The Diary of a Young Girl

I've just finished reading the novel "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. Since young I've heard about her stories, but I've never read the diary, neither have I paid much attention to this part of the human history.  

During the last Christmas holidays, I went to Amsterdam, not knowing this was where she was hiding out (opps, poor historical knowledge) until we got into casual conversation with a friendly lady on the train, where she told us she was bringing her children to Anne Frank Museum Amsterdam for educational purpose. So we went to the museum in spite of a queue, and left the museum heavy-hearted (at least I was). However, it certainly served its educational purpose of revealing a bit of history about this horrible discrimination against Jews during the World War II, from the eyes of a young victim. The tour itself was fascinating and thought-provoking. It was amazing that there was such a big space hidden in the building, which could accommodated 8 people for 2 years and a month. At the same time it kept me wonder what it must have felt like, being the subject of cruelty and being forced to be hidden in a confined space for 2 years. 

Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam 

Reading the diary was just as thought-provoking as walking the same rooms Anne Frank and other inhabitants have walked those years ago. 


She was strikingly normal. A normal teenager with lots of emotions (well, a little bit more thought from me because of this...), had times of joy, doubts, anger, hopes and loneliness. Had troubles with relationships with family and fellow inhabitants of the Secret Annexe (as she called the hideout) - the typical inner struggles. She had times when she was proud, and times when she regretted. 

Despite of the war going on, the cruelty being forced upon them, they had hopes and dreams. They (especially Anne, since it's her diary...) dreamed about the outside world, they made plans of what they were gonna do after the war, for eg. Anne wanted to be a journalist/writer, to do something great so that she could "live even after she dies"; her sister Margot wanted to be a nurse or doctor. Like any girl (i think), she hoped for her true love, had ideas like "not being just a housewife" later in her life. I was struck by the fact that the phrase "after the war ends" appeared lots of time in their conversations. 

I don't want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death! And that's why I'm grateful to God for having given me this gift [writing], which I can use to develop and to express all that's inside me!

It was particularly upsetting to read that, in just the 2nd last entry of the diary, they were so excited about the optimistic turns of the war. In July 1944, she was feeling happy about the possibility to go back to school in October 1944! I couldn't help but wondered for a moment on the most useless question in the world -- "what if...?" And you know what? She died 1-2 months before the camp she was imprisoned in was liberated. 


Another thing that drew a lot of my attention was her relationship with her mother Edith Frank. In most of the diary she criticized her mother, but yet when I read more online about their lives after the diary ended abruptly on 1st August 1944 (they were arrested on 4th August), it was known that in the concentration camp Edith Frank starved because she gave her foods to her 2 daughters, and eventually died of starvation and exhaustion. And the thought that came directly was "omg I hope they did make up in time! it was really all misunderstanding!!" *sigh* 

Unlike any other documentary, Anne Frank's diary lends people a lens to view her world and the sufferings due to the Holocaust from her point of view. And imagine, this is only 1 girl out of millions, 1 diary preserved out of all others which are lost.