On Pg. 46 Anne Frank writes this quote (look at description). What does this quote reveal about Anne and her perspective? Can you relate to her sentiment?

Question

Here is the quote: “Who besides me will ever read these letters? For whom but myself shall I get comfort? As I need comforting often, I frequently feel weak and dissatisfied with myself, my shortcomings are too great. I know this, and every day I try to improve myself again and again.”

Answer 1

This is a great question. As is the case in much of literature, we often have to infer what is meant, or see if we can understand the "meaning" of texts based on historical, cultural, social, and even personal factors, whether we are dealing with fiction or nonfiction.

In this case, knowing the context and circumstances behind Frank's text, we could try to understand the meaning of the quote from the perspective of isolation and persecution. Hiding from the evil that was constantly beyond her safe space, Frank may have sometimes wondered if the words she wrote would reach anyone beyond the confines of her hiding space. Perhaps, we can think about her quote in terms of our own fears, our own secret "voices" that tell us that we are not good enough, not smart enough, that we will never amount to much. Yet, the end of the quote finds Frank fighting to better herself; she sees herself as having some shortcomings, but, even in the darkness of her hiding space, she sees the opportunity to continue being a better person.

Again: in order to fully understand the quote and interpret it, we need to place it in historical context: Frank's young age, the fact that she was hiding out in order to remain alive, in a situation where any small mistake would mean imprisonment and death. Ultimately, the quote is inspiring: although Frank questioned whether her words would ever make their way outside of the walls of her room, her voice does, in fact, still resonate to us, perhaps, her voice is louder now than it ever was.

Very good question! I hope this helps you out.

Jaime A.