Diary Of Anne Frank Essay

In the screenplay “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, Anne, a young and indomitable Jew living through the Holocaust, goes through many transformations that are the backbone of the play. “It is Anne’s emergence as a young woman that becomes the spine of the play, that holds the rest of the play together,” (Anderson, Brinnin, et. al. 279). Indeed, Anne’s maturity is the frame that holds the story together. As the play opens, Anne is naïve, mercurial, and disrespectful, especially towards her mother, also known as Mrs. Frank. She goes through multiple changes that are the ultimate foundation of this piece of literature. Finally, she becomes an optimistic young woman who helps her family stay hopeful even after

the end of the play, in the concentration camps described in the nonfiction article “A Tragedy Revealed” by Schnabel.
Initially, Anne is a carefree young girl who longs for her old life of babbling loudly with friends and playing outside. She becomes anxious in the annex, their living space the size of a postage stamp, and quickly annoys her many roommates. Peter Van Daan, a timid, “lone wolf” (Goodrich, Hackett ___), quickly gets annoyed with Anne after she hides his shoes. Anne complains, “I only want some fun… someone to laugh and clown with… After you’ve sat still all day and hardly moved, you’ve got to have some fun. I don’t know what’s the matter with that boy,” (Goodrich, Hackett 235). Nonetheless, without these bickering fights, there would be no entertainment in the play.
Secondly, Anne transitions from mercurial and obnoxious to introspective and responsible.

She begins to be aware of her poor self-image, and cares about her reputation with the others in the annex. After disrespecting her mother Anne realizes that what she did was cruel. She apologizes by saying, “I’m trying. Really I am. Every night I think back over all the things I did that were wrong… like putting the wet mop in Mr. Dussel’s bed…and this thing now with Mother. I say to myself, that was wrong,” (Goodrich, Hackett 251). Before bed, Anne looks inside herself and evaluates her actions. This shows a giant step towards maturity. Anne’s intuition and connection to the other characters provides the glue that holds together “The Diary of Anne Frank”.

Thirdly, Anne shows her resourcefulness and generosity of spirit towards others during Hanukkah. She becomes aware of the needs of others and creates small, but sweet gifts for everyone in the annex. For example, Anne makes ear plugs for Mr. Dussel. “Earplugs?” asks Mr. Dussel. Anne answers, “To put in your ears so you won’t hear me when I trash around at night. I saw them advertised in a magazine. They’re not real ones… I made them out of cotton and candle wax,” (Goodrich, Hackett 256). Anne’s generosity is a key element of the play because of the irony of celebrating Hanukkah during the

Holocaust.
Next, Anne Frank is introduced to love, an affection that is hard to find in the darkness of the Holocaust. It is found with Peter Van Daan who was introduced earlier as shy and introverted. As described in the stage directions of the play Anne has her first experience with love. “For a second ANNE stands looking up at PETER, longing for him to kiss her. As he makes no move she turns away. Then suddenly PETER grabs her awkwardly in his arms, kissing her on the cheek. ANNE walks out dazed,” (Goodrich, Hackett 270). This interaction adds the spice of romance to the play’s mixing pot.
Eventually, Anne Frank goes through her final change. She now understands the importance of hope and ultimately turns into her father, a compassionate man also known as Mr. Frank. Her heart is the heart of a warrior and never weakens under the Nazis. In the nonfiction article, “A Tragedy Revealed”, Schnabel, the author, interviews people who knew Anne Frank. One of these people is Mrs. de Wiek, a Jewish woman who survived the concentration camps. She says, “Her gaiety had vanished, but she was still alert and sweet, and with her charm she sometimes secured things that the rest of us had long since given up hoping for,” (Schnabel 487). Above all, Anne was hopeful and a leader. In “The Diary of Anne Frank” Anne says, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart,” (Goodrich, Hackett 278). This speaks volumes about Anne’s character and her maturity.