THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK Anne Frank ‐ BIOGRAPHY The author of the diary, Anne Frank, was a teenaged Jewish girl. She was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany, where she spent her early years with her parents and Margot, her older sister by three years. In the summer of 1933, the family moved to Holland, because the Nazisand Adolph Hitler had come to power and began begun to persecute Jews in Germany. In Amsterdam, Anne at first attended a Montessori kindergarten and grade school. After the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, however, she had to leave her school for a Jewish one. Anne made a smooth transition in the new school and was a good student. Anne Frank Throughout her childhood, Anne was compared to her older sister, Margot, and judged to be less intelligent, talented, and beautiful. She was aware that her parents thought she was inferior and resented their attitude about her. In truth, Anne was a much more lively and personable girl than her sister. It is, therefore, fitting that her name, rather than that of Margot, is the one remembered by millions of readers. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, was a wise and resourceful man. After the Nazis took control of Holland, he made plans for the family to go into hiding, hoping to avoid arrest and imprisonment. In July of 1942, Anne and her family entered the secret attic that Mr. Frank had prepared in the Amsterdam office building where he had worked. They remained in hiding there for more than two years and were joined by the van Daans and Mr.Dussel. For the time she was in hiding, Anne recorded in a red checkered diary each and every observable fact, coupled with her own reflections. The entries reveal her to be a sensitive and wise human being and a gifted writer. Fortunately, even though she was died in a concentration camp, her diary survived to tell of the horrors she experienced during the war and to reveal her amazing, indomitable spirit as a young teenage girl. On August 4, 1944, the Gestapo, acting on a tip, arrived at the office building to conduct a search. Even though the Dutch protectors tried to distract the Nazis, they did not succeed. The bookcase hiding the door to the annex was moved and the hideout was discovered. When the Nazis entered, the occupants stared in frightened silence. Offering no resistance, they simply packed a few things and left with Gestapo. Anne’s diary was left behind. The entire group, including Koophuis and Kraler, were taken to Gestapo headquarters, where they remained for questioning for a few days. They were then sent together by train to Westerbork, a retaining camp in Holland. During the journey, Anne, who had longed for two years to see the outdoors, stared out the window of the train, watching the passing scenery. Upon arrival at Westerbork, they found the conditions to be bearable; even though there was overcrowding and a lack of food, there were no gas chambers, firing squads, or crematoriums. It is reported that Anne and Peter spent their time together while they were at Westerbork and seemed relatively happy. After all, they were enjoying more freedom than they had experienced for the last two years, and they were probably both too young and naïve to understand the full danger of their position. It has also been reported that Mr. Frank was allowed to visit Anne in her barracks at night. On September 2, the Franks and van Daans were gathered into a large group to be sent to concentration camps by train. They were herded into cattle cars, which were sealed after entering. After three days they arrived at Auschwitz, where the men were separated from the women, and the children were separated from the adults. It was the last time Otto Frank would see his family. Anne, Margot, Mrs. Frank, and Mrs. van Daan marched together with the other women into the horrid concentration camp, where their heads were immediately shaved. They were also stripped and given only a sack dress to wear. It is reported that when the weather turned cold, Anne Frank managed to find and wear a set of men’s long underwear under her sack dress. The women in the camp were divided into groups of four or five for purposes of work assignments and food distribution. Although Anne was the youngest in her group, she became its leader. She often was given the assignment of distributing bread to each barrack, which she always performed cheerfully and fairly. She also displayed a great deal of compassion for the prisoners who were less fortunate than she. On October 30, 1944, all the women in camp were stripped and displayed before a searchlight. Those that appeared healthy were separated from those that were old, sick, or weak. The latter group, including Mrs. Frank, were obviously destined to be sent to the gas chambers. Anne and Margot were selected to be sent to the Bergen‐Belsen camp in Germany. They were again crowded into cattle cars that were sealed and traveled for several days. At Bergen‐Belsen, there were no regular work assignments. Neither were there regular food distributions, so most prisoners were starving to death. Typhus was also rampant, and many