, what she wrote were real experiences. The way the story is set up, as a diary, is the most powerful aspect of the story. Anne’s diary was written during the time the events happened, her voice reflected current events. The reader can see her changing through the course of the book and feel a sense of empathy for her situation.
Anne Frank’s diary told of how she grew up in a new environment and how she came to terms with the changes brought upon her.

Her diary not only helped her come to terms with change, but also allows us deeper insight into her life and what life was like for Jews during World War II. Anne changed from a young girl to a young woman, and the diary shows her journey through the hardships she faced during her time in the

Annex.