So much has been said about how harrowing and tragic Anne's story was; it was awful. However, even when terrible things happen to you or those you care about, you're still human.
Part of the tragedy of Anne's situation is that she never got to grow up and mature.
She comes off not just as a typical, sometimes moody and trying teen but also as some one who would have, potentially, fit right in with the Hitler youth had the shoe been on the other foot.
She seems like the kind of person who'd have thrown friends under the bus for purposes of things like increasing her own social status.
I can imagine her being on the fringes of the popular crowd, just itching for a chance to prove herself worthy of getting in.
I guess I had more sympathy for her disposition when reading the book as a teen myself.
Overall–and in addition to everything else–it is a portrait of the vaguaries and frailty of the human spirit. Sometimes, if you ask me, the saints are sinners, too.
by heavensdumptruck
3 Comments
Disregard the wikipedia thing; had to fill that spot so please don’t let that contribute to your views on my opinions.
I mean she was a child who had to be cooped up with a bunch of people to survive. How many teenagers are likeable in good conditions?
You linked to the Wikipedia landing page.
Can you explain exactly what you find unlikeable about her? Just to understand what you’re saying. But—even if she is unlikeable, that doesn’t change anything about the book and its importance and relevance.
> “Of course, she was a mean girl – like you see today in the movies, yes?” Trudy said. “A mean girl. That was Anne. But that wasn’t really her fault. It was her father, you see, who spoiled her, and, well, never mind, I’ve said too much. But to me, what became insufferable was her optimism. ‘I know in my heart that people are good.’ That was from her diary, yes? People are good? Do you think she believed that in Bergen-Belsen?”
>
>— “Trudy,” Holocaust Survivor
In my opinion, this is an unfair criticism. Anne was saying that because we say think like that, when we *wish* they are true. It gives us hope to believe that people are good. If she admitted the opposite, she might lose hope.