The Diary Of A Young Girl
by Anne Frank
Table of Contents
November 10, 1942 - May 18, 1943
Summary: November 10, 1942-May 18, 1943
Anne is excited to report that there will be a new person joining them in the annex, a dentist named Albert Dussel. Anne is pleased to have more company, although she is not thrilled about sharing her room with the new member. When Mr. Dussel arrives, the residents present him with an amusing handbook containing the rules and regulations of the annex. Among other things, the handbook mentions that speaking German is forbidden, but learning English and French is encouraged. In talking with Mr. Dussel, Anne learns more about the atrocities against Jews taking place in the outside world. Many more of their friends and acquaintances have been rounded up and taken to “a dreadful fate.” Bounties are offered for the reporting of Jewish people; entire families are taken away in the middle of the night, including the elderly, the sick, and pregnant women. Anne feels grateful to be in hiding, but also guilty. She writes, “I feel wicked sleeping in a warm bed, while somewhere out there my dearest friends are dropping from exhaustion or being knocked to the ground.” With news of the outside world and its terrible realities, the inhabitants of the annex are troubled and gloomy.
On a personal level, Anne feels increasing lonely in the annex. She misses having friends, and does not feel that Margot and her mother are satisfying companions. Although she adores her father, she knows that he “can’t take the place of [her] former world.” As the days go by, Anne begins to find Mr. Dussel annoying. He is highly opinionated about her behavior and thinks she should be better disciplined. Anne is constantly being scolded by her mother, Mrs. van Daan, and Mr. Dussel now. At night, she doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry over the vast number of her perceived mistakes and shortcomings.
Hanukkah and St. Nicholas Day are only one day apart, so there are two holidays celebrated in the annex. Hanukkah is less eventful; with a shortage of candles, they can only light them for...
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