The Diary of Resistance
How would you feel if one day your dad told you to put on as many pieces of clothing as you could because you were about to go into hiding for what could be a very long time? For inquiry 2, I plan to analyze the movie, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” based off of the book, “The Diary of a Young Girl,” written by Anne Frank. The film was produced by Jon Jones, in 2009. It is a true story about a young, Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during The Holocaust. [Give source] shows that the film is an accurate depiction of her diary that was later discovered, translated, and published. She, along with her family, another family, and a doctor hid in an annex above her dad’s factory for 25 months, until the police discovered them. The story is told from Anne’s perspective, where she goes into great detail about her daily struggles, and what it is like living in the crowded annex. It is a story about resistance because it shows Jewish people resisting the wishes of Hitler by hiding out instead if going to the concentration camps. It also shows Anne resisting the norm that girls should not read and know more than boys; as well as Anne resisting what everyone else wants her to do, and doing what she wants instead. I believe that “The Diary of Anne Frank” makes a conscious effort to recreate the personal, racial, and gender-based resistance that took place during The Holocaust.
A common theme seen in both “The Diary of Anne Frank” and in Anne’s diary is Anne’s personal resistance. Throughout the movie, Anne gets into an argument with almost every single character. Mrs. Van Daan tells Anne that she reads too much and should spend her time doing more important things. Anne not only gets extremely angry but also deliberately does not listen to her, and takes her book into the other room to read it. Dr. Pfeffer, Anne’s roommate, and herself had many conflicts as well. Anne was not delighted to room with him in the first place, and the tension grew increasingly when he would use the desk in their room, when it was her turn. They had a planned out schedule where the desk was shared equally, but he then decides that he should get more time since he is older and has an actual job that he needs to work on. Anne does not just passively allow him to take over the desk, but she instead goes against Dr. Pfeffer’s request and goes to her father and complains to him. She ends up getting her way, forcing Dr. Pfeffer to share the desk with her, once again. Anne’s personal resistance coincides with the gender-based resistance that takes place in the movie.
Another major topic portrayed in the movie is the idea of gender-based resistance. This can be seen greatly when Mrs. Van Daan tells Anne that she should not be reading books. She says that reading and writing should be left to the boys, and that girls should spend their time otherwise. Anne is greatly offended by this because she loves reading and writing, and it is the only thing that keeps her sane while living in the annex. Whenever anyone tells her that she is wasting her time, instead of listening to them and putting her book away, she instead escapes to the attic so she can read and write in peace.
The last major theme of resistance seen in the movie and throughout The Holocaust is racial resistance. Racial resistance is the main issue and reason for The Holocaust. Hitler felt that the ” Jews were an inferior race, an alien threat to German racial purity and community,” and that was why they needed to be eliminated (History). He tried to get rid of the Jews by putting them in concentration camps, but many resisted by going into hiding. Anne’s family is a perfect example of this because they hide in her father’s attack for over two years. Racial resistance can also be seen in The Holocaust be the Germans who hid Jews in their basements, cellars, etc. Here the Germans were resisting their own race and what they were being told was right.
Anne Frank was an inspiring young girl with a brilliant mind. Her diary, which was later turned into many movies and tv shows, told her story, and explained what it was like to be a Jew during The Holocaust. The movie, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” portrays the themes of personal, gender-based, and racial resistance, all which were present during The Holocaust.
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