Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Hanneli
Hanneli is one of Anne’s close friends who appears in
Anne’s dreams several times as a symbol of guilt. Hanneli appears
sad and dressed in rags, and she wishes that Anne could stop Hanneli’s
suffering. A young Jewish girl, Hanneli has presumably already been
arrested and deported to a concentration camp. For Anne, Hanneli
represents the fate of her friends and companions and the millions
of Jews—many of whom were children like herself—who were tortured
and murdered by the Nazis. Anne questions why her friend has to
suffer while she survives in hiding. Anne continually struggles with
the guilt that her friend is dead while she is still alive. Hanneli’s appearance
in Anne’s dreams makes Anne turn to God for answers and comfort,
since there is no one else who can explain why she lives while her
friend does not.
Anne’s Grandmother
Anne’s grandmother appears to Anne in her dreams. To Anne,
she symbolizes unconditional love and support, as well as regret
and nostalgia for the life Anne lived before being forced into hiding. Anne
wishes she could tell her grandmother how much they all love her,
just as she wishes she had appreciated her own life before she was
confined in the annex. Anne misses living a life in which she did not
have to worry about her future. She imagines that her grandmother
is her guardian angel and will protect her, and she returns to this
image to sustain her when she feels particularly afraid or insecure.
