The Diary of Anne Frank

In the Diary of Anne Frank, a main idea is how lonely the life is of a teenager.  She does not have a confidant (that’s why here diary becomes one) and she has rather bad relationships with her mother and sister, and weak, shallow relationships with her friends.  She continuously brags about her strings of annoying boys who are "in love with her," and her "large circle of friends," but tyhen says that she does not feel that she can talk to them about anything important. She writes toward the end of the diary, “the young are more lonely than the old.” She also uses mother as an example of how she would not like to be, and her sister as a figure she just isn't so very close to.  Without there people in her life, she was set out on a long track – even before being put in hiding – to loneliness.  

The author, Anne Frank, probably subconsciously wanted us to feel outrage at her treatment and to stand and make a difference (at least back then), while at the same time she just wanted us to sympathize with her – in terms of her situation of being forced to go into jiding because of the  Holocaust, and also just her family/social situation. To make us realize the horror that was going on, she gives vivid details of her “crazy life,” how nice her life was before versus how awful it is now. You get this brief perfect time before everything starts in the beginning of the book, and then iot erupts into chaos. She vividly describes the anti-jew laws, while still maintaining that every thing is alright, that people are good despite it all. Her faith in the human race is admirable.   

I will take away from this book a much better and more comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust and the hardships Jews had to face.  My opinion on the issue obviously has not changed, but fortified and been made stronger. My understanding of World War II was greatly enhanced by this; before I understood what happened, but really not how people, much less a girl my own age, felt. I would like to know more about what happened to Anne, and how she died.

The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, wealth, and how it corrupts people and destroys lives is a main theme. Nick, the main character and protagonist, goes out from his home of Minnesota to Long Island, seeking money and glamour under the guise of starting up a bond business.

His new neighbor, Jay Gatsby, throws fancy parties every week, and soon strikes up a sort of friendship with Nick. This is mainly because Nick playes a main part in the reintroducing of a girl (Nick's cousin, Daisy) who Gatsby has been in love with for years. In fact, it is revealed that Gatsby, poor when they had met, had lied about his financial status and then taken to cheating and swindeling to eventually create a mass fortune.
The pursuit of wealth is evil in the end, and, even with all his money, he still doesn't get the girl.

Also, knowing that the book takes place in the 1920s, I think about wealth in the time period. The roaring 20s were a period of financial stability, ladies in flapper outfits, and happiness. World War I had been over with, the economy was booming, and the rich were richer. Jay Gatsby's lavish weekly parties might have something to do with the time period-- maybe he wanted to prove that he could fit in the rich who had money to burn. However, he is one of the rich, and he does have money to burn, but he's one of the new, self- made rich who who live on the west egg of Long Island (the old rich live in the east egg.) People like Gatsby are less tasteful than the aristocracy as well, and put up garish displays of money. He feels a need to prove himself and display his riches and to always be looking for more-- which essentially led to his downfall and the fall of the 20s. The economy, after its sudden post- war rise, dropped again after the 20s, more dreadfully and depressively than ever before.

After a series of disasters ultimately leading to the death of Gatsby and moving away of Daisy and her husband, Nick goes back to Minnesota. It's less complicated there, and people have true values-- caring about things other than money and wealth and maintaining the kindnesses that can make a personality, even if you're a beggar on the street.

Emma, by Jane Austen

     In Emma, by Jane Austen, the main character is lovable but not quite likable. In many parts of the story she is her own antagonist and acts accordingly to her friend, Harriet. The book follows Harriet's romance and her own.

     The main plot of the story involves when she tries to set her friend up (after a few successful tries in matchmaking) with a jerk. Then, later on, when Harriet gets a marriage proposal from a really kind man who she really likes, Emma convinces Harriet not to accept because she thinks that he's not good enough for her (by the end of the book, he and Harriet are happily married.)

     This book makes me wonder if justice was served or not. In my opinion, justice is served when the victim of something emerges content, and the bad guy is punished. For instance, if someone murders someone, they are thrown in jail (assuming they're caught). In this story, Emma is both the bad guy and the victim, but she comes out of her situation pretty happily (if not with a little angst) with no punishment that I can see. So, going by my typical ruling, there would not be justice in this story.

     However, I might say that Emma does get served justice, as Harriet is happy at the end, and Emma gets berrated once (which really affects her, as she grew up with only one lenient parent) and even learns a lesson by the end. You good also argue that Emma meant well, and had good intentions all along, and had nothing to justfy. It goes both ways.

     If justice is not served by the end of the story, it certainly seems like there is; the "jerk ex- boyfriend" character is made to marry an awful lady, and Emma, our heroine, and Harriet, the cheerful henchperson, live happily ever after.