The Diary of a Young Girl

Adolescence itself

The Diary of A Young Girl: Anne Frank is an autobiography. Anne Frank, a young Jew, wrote a diary to cope with the loneliness of her life. This nonfiction book provides a vivid picture of what World War II was like from the point of view of a child. The first person narration helps the reader understand the horrible events of World War II and their consequences on someone’s life. Anne Frank’s journal begins on June 12, 1942, her thirteenth birthday, and ends presently after her fifteenth.

Throughout the book, many themes are gradually explored such as the loneliness of adolescence and the two different selves Anne seems to refer to. Anne Frank’s solitude is the very cause of her diary. The early diary entries are mostly about her many friends, her social life, and her crushes; like any teenager would write about. “Added to this misery there is another, but of a more personal nature, and it pales in comparison to all of the suffering I’ve just told you about.[...]

Now I think either about unhappy things or about myself. It’s taken a while, but I’ve finally realized that Father, no matter how kind he may be, can’t take the place of my former world” (Frank 74). Anne realizes that her hiding only aggravates her feeling of loneliness. She is not only isolated from her friends but she finally realizes that her family will never understand her. Her friends used to comfort her in a way her family will never be able to. After the outbreak of WWI, and the commencement of them going into hiding, she starts to realize her two different selves. The young Jew continuously informs us that there are “Two Annes”. Her outward self whom everyone seems to find amusing and entertaining, and her inward, true self which only Anne knows about. She is entering adolescence which explains all the mixed emotions and feelings.

Secondly, some characters also play an important role in the book and represent symbols such as Hanneli and Anne’s Grandmother. Hanneli, one of Anne’s closest friends appears several times in her dreams. Hanneli represents the fate and death of Anne’s friends and millions of Jews who are tortured by Nazis. After having her sorrowful and frightening dream several times, she begins to ask herself why are her friends dead while she is still alive and well. This questions running in her head forces Anne to turn to god, believing that only him truly knows the answer. Anne’s grandmother also emerges many times in her dreams. She represents love as well as regret, for Anne wish she had appreciated her life before being forced into hiding. The young Jew also desire to tell her grandmother how much all love her. Therefore, Anne believes that her grandmother is her guardian angel and will save her through tough times. This image helps her survive and hold onto hope.

This diary teaches the devastating inequality during World War II. I highly recommend this book because of the knowledge it teaches the reader. This journal also offers a historical setting which I think is needed to understand the journey of Anne Frank.

Work Cited

Frank, Anne. The Diary of A young Girl, Doubleday, 1995, Unite States of America.

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