50 Anne went running over to her father to tell the entire story. Pim decided
to talk to Dussel soon after Anne finished her story, and they spoke for more than half an hour. The conversation went back and forth, with Pim defending Anne’s
selfishness and pointless activities and Mr. Dussel grumbling the whole time. However, Dussel finally gave in, and Anne was granted the opportunity to work
without interruption two afternoons a week.
C. The Surface Meaning and Deeper Meaning of Anne Frank’s Motivation
in Giving Responses to the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding
This part answers the third problem in the Problem Formulation by using theory of motivation. The first sub part describes the surface meaning of Anne
Frank’s motivation in giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding. While, the second sub part describes the deeper meaning of Anne Frank’s
motivation in giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding.
1. The Surface Meaning of Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses
to the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding
It has been stated before that Anne and her mother could not get along well each other. Mrs. Frank often mocked and scolded Anne for everything she did in
front of other people in the Annexe which hurt Anne so much. Mrs. Frank also liked to tell about Anne’s shortcomings to other residents of Annexe. Sometimes
Anne wanted to slap her mother right on her face when she could not stand her
51 mother any longer. However, it was impossible for Anne doing that kind of thing
to a person who had given birth to her. Sometimes she yelled at her mother when she could no longer bear her mother’s tactless comments, “I don’t care what you
say. Why don’t you just wash your hands of me – I’m a hopeless case” 108. It had been a habit for Anne and her father to pray together. Mr. Frank
used to listen to Anne’s prayer. However, one day, Mr. Frank could not come to pray together with her. Consequently, Mrs. Frank came and offered to listen to
Anne’s prayer, yet Anne rejected her mother’s offer. Anne’s rejection to her mother’s offer in order to listen Anne prayer aroused new conflicts in the hiding.
The conflict occurred between Anne and her mother, between Anne and her father and between her mind and her heart. Anne’s mother cried half the night and did
not get any sleep after that. Everything was getting worse when Mr. Frank avoided looking at Anne. If his eyes did meet hers, Anne could read unspoken
word, “How can you be so unkind? How dare you make your mother so sad?” 126 and Anne was sad to find her father that way.
Anne was forthright in giving reaction to the conflict appearing between her and her mother. She often spoke directly to her mother what she wanted to say
when she was irritated by her mother’s comments or actions. However, sometimes Anne chose to go to her room and cry. Her achievement motive encouraged her to
overcome obstacles and to strive to do something difficult as independently as possible. As a teenager, it was difficult for Anne to control her emotion. However,
Anne tried not to yell at her mother every time and went to her room instead.
52 Everyone in the Annexe expected Anne to apologize. However, Anne did
not feel that she should apologize because she told what should be told. She told the truth and she thought that it was better when they hear it sooner because the
longer it was postponed, the harder it would be for them to accept when they heard it. Anne’s response to this conflict was to remain silent and aloof.
Anne’s reaction in rejecting her father’s request to help her mother who was sick and rejecting to apologize because she was a forthright person and there
were some reasons for her rejections. First, she felt that she and her mother never understood each other. Second, her mother often gave tactless comments and bad
remarks about her shortcomings. As Anne wrote, ”Just as my heart sinks every time I hear her harsh words, that’s how her heart sank when she realized there was
no more love between us” 126. Third, Anne felt that her mother was unfair in treating her if it is compared to her sister, Margot.
Anne was very sad to find that her father came to assist Margot when she had a disagreement with Margot. She said that she was sad for the reason that her
Father passed judgment without knowing what the issue was. However, her sadness was caused by her jealous feeling to Margot since her father stood on
Margot’s side instead hers that night. Anne’s affiliation motives encouraged her in giving response to some
conflicts since they had something to do with human relationship. Anne wanted to win her father affection only for herself since he was the only person who could
understand her better than other people, including her mother. Anne felt jealous
53 when her father did not stand on her side as usual. Therefore, Anne left the room
huffily as her reaction toward the conflict. Jealous feeling will appear when something bothers our relationship with a person whom we love.
