Summary
[I] keep trying to find a way to become
what I’d like to be and what I could be if . . . if only there were
no other people in the world.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Tensions in the annex run high after the break-in, and
no one can shake the feeling of impending doom. On top of that,
Peter forgets to unbolt the front door, so Mr. Kugler has to smash
the window to get in. The air raids on the city are incredibly heavy.
The Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages in The Hague is bombed,
requiring new ration cards to be issued.
On April 15, 1944,
Anne gets her first kiss. Although Peter only kisses her “half on
[her] left cheek, half on [her] ear,” Anne suddenly feels she is
very advanced for her age. She writes that the longer the war drags
on, the more difficulty she has imagining ever being liberated.
Anne talks to Peter about female anatomy, which she has wanted him
to do for a while. She then muses about trying to have a fairy-tale
published in a magazine.
Anne writes about her schoolwork and also includes the
family’s war-ration recipe for potato kugel in her diary. She asks
Peter if he thinks she should tell her father about their relationship,
and he believes they should. Mr. Frank says that he thinks it is
not a good idea to carry on a romance in the annex, and he asks
Anne if Peter is in love with her. Mr. Frank tells her not to take
it too seriously and that it is her responsibility to show restraint.
Anne wonders about the point of the war and laments that money
is being spent on fighting rather than on medicine, the poor, and
the arts. She reflects on human nature and concludes that until all
of humanity undergoes a profound change, people’s tendencies toward
violence will lead to endless wars and destruction. Anne writes
that she is “young and strong and living through a big adventure.”
Her father complains that she is going upstairs to see Peter too
much. Anne wants to explain why she visits Peter a lot, so she writes
her father a letter, which makes him very upset. He tells her it is
the most hurtful letter he has ever received. Anne feels deeply ashamed
and decides to try to improve herself.
Anne tells her diary the story of her family, including
her parents’ biographies. She writes that her wish is to become
a famous journalist and writer. Mr. Frank has lost a bet with Mrs.
van Daan about when the war will end, so he has to give her five
jars of yogurt in payment. Anne hears that anti-Semitism is becoming
more common among the Dutch, and she is deeply disheartened. She
grows depressed again and wonders if it would not have been better
to suffer a quick death rather than go into hiding. She counteracts
this thought by writing that they all love life too much.
On June 6, 1944,
D-Day, the BBC announces that the Allied invasion of France has
begun. The residents of the annex are very excited. Anne turns fifteen
and writes that the liberation is going “splendidly.” Her mood improves,
and she contemplates her love for nature and the question of why
women are thought of as inferior to men. Near the end of July, Anne
writes about an assassination attempt on Hitler and hopes it is
proof that the Germans want to stop the war themselves. On August 1, 1944,
Anne describes her new insights into her own character and muses
that perhaps she could become the kind of person she wants to be
“if only there were no other people in the world.” Anne’s diary
ends abruptly.
