Three Things to Know About Anne's Relationship With her Mother
Anne and her mother have a different kind of relationship with each other than any other individuals in the annexe. Anne definitely thinks a lot of her mother just not as a mother figure, and they don't necessarily have a mother- daughter relationship.
THE BEGINNING OF ANNE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER MOTHER
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| Edith Frank |
In the beginning of the book, I thought that Anne and her mother didn't have a very close relationship with each other. They definitely had a relationship, but certainly not the mother-daughter relationship I think they both longed for. “I don't pronounce judgment on Mummy’s character, for that is something I can’t judge. I only look at her as a mother, and she doesn't succeed in being that to me. I have to be my own mother” (Frank 45). Anne always got into a lot of arguments with her mother, and they didn’t see eye to eye on most discussions or topics. Maybe their personalities just didn’t work right together, and Anne grew to love her father more.
RELATIONSHIP SHIFT
Towards the middle of the book, Anne realizes that she treated her mother poorly in the past, and I think she wants to change but, I don’t think she wants to talk to her mother about it, nor do I see her putting in the effort to get along better with her mother. On Sunday January 2, 1944, Anne wrote, “... I came across letters dealing with the subject ‘Mummy’ in such a hotheaded way that I was quite shocked, and asked myself: ‘ Anne is it really you who mentioned hate? Oh, Anne how could you!’” ( Frank 127). Anne says she wants to change but I don't think she ever will. Also while they are trapped in the annexe they might not get along better because they have been in there for over a year and I haven't seen their relationship go in any sort of positive direction Also on Sunday January 2, 1944 she wrote, “I used to be furious with Mummy, and still am sometimes. It's true that she doesn't understand me, but I don’t understand her either. She did love me very much and she was tender, but as she landed in so many unpleasant situations through me” (Frank 127). The two of them probably don’t understand each other because they don't share a lot about their personal lives with one
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| Anne, Margot, and their mother |
another, and Anne just writes them down in her journal. As I continue reading Anne’s diary entries, she doesn't seem like she would like to have a closer relationship with her mother. On the other hand I do think that Anne’s mother wants to have the same kind of relationship with Anne that her and her father have. When Anne writes about the things her mother does it really sounds like her mother is actually trying to become closer with Anne, and Anne keeps pushing her away. On Saturday, 27 March, 1943, Anne wrote, “ Mummy got up, paused by my bed for a moment, and walked slowly towards the door. Suddenly she turned around, and with a distorted look on her face said, ‘I don't want to be cross, love cannot be forced.’ There were tears in her eyes as she left the room” (Frank 77). When I read that piece of text I thought about how Anne treats her mother in compared to her father, and the relationships that I have with all of my family members in comparison to hers. I think that this type of relationship affects her mother a little bit more than Anne, because you can tell that her mother is tying, and Anne isn’t really even attempting to change anything other than writing about how she wants to do it.
PREDICTION
In the future I don’t see their relationship going anywhere in a positive direction for the time being, because I just don't see them putting in the effort to make this broken relationship work very well. I wonder what in the future might bring the two of them closer?
I feel as if in the future Anne might not want to put the effort in to their mother-daughter relationship like you said but once Peter gets in he life that he would have an impact on how she treats he mother. Peter is not the person to usually be the person to help someone because he is socially awkward. But in this case Peter and Anne's relationship might be more than friends and I feel as if that would make her realize how her adn her mom can still have a mother and daughter relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think Anne will just forget about her mother and her mother will give up on Anne. Anne will have to turn to Margot and/or Mrs. Van Daan in terms of advice. Either way Anne will need a mother figure in her life and she will have to turn to someone. I think the result of them splitting up will be Anne's mom finding her diary and reading all of her deepest thoughts.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel as if the two will grow closer together, contrary to what all of you think, partially because of what she says on Sunday, January 2, 1944's entry. It says, "It wasn't nice for either of us, but it is passing," (Frank 128). They may not get the mother-daughter relationship, but they should get close enough for something like that to form, or at least for Anne to be able to ask her for advice.
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