The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank
by Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory

Sometimes, there’s more to Lit than meets the eye.

Peter Schiff

For Anne, Peter Schiff serves as a symbol of desire and love. She pins all her longings on memories of him. When Peter Schiff and Peter van Daan become "one" in her head, she finally admits that sh...

Lies, a school friend

Anne dreams about her school friend Lies and imagines that terrible things have happened to her. Lies becomes a symbol of guilt and gratefulness. Anne feels somehow that she should have managed to...

Menstruation

At many points in her diary, Anne expresses her desire to grow up so that her family will take her seriously. She hopes desperately to have her period, thinking of it as a physical sign of adulthoo...

Writing

Anne’s dream is to become a writer. She writes fiction stories and hopes eventually to become a journalist. As her time in the Secret Annex wears on, and fear for her life increases, Anne exp...

Westertoren clock

Anne loves the sound of the Westertoren clock, which signals every quarter of an hour. To her, it feels like a faithful friend. It is reassuring. One night when it fails to chime while they are sit...
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