Anne changed in many ways over the
two years she was writing her diary. Some of these changes can be described as
“growth.” She became a perceptive observer of politics, and of human nature,
and she became a very practiced and well-educated writer. Many of her diary
entries suggest a mind mature past her years, and the reader might forget that
he/she is reading the work of a teenager.
In the beginning of Anne’s diary,
which starts at June 12th, 1942, Anne wrote about her typical
girlhood experiences, like writing about her friendships with other girls, her
crushes on boys, her academic performance at school, etc. She was an immature,
yet ordinary, girl back then. However, the entry on Wednesday, July 8th,
1942, Margot, Anne’s older sister, is called to appear before the
authorities—which would almost surely mean she was being sent to a
concentration camp. With that, Anne and her family were forced into hiding.
With another family, the Van Daans,
and an acquaintance, Mr. Dussel, they moved into a small “Secret Annex” above
Otto Frank’s office, where they had stockpiled food and supplies. The employees
from Otto’s firm helped hide the Franks and kept them supplied with food,
medicine, and information about the outside world. They’ve lived like this for
two years.
She starts visiting Peter Van Daan
in the attic. Around that time, she starts having dreams about a boy she was in
love with, another Peter, in which she calls Petel. She sometimes even gets the
two Peters confused in her head. She matures more, and starts sharing a strong
friendship with Peter, which doesn’t go further than that.
Anne matures considerably
throughout the course of her diary entries, moving from detailed accounts of
basic activities to deeper, more profound thoughts about humanity and her own
personal nature.
