The Diary of a Young Girl September 28, 1942 - December 22, 1942 Summary

Anne, at this point in her life, is tired of being the person who is singled out for reprimands by the adults in the "Secret Annex", as she calls the hiding place. She feels put upon by almost everyone in the attic, her mother, her sister, and most of all Mrs. Van Daan. Mrs. Van Daan has an opinion on everything that is said or done by those living in the "Secret Annex". She feels that it is her responsibility to point out any deficiencies, as she sees it, to the group. This does not sit well with Anne or anyone else who lives there.

Anne talks about how each member of the group has adapted to the bathroom situation in the attic. Since there is no bathtub available to them, they each must take a sponge bath in the place of their choosing. Peter does his in the kitchen, which has a glass door, so he has to tell everyone to stay away from the kitchen door while he is bathing. The girls use the front office because it has a curtain they can draw for privacy. Mrs. Van Daan does not bath at all, she is waiting to discover the best place for her baths.

The days become very long and monotonous for the families as they try to make as little noise as possible. It is in the evenings after the workers have gone home when they are afforded the opportunity to move around a bit, but they must still speak in whispers. Only on Sundays and holidays they can have a day in which movement is allowed all day, because the workers do not come into the building on those days.

Anne also relates how they try to keep their spirits up by celebrating birthdays and holidays. They are not able to celebrate as they did before, but they do find ways to fashion gifts and make special meals. Also Anne and Peter try to amuse the others by dressing up in silly costumes comprised of clothes they and the others have brought to the "Secret Annex".

She also confides to her diary how Elli, who worked for Mr. Frank, has signed up for a correspondence course in a secretarial school. The real students are Anne, Margot, and Peter, who will learn shorthand. One of the reasons for this course is to learn how to write in code.

The group, through Miep and Elli, learn of the fate of many of their friends and relatives. These people are being rounded up and sent to concentration camps. They are treated as if they are animals, with no thought or consideration being given to the old or sick. The men and women are forced to share the same quarters resulting in many of the women becoming pregnant. They also learn that if a person is involved in sabotage and is not found, then the Gestapo will round up persons of importance in the community. They hold them until the saboteur is found, or if he is not found they kill five of the hostages. The names of these people are put in the paper as deaths caused by "fatal accidents."

The family has a close call on October 20, 1942. They were aware the fire extinguishers were going to be filled, but not the exact date of the work. So they were terrified when they suddenly heard a sound right outside the door to their rooms when they had been moving around as normal. They had been eating with Elli as their guest when this occurred. In response the whole group went silent then Anne and her father went to the door to listen. They heard someone trying to gain entrance to the rooms, which was very frightening, but were relieved to find out it was Mr. Koophuis. He helped to hide them in the attic and was only trying to get in to take Elli home. The latch to open the door had become stuck causing the commotion the families heard outside the door.

In November, the group decides to take in an eighth person, he is a dentist named Albert Dussel. Miep knows him and the families feel that he will fit in quite nicely with their group. He at first seems very nice and tries hard to get along with everyone. He is astonished by the living arrangement in the attic; he had no idea it was as large as it was. Margot is moved to a camp cot and Mr. Dussel is assigned to share Anne's room with her. Mrs. Van Daan presents him with a list of rules for living in the "Secret Annex".

Anne finds out that the Gestapo is going house to house rounding up Jews to take to the concentration camps. She can see the people in the evening walking in lines, while the guards are abusive to them. She feels guilty that she is warm and safe in her hiding place while her friends are being taken away.

Mr. Dussel is not as kind as Anne first thought. He spends much of his time preaching to her about the error of her ways and how she must change. She often pretends not to hear him or else she just goes along with whatever he says so that he will stop talking.

The family celebrate Chanuka and St. Nicholas Day the best they can, by lighting the candles for Chanuka only for a short time and exchanging a few gifts for their first St. Nicholas Day. Mr. Van Daan, takes the meat they have stored up and makes sausages, this provides food and also entertains them.

In this section of the diary we are given a further glimpse into the world of the "Secret Annex". We are also introduced to Mr. Dussel.



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