prisoners fell gravely ill and died. While there, Anne’s condition deteriorated rapidly. By the time she encountered her girlfriend Lies, Anne was ragged, emaciated, staving, and miserable. When Lies tried to give her food and clothing, they were stolen by other prisoners. Margot contracted typhus during a camp epidemic and was critically ill for a long while. Then in late February or early March of 1945, she fell into a coma and died within days. Anne, who was also sick, was not even told about her sister’s death. Anne herself died a few weeks later, just a few weeks before the British Army arrived and liberated the camp on April 15, 1945. As she had hoped, Anne’s diary was preserved and first published in 1947. It is a usual day‐to‐day accounting of most unusual circumstances. Simply written, it is an outpouring of feelings and thoughts during the most trying of times for a young Jewish teenage girl during World War II. It is also a noble testament to Anne’s bravery against Nazi cruelty. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The background setting for Anne Frank’s diary is World War II, which was started by Germany and lasted from 1939 ‐ 1945. Having lost World War I, Germany dreamed of revenge and the recapture of lost territories; but the Republic of Germany, known as the “Weimar Republic,” was unable to cope with post‐war problems and gave rise to a dictatorship. Hitler and his Nazi party rose to power by appealing to the many discontented German citizens and quickly suppressing their adversaries. On March 23, 1930, Hitler, with his totalitarian regime, assumed total control of the country. He immediately outlawed all other political parties, churches, and labor unions. He also formed the Gestapo, a regimented military police organization, to enforce his new laws. At the same time, radio, newspapers, and even motion pictures were seized by the government to issue Nazi propaganda. With a strong belief in ethnic cleansing, Hitler began his attempt to purify Germany by eradicating all but the true Aryan (Germanic) race. False arrests, tortures, illegal imprisonments, and even murders were commonplace. He then created concentration camps to house the many prisoners who were opposed to his government or who came from the wrong race; when the prisoners arrived in the camps, their heads were shaved and their arms were tattooed with their identification number. In the camps, many of those interred, especially the Jews, were exterminated through starvation, sickness, unmerciful beatings, firing squads, and gas chambers. Those who were not killed were totally humiliated and forced into hard labor, including the children. The women were often sexually abused and raped. By the time that Otto Frank left Germany to live in Holland with his family in 1933, the Nazi persecution of the Jews had already begun, and Hitler had started to re‐arm Germany for a future war, in blatant violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Then in 1938, he invaded and annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, telling the world it was a move towards peace. When Hitler began an invasion of Poland in l939, France and Britain finally declared war on Germany, and World War II had begun. Hitler, however, had amassed a mighty and well‐armed fighting force, and by 1940, he had overrun Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France. In 1941, Hitler launched an attack against Russia. Throughout the next few years, the persecution of the Jews intensified, and virtually all of Europe was controlled by the brutal Nazis. By the time that Hitler was defeated and the war ended in 1945, more than six million Jewish men, women, and children had been killed, which was over 60% of the total number of Jews in the world. SETTING Anne Frank’s diary is written and set in Amsterdam, Holland during the World War II years of 1942 ‐ 1944. Anne’s family (the Franks) and the van Daans are Jews hiding in a small area of two to three rooms, with a single window, located in the attic of an office building in Nazi occupied Amsterdam; Anne refers to it as the “secret annexe". For two years, these close quarters serve as a shelter and protection for the families against the Nazis. CHARACTER ANALYSIS MAJOR CHARACTERS Otto Frank, As Portrayed in the Diary Otto Frank, Anne’s father, was a kind, caring, wise, and practical man. When he saw the Jews being persecuted in Germany, he moved himself and his family to Holland in 1933. Then when the Nazis invaded Holland, he made plans to take his family into hiding, hoping they would all be safe until the end of the war. It is obvious that he was much loved and respected by his Dutch business colleagues, for they were the ones who helped him prepare the annex and kept it supplied, even though they were risking their own lives for the safety of the Frank family. It is also obvious that he was a generous man, for he readily accepted the van Daans and Dussel into the cramped quarters that he had prepared for his family. When Anne complains about the newcomers, he wisely teaches her that the most important thing is to save another Jewish life. Once the Franks moved into the secret annex, Otto