Diary Of Anne Frank Essay

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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 …show more content…

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

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