The Diary Of A Young Girl
by Anne Frank
Table of Contents
August 14-November 9, 1942
Summary: August 14-November 9, 1942
Anne has not written in her diary for a month because little has happened that she considers “newsworthy.” She reports that the van Daans arrived on July 13, one day early due to an increase in the number of call-up notices being sent out. Anne writes that the sixteen-year-old Peter van Daan is shy and awkward, and she thinks that “his company won’t amount to much.” Mrs. van Daan amused Anne by arriving with her chamber pot, which she didn’t think she could live without. The two families eat all of their meals together, and Anne says it feels like “one big family.” Mr. van Daan regales the Franks with news of what happened after their disappearance. Their tenant, Mr. Goldschmidt, was distraught because he was afraid that the house would be searched. Mr. van Daan convinced him that the Franks had fled to Switzerland, and this is what all of their acquaintances now believe. This news comes as a relief, as it will help cover their tracks from the Gestapo.
Bep’s father, Mr. Voskuijl, becomes informed about the families hiding in the annex and is helpful. He builds a bookcase to cover the annex door. The days, for Anne, are uneventful. She is taking a break from schoolwork, as her father plans to begin tutoring her in September. She writes that she is “always at loggerheads with Mr. van Daan.” She is also being frequently scolded by her mother, and resents being treated “like a baby.” In the month since the van Daans arrived, Anne does not feel that Peter has become any more agreeable. He lies around in bed a great deal, and Anne finds him hypersensitive, possibly a hypochondriac, and lazy. Mr. and Mrs. van Daan have loud arguments, yelling at one another in a way Anne cannot imagine her own parents doing. There is also tension between Mrs. van Daan and Mrs. Frank. Mrs. van Daan criticizes Anne and gives unsolicited parenting advice to Anne’s mother. Anne resents Mrs. van Daan’s intrusiveness and feels criticized by both of the...
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