became the leader and peacemaker of the group. It is he and Anne that unpack the family’s belongings and organize the annex. Later, when tempers flared, he often intervened in arguments, calming the opposing forces. Additionally, he found books and created lessons for the young people to keep their minds sharp and to relieve their boredom. When Anne came to him for comfort or advice, he always found time for her. Because she had such a distant and negative relationship with her mother, Anne became very close to her father. It was his gift on her thirteenth birthday that she liked best. It was to him that she turns for solace once the family went into hiding. Sometimes when she was scared by the bombing during the night, she would climb in bed beside her father, who would calm her down and reassure her. Frank was truly a wise man and a loving father and husband. Mr. and Mrs. van Daan Mr. van Daan was a former business associate of Otto Frank. He, his wife, and his son Peter join the Franks in the secret annex. Although Mr.Daan was not well developed in the diary, Anne did indicate that he was a chain smoker. As long as he had cigarettes, he was a quiet and calm man, but without them, he grew cranky. He forced Mrs. van Daan to sell her fur coat to support his smoking habit. Anne described Mrs. van Daan as a quarrelsome and irritating woman. She was always picking a fight with someone, especially her husband. She also constantly criticized Anne’s behavior, indicating she had been improperly raised. Although all of the Franks found her troublesome and lazy, they could do nothing about her. Neither Mr.Daan nor his wife was a good parent. They never knew how to properly handle Peter’s disobedience. When he read a book not meant for him, Mr. van Daan grew furious and beat Peter, an action that made the Franks even more uncomfortable. Both Mr. and Mrs. van Daan were captured by the Gestapo and died at Auschwitz. Peter van Daan Peter is the fifteen‐year‐old son of the van Daans. When he arrives at the secret annex with his parents, Anne judges him to be shy and awkward. Although he is attractive, with blue eyes and dark, curly hair, she thinks he will never be good company for her. During the two years that they stay in the attic, they become very good friends. When her parents scold her for spending too much time with him, she stands up to them, refusing to change her behavior, for when she is with Peter she has a bit of happiness amidst her misery. When Anne receives her first kiss from him, she is delighted. By the time they are captured, Anne realizes that she is in love with Peter. When Peter and Anne are captured by the Gestapo and sent to Westerbork, it is reported that they are constantly together. At Auschwitz, however, the pair is permanently separated. In January of 1945, Peter had to leave the Auschwitz camp with the SS guards on a forced 35 mile “death march” to a train station to be taken to Mathausen‐Gusen. Otto Frank tried to persuade the boy to stay back, but Peter was too afraid. Peter died in May, 1945 at the Mathausen‐Gusen concentration camp. PLOT ANALYSIS ‐ CONFLICTS Although there is not really a plot in the diary, there is definitely a conflict. Throughout the entries, Anne clearly indicates that there are three battles raging. The biggest and most serious one is the outside conflict of World War II. Anne and her family have had to go into hiding to escape the Nazis, who had invaded Holland and were imprisoning and systematically killing the Jewish people. Throughout her stay in the secretannex, Anne fears being caught and imprisoned by Hitler’s forces. She also endures constant air raids and bombardments and worries that the building in which they are hiding will be hit, causing the occupants in the annex to burn to death. The second conflict that Anne must endure is living in the cramped quarters of the secret annex for over two years with absolutely no privacy and few supplies. She must even share her small room with Mr.Dussel, an old and irritating Jewish dentist. Life in hiding was tedious and boring. Unable to leave the annex, she had to entertain herself with reading, studying, listening to the radio, and doing chores. A lively and talkative girl, she found that her behavior was irritating to the others, even to her mother and sister. She was often criticized and scolded. She also had to endure the constant bickering of the other occupants of the annex; especially troublesome were the frequent fights between Mr. and Mrs. van Daan. It is no wonder that Anne often cried herself to sleep at night, out of fear and frustration. The third conflict for Anne was the normal maturing process of an adolescent. Having just turned thirteen when she entered the annex, Anne was a moody and emotional girl, just like most teenagers. She was at the point in her life when she wanted freedom and independence. Instead, she was forced into cramped quarters that provided no escape and no privacy. All of her actions were constantly scrutinized by an overly critical audience of onlookers who openly voiced their disapproval of her behavior. She was always compared to her older sister, Margot, and came up short, for