The second conflict happened when she wrote a letter for her father about her feeling. She tucked the letter she had written into her father’s pocket. Anne
never thought that her letter would upset her father for the whole evening. On Saturday afternoon, 6 May 1944, Anne and her father had a long talk about the
letter she wrote. Anne regretted her fault in writing the letter, This is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I used to show off,
to make myself seem important so he’d respect me. I’ve certainly had my share of unhappiness, and everything I said about mother is true. But to
accuse Pim, who’s so good and who’s done everything for me – no, that was too cruel for words. 361
Anne felt ashamed to her father as her father had been very kind to her. Furthermore, after their long talk, her father was so nice to her as if he was the one
who had done something wrong. She realized that she still had to learn many things and it was the time for her to make a new beginning. It was the time for her
to stop looking down on other people and blaming them. I should deeply ashamed of myself, and I am. What’s done can’t be
undone, but at least you can keep it from happening again. I’d like to start all over again, and that shouldn’t be difficult, now that I have Peter. 361
What had been written by Anne shows that she was tactful enough in giving response to her conflict with her father. Anne Frank’s reaction to this
conflict was motivated by her achievement and affiliation motives. Anne tried to
54 overcome obstacles and make improvement for her self-quality by admitting her
fault and trying not to do the same mistake again. It shows that achievement motivation plays its role in Anne Frank’s responses to the conflict with her father.
Her affiliation motive urged her to have a better relationship with her father after the conflict happened.
Anne was often insulted by Mrs. van Daan’s tactless comment or manner. Anne was a forthright girl who often gave direct response to Mrs. van Daan
whenever they were involved in disagreement, but sometimes she kept silent. As Anne wrote, “Mrs. van Daan is unbearable. I’m continually being scolded for my
incessant chatter when I’m upstairs. I simply let the words bounce right off me” 31.
Mealtime always brought suffering to Anne for she always got sharp comments. Therefore, one day she got a new idea that during meals she prefers to
talk more to herself than to others. According to Anne, it would give two benefits; first, other people would be glad that they did not need to listen to her chatter, and
second, she would not be annoyed by other people. They always thought that Anne’s opinions were stupid. She applied the same tactic when she had to eat
something she loathed. She put the dish in front of her and pretended that it was delicious. She avoided looking at it as much as possible so that people of Annexe,
especially Mrs. van Daan, would not give any comments to her. After a long process, Anne finally found the way to have a better relation
with Mrs. van Daan. Anne was a smart girl who realized that Mrs. van Daan liked
55 an honest person. Therefore, when they had different argument later on, Anne
always revealed what she thought honestly. It worked well to make up their relationship. Mrs. van Daan no longer gave bad reply to Anne. Anne finally found
that Mrs. van Daan was not as bad as she had thought before. When Anne’s parents asked her for not to go upstairs to meet Peter in his
room, Anne met Peter even though her parents had forbidden her. Anne’s responses to her parents’ prohibition were caused by her loneliness. According to
McClelland 346-347, everybody needs others in their life; it cannot be avoided by human. Anne was motivated by her need to affiliate with others. She was a
lonesome girl whose relation with her family was not going well. Consequently, she did not want to lose every moment with Peter, since Peter could drive her
away from loneliness. Peter was the only person who Anne could cling to. Anne never used to be able to share anything with anyone, but she could share and
discuss anything with Peter. During her hiding, Anne felt that she always confronted everyone.
According to Anne, everyone thought she was showing up when she talked, ridiculous when she was silent, insolent when she answered, cunning when she
had a good idea, lazy when she was tired, selfish when she ate one bite more than she should, stupid, cowardly, calculating, etc.
All day long I hear nothing but what an exasperating child I am, and although I laugh it off and pretend not to mind, I do mind. I wish I could
ask God to give me another personality, one that doesn’t antagonize everyone. 107
56 Beck 354 states that the term ‘affiliations’ refers to associate with others,
apart from the question liking them or loving them. It indicates that affiliation consists of all kinds of relationship, not only because of liking or loving someone,
but also hating or confronting someone.
We can conclude that the surface meaning of Anne Frank’s motivation in
giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding is her achievement and affiliation motivation. She needed to affiliate with others although it seemed
that other members of Annexe always confronted her in any ways. Affiliation consists of all kinds of relationship. Anne loved her father and Peter van Daan, but
she confronted her mother, Mrs. van Daan and Mr. Dussel during her hiding. Anne confronted her father once when her father forbade her to meet Peter too
often. In Beck’s Motivation 317, Murray defines “need for achievement as a
desire or tendency ‘to overcome obstacles, to exercise power, to strive to do something difficult as well and as quickly as possible’. Anne Frank’s achievement
motives played their roles in overcoming obstacles during her hiding, including her conflicts with some of Annexe’s residents.
2. The Deeper Meaning of Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses to
