Thoughts on this essay?

**Lillie Flenniken**
English 8
Ms. McAfee
December 15, 2022

**Characterization of Anne Frank**

In the story, Anne Frank says, “I expect I should be describing what it feels like going into hiding. But I don’t know myself yet. I only know it’s funny never to be able to go outdoors… It’s the silence in the night that frightens me the most. Every time I hear a creak in the house, or a step on the street outside, I’m sure they’re coming for us” (520). Goodrich and Hackett write that Anne is going through a difficult time in her life; she is still figuring out who she is and what is happening. In Act One of *The Diary of Anne Frank*, the conflicts that Anne experiences reveal that she is confused, realizes, and wants to be respected.

Anne’s situation is very confusing; she doesn’t quite know how serious things are getting. She feels mistreated and outcast by her family members and guests. For example, Anne says, “I slept, Father. Wasn’t that funny? I knew it was the last night in my bed, and yet I slept so soundly” (Goodrich and Hackett 261). Anne sleeps even though she knows she will never be able to go back to her home. Anne doesn’t realize how serious Hitler is for the Jews. The authors also write, “Everything she does is right, and everything I do is wrong! I’m the goat around here!... You’re all against me!... And you worst of all” (Goodrich and Hackett 281). Anne is frustrated that she is not being treated the same way as her sister, Margot, but she fails to realize that she often acts like a child. Anne wants to be respected by her parents and the Van Daans the way Margot is respected. Anne is childish and confused about how she wants to act. She doesn't know how to deal with her situation.

Anne’s experiences in the annex reveal that she realizes the current state outside of the annex. We understand this when Anne tries to get a pencil outside the annex. Mr. Frank (Anne’s father) doesn't want her to go outside. Anne says, “...I’m going down to the office to get a pencil,” thinking that she can leave because “there’s no one in the building now” (Goodrich and Hackett 265). Anyone going outside the annex has to be more careful than Anne realizes. They cannot get caught, or it could risk their lives, Miep’s, Mr. Kraler’s, and the Van Daans'. Anne doesn’t quite understand going into hiding until this scene. For example, she realizes this is a dire situation and cannot be messed up. She doesn't understand the harsh realities of their condition. Anne is still trying to figure things out. She doesn't know why people are taking the Jews away and why she can’t get caught. Anne is confused.

Anne doesn’t understand why people thought her religion was terrible and why she was mistreated for being a Jew. She still sees it as her faith and what she should believe in. For example, Goodrich and Hackett write, “Burn it.” “It’s funny, I can’t throw mine away. I don't know why.” “You can’t throw…? Something they branded you with…? That they made you wear so they could spit on you” (263). In this scene, Peter and Anne are ripping all of the Stars of David off their clothes. Anne struggles to throw her Star of David in the fire even though the Nazis made it a symbol of hate and exclusion. She still believes it is good, which it is to Jews, and that they should respect it rather than burn it. Anne is hesitant about giving up the star. She has always been taught what it means; to stand with Israel (where Judaism originated) and is confused as to why one would want to get rid of it even though she was labeled “impure” and made an outcast from it. Another example of what happened to Jews is, “The war came… followed by the arrival of the Germans. Then things got very bad for the Jews… You could not do this, and you could not do that” (254). Anne explains here what happened when the war started. She wasn’t allowed to do the things other people could do. She had to wear a star and was greatly mistreated by many. Anne still wonders why things are happening and why the Nazis targeted the Jews. She still sees her religion as good and is proud of it.

In *The Diary of Anne Frank*, the conflicts that Anne experiences reveal that she is confused, childish, and wants to be respected. Anne goes through many difficult times in the annex, including when she doesn’t understand why someone would want to do such a thing or why she couldn’t do certain things. Anne wants everything to go back to normal, back when she didn’t have to worry about making too much noise or when she could act childish and have fun without being treated like she was one. Throughout the play, we see many circumstances where we can take away that Anne wanted to be treated like a young adult when she didn't quite understand and takes in new information that opens her eyes to new understandings.