Anne was judged to be less beautiful, talented, and intelligent. It is no wonder that Anne sometimes questioned her own self worth and wondered if death might not be better. It is also not surprising that she constantly fights with her overly anxious and critical mother. Two things helped to ease Anne’s conflict during her stay in the annex: her ability to write in her diary, which she named “Kitty,” and her friendship with Peter van Daan. She began to think of the diary as a close friend, for she could tell it her deepest thoughts and frustrations. In a similar manner, she learned to confide in Peter and enjoy his companionship. She even states that she often feels happy in his presence and is openly delighted to receive her first kiss from him. Unfortunately, neither Peter nor the diary could save Anne from the real enemy ‐‐ the Nazis. In August of 1944, she and the other occupants of the secret annex are seized by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camps. Anne died of typhus in the Bergen‐Belsen camp in 1945. THEMES ‐ THEME ANALYSIS The major theme of the diary is the horror of war. Although Anne is hidden away from the fighting in the secret annex, World War II is very real to hear. She has been personally persecuted by the Nazis for being Jewish and is now in hiding because of them. She constantly hears the air raids and the bombardments of the battle and fears for her life. She is also worried about being discovered in the secret annex and sent to a concentration camp. Anne and the other occupants are very aware of the horrors that are happening outside the annex. Their Dutch protectors bring them news from the outside, and they constantly listen to the radio. Anne knows about Hitler’s ruthless advances; she has also heard about the cattle cars, the concentration camps, the gas chambers, the firing squads, and the crematoriums. She wonders throughout the diary if she will live to see the end of the war; unfortunately, she does not. In contrast to the horror of war is the power of love, which is seen throughout the diary. Mr. Frank, a caring and sensitive man, deeply loves his family and tries to protect them. He also tries to make life more bearable for Anne and Margot by giving them books to read and lessons to study. In addition, he serves as a peacemaker, trying to make things in the annex more pleasant for everyone. Love is also expressed in the care and concern that people show for one another. Without hesitation and with love, Mr. Frank welcomes the van Daans and Mr.Dussel into the already cramped quarters of the annex. He knows that saving another Jew is the most loving thing he can do. In a similar loving way, Koophuis and Kraler risk their own lives to protect the occupants of the annex, without a thought to their own safety. Romantic love is also seen as an antidote to misery. When Anne falls in love with Peter, she finds happiness amidst her misery. Love is certainly the only countermeasure against the horror of war. THE IRONY OF THE DIARY’S SURVIVAL The normal procedure of the Gestapo was to burn the papers of the prisoners taken into custody. They wanted to destroy any evidence of Nazi inhumanity or autocracy. When the Gestapo enters the secret annex and captures its occupants, they also gather the papers that they find, even emptying the briefcases of the men. Ironically, they leave behind Anne’s diary, for it does not seem to be a threat. When Elli and Miep enter the secret annex to see what they can save for the Franks and van Daans, they find Anne’s diary. They lovingly keep it, waiting for the Franks to return. Unfortunately, only Otto Frank survives the concentration camp. When he returns to Amsterdam after the war, Anne’s diary is given to him. He decides to publish it in tribute to his daughter. It is ironic that the Gestapo overlooked the diary, for it is one of the most condemning treatises of Nazi inhumanity ever to be published. The diary has been translated into more than thirty languages and read throughout the world. Anne’s story, and her treatment at the hands of the Nazis, has also been widely viewed in plays and movies. Even though Anne died in a Nazi concentration camp, her spirit will always live on. It seems that Anne really won, while Hitler lost. Major Themes Coming of Age A critical point about Anne Frank's diary is that it was written during the years of her adolescence. She struggled with many typical teenage problems‐‐yearning for her own space away from adult meddling, burgeoning sexuality, and the quest for her own identity‐‐in an enclosed space with little privacy. Anne continually questions herself and spends most of the diary trying to figure out what kind of person she is. She berates herself for her selfishness, agonizes over the fate of her friends, and tries and tries to be "good" in the way her parents would like her to be. Towards the end of the diary, she comes to the crucial conclusion that though she may not be the way others would like her to be, she is her own person and she respects herself. These discoveries make "Diary" a bildungstroman in the tradition of great coming‐of‐age novels like James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Identity