I get cross, then sad, and finally end up turning my heart inside out, the bad part on the outside and the good part on the inside, and keep trying to find a way to become what I’d like to be and what I could be if . . . if only there were no other people in the world.
This statement ends Anne Frank’s last
diary entry, written on August 1, 1944.
Anne does not intend to end her diary at this point: to her, it
is just the end of a regular day of hiding in the annex. However,
this turns out to be her last entry because the Nazis arrest her and
her family just three days later. It serves as a fitting conclusion
to Anne’s development and personal growth during her time in the annex.
Since her time in hiding coincides with puberty, Anne constantly
struggles with her identity and her evolving sense of self. She tries
to figure out her role within the annex and how she fits into the war
and suffering in the outside world. Anne believes that she is a good
person, but she also realizes that because of her confinement, she
is unable to reach her true potential until she is released back
to her normal life after the war. Anne’s words resonate even more
profoundly because we know that within months these “other people” kill
her in the concentration camp. Anne is never allowed to reach her
full potential and never gets the chance to become the good person
she has in mind.