Wednesday, January 12, 2011

In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, why does Anne Frank consider herself a bundle of contradictions?

Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday and starts writing in it before her family is forced to hide in what becomes known as the Annex. In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne expects that her diary entries will be of little interest to anyone later as they are just "the musings" (Saturday June 20, 1942) of a child. She also admits that she struggles with some of her personal relationships and so her diary is a great comfort to her, especially as "paper has more patience than people." Anne treats her diary as the best friend she has never had, even calling this imaginary friend, her diary, "Kitty." Unfortunately, Anne will never know the impact that her diary will have on the rest of the world.


Towards the end of the family's stay in the Annex, anyone reading Anne's diary is able to recognize her emerging self- awareness. She is conflicted about her relationships, even the one with her father, with whom she has a special bond, and it comes as no surprise to the reader when she mentions that "no one understands me," but at the same time admits that it is quite typical of her to say so and that this "phrase is part of me" (Tuesday 13 June 1944).


Anne is becoming increasingly excited at the prospect of leaving the Annex and returning to school as the Allies are expected to announce victory over the Germans any day. In her excitement, she cannot really focus in her discussions with her diary, revealing her inner conflict and desperate desire to be a good person (on the inside and the outside). In her diary entry of Friday July 21, 1944, Anne writes of her optimism but also that she does not want to anticipate victory over the Germans, and then almost immediately she writes of that very anticipated victory, telling her diary that "they don't call me a bundle of contradictions for nothing." Anne knows that she confuses people who never see the Anne she would like them to see, which is why she agrees with such a description of herself.

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