Over and over again, Anne asks herself questions about the type of person she is: How should I feel about those on the outside, who are suffering? Am I virtuous? Am I too selfish and childish? What does it mean that Germans despise me simply because I am a Jew? Although Anne finds no easy answers to these questions, she uses them to define who she is and who she wants to be. Anne's quest for her identity is and the coming‐of‐age theme are the most significant themes of the book. Jewish Consciousness This theme usually comes up tangentially, but the fact that it is not central to the book has also provoked critical comment. For Anne, exposure to the question of Jewish consciousness comes mostly through her discussions with young men. For example, Harry Goldberg, Anne's boy friend at the beginnning of the book, is a member of the Zionist Youth Movement, which celebrated the Jewish heritage. But Peter Van Daan tells Anne that when the war is over, he intends to keep his Jewish heritage a secret. Anne stands somewhere between these two polar opposites in that she does not give a great deal of thought to her Jewish heritage. But her ambivalence has prompted some Jewish critics to claim that the Diary would not be such a classic if Anne had made her Jewish heritage a larger part of the book. Anti‐Semitism When Anne does comment on her Jewish heritage, it is to lambast the anti‐Semitism and hatred that has forced her family to go into hiding. Although Anne does not express a full view of the historical anti‐
Semitism that combined with contemporary unemployment to make the Jews a pariah in Europe, that history is always lurking at the back of this book. It is important to remember that the main reason why Anne's diary is considered so important is because it stands as a testament against the hatred and anti‐
Semitism that caused her death. Virtue Anne struggles with the question of "virtue" throughout the book. Her parents want her to emulate her sister Margot's virtue, which mostly consists of being quiet and self‐effacing. Anne admires her father, who does not let anyone step on him, but sticks to his principles and demands that others do the same. It is important that Anne's feelings for Peter Van Daan cool when she decides to emulate her father's idea of virtue; she does not feel that her friendship with Peter is more important than the love and respect of her father. War Though Anne claims to despise politics, she cannot help but become caught up in the war. It is the war, after all, that is responsible for her family's living situation. The adults in the annex, by contrast, speak constantly about the war and their prospects after the war. Throughout the diary, the phrase "after the war..." hangs over the book, an unfulfilled wish of every annex resident. Towards the end of the diary, when the Allies begin making great progress against Germany, Anne's diary entries document every battle and every landing‐‐a great mirror into her excitement about the prospect of leaving the annex for good. Duty All of the annex members struggle with the concept of duty: duty to one's country, to one's friends, and, most importantly, one's fellow annex residents. Life in the annex is a series of petty quarrels, and many of them have to do with conflicting feelings of duty towards each other. For her part, Anne struggles to be a dutiful child and to get along with everyone in the annex. Suffering Just as the phrase "after the war" hangs unspoken over everyone in the annex, so does the phrase "the Jews outside." All of the annex residents struggle with feelings of guilt for those they have left behind to suffer under Nazi persecution. Some of them, like Mrs. Van Daan, choose to ignore it. Others, like Anne, feel bad but insist on trying to remain cheerful. The question of how the annex residents deal with their feelings about the suffering outside is intimately linked to their own feelings of fear about being captured by the Germans. Were you able to answer these questions STUDY QUESTIONS 1. In the pages of the diary, Anne Frank describes several conflicts that she faces. Explain what they are. 2. Anne describes the many ways that Jews were discriminated against and persecuted by Hitler. Explain what they are. 3. Contrast the relationship that Anne has with her mother and her father. 4. Explain how Anne feels about Margot and why. 5. Mr.Dussel and Mrs. van Daan are particularly troublesome to Anne. Explain why. 6. Describe what daily life was like in the secret annex. 7. Anne definitely matures during the two years she stays in the annex. Explain how she has changed between the beginning and end of the diary. 8. Explain all the reasons that the diary is important to Anne. 9. Explain how the relationship between Anne and Peter develops. 10. What are the two primary themes of the diary and how are they developed. 11. Who are the Dutch protectors and what do they do for the occupants in the secret annex? 12. What happens to the occupants of the annex after they are discovered by the Gestapo? 13. Why do you think that the diary has become a classic piece of literature, translated into more than thirty languages?