Once you have finished the book, determine what the theme of the books is and analyze it using textual evidence from the book. Remember theme is a general statement about life or people

CHANGES IN ANNE’S PERSONALITY

Through the entire book there are constant themes, including loneliness, love, attitude, fear, family, and identity or perspective shifts. I think that the personality and perspective changes are the most prominent in the diary.

Anne’s entire perspective on life has changed majorly throughout the book. She has found little or even major things that give her joy at a time in her life where she is in constant danger. While she is trapped in the annexe she explores and discovers things about herself, why she acts the way that she does around certain people, and learned more about people that she now cares very deeply about. In the beginning of the book, I thought that Anne had a more negative perspective on life because she was new to the annexe and didn't really know what to make of the situation that they were in, or about how long it would last.

In the middle to end of the book, I think that her perspective on life is a lot more positive in the range of things that she can control. Some of the things that lightened her overall mood is that she found some new relationships such as the one with Peter. She also seems to know a lot about herself and what she likes. Teens in real life may not be sure what kind of person they want to be, or may not be sure how to get to be the person that they want to be in the end. Anne mentions throughout the book about her “dual personality.” “I’ve already told you before that I have, as it were, a dual personality. One half embodies my exuberant cheerfulness, making fun of everything, my high spiritedness, and above all the way I take everything lightly… This side is usually lying in wait and pushes away the other, which is much better, deeper and purer” (Frank 266). Anne has two sides to her and depending who she is with, a different personality may appear. Anne makes it sound like one of them is more dominant than the other one, and that she definitely likes one of them more than the other.

Her, along with most other people negatively affected by the war had a more pessimistic attitude toward the conflicts at the time. But I think that all of the positive things in her life outweigh all the negative things going on in the world at the time. To Anne, I think that finding herself is more important to her than the world problems, and that she is trying to get better. “I’m really not as conceited as so many people seen to think, I know my own faults and shortcomings better than anyone, but the difference is that I also know that I want to improve, shall improve, and have already improved a great deal” (Frank 248).

What are some of the ways Anne’s identity has changed from when we first meet her, before she goes into hiding? Are the changes ones that she chose or ones that were forced upon her?