Question

Character Motivation
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Feb 3 11:45 pm
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The Diary of Anne Frank, Act II
Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich
A character's motivation is the reason he or she takes a particular action. A character's motivation may be internal, external, or a mix of both. Internal motivations are based on emotions, such as loneliness, ambition. or jealousy. External motivations are sparked by settings, events, or situations, such as war or poverty.
Characters are often affected by their environment. In this play, two main settings have a major impact on the characters' actions: the raging war being fought across Europe and the confines of the attic in which the characters are forced to hide.
To identify a character's motivation, make an inference, or an educated guess based on evidence, about why the character behaves in a certain way by thinking about how the character thinks, acts, and speaks.
As you read, consider each character's possible motivations for each action he or she takes.
DIRECTIONS: Answer these questions about Act II of The Diary of Anne Frank. Use textual evidence from the play to support your responses.
1. What is Mr. Kraler's motivation for telling the Franks about being questioned by his co-worker?

Answer 1

Mr. Kraler’s main motivation is to warn and protect the people in the Annex and to be honest with them about the increased danger. Telling the Franks that a co‑worker has questioned him is both a practical move (to alert them to possible suspicions at the office) and a moral one (he feels he owes them the truth because their lives depend on his secrecy).

Evidence from Act II that supports this:
- His tone and behavior when he brings the news are nervous and remorseful; he hesitates and looks guilty, which shows he is worried about the consequences and feels responsible for their safety.
- The content of what he reports (that someone at the business has asked questions that could lead to discovery) is an explicit warning about external danger—he wants the occupants to be on guard and ready to take precautions.
- The reactions of the others—immediate tension, whispered planning, and Mr. Frank’s attempt to steady everyone—show that Kraler’s purpose in speaking up was to prompt a realistic response to a new threat rather than to create panic.

So his motivation is a mix: externally driven by the real, growing risk (suspicion at the office) and internally driven by conscience and loyalty to the people he’s hiding.