Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews February 14, 2023 February 7, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Margot and Mr. and Mrs. Frank cannot get used to the chiming of the clock in the annex, but Anne feels reassured by it. She tells her diary that living in the annex is similar to being on vacation in a strange boarding house, and she thinks that the annex is probably the most comfortable hiding place in all of Holland. Anne’s father had brought her movie posters to the attic in advance, so she plasters her bedroom walls with them. Anne looks forward to the arrival of the van Daans, the other family who will live with them in the annex. In a comment added to this section several months later, however, Anne expresses how upset she is about not being able to go outside and that she is terrified that they will be discovered and shot.
Anne begins to argue with her mother more frequently. She feels that she does not fit in with her mother or sister, who are both very sentimental. Anne thinks that her father is the only one who understands her. She knows that she will not be able to leave the annex until after the war and that only a few people will be able to visit them. However, she is still hopeful and dreams of many things.
The van Daan family arrives on July 13, 1942. They come one day ahead of schedule because German call-up notices are being sent out with increasing frequency and causing unrest. Mr. van Daan explains what happened after the Franks’ disappearance. The Franks had deliberately spread false rumors to throw the Gestapo off their trail, so most of their friends think they went to Switzerland.
Mr. Voskuijl, the father of one of Mr. Frank’s coworkers, builds a bookcase in front of the door to the annex to conceal it. Anne’s mother and Mrs. van Daan argue a lot, and Peter van Daan annoys the Franks with his hypochondria. Anne adds that Mrs. van Daan and her mother both speak abominable Dutch but that she will properly transcribe it in her diary. Anne is also studying French and memorizes five irregular verbs each day. She complains that Mrs. van Daan criticizes her even though Anne is not her daughter.
Anne and the others in the annex must take turns using the hot water to take baths, and when the plumber visits the building, they must sit completely still. Every time the doorbell rings, Anne is terrified because she thinks it is the Gestapo. Later, Anne imagines that she is in Switzerland and has 150 guilders to spend. She hears only bad news about the fates of the Franks’ many Jewish friends and begins to tackle the issue of her identity, since she is both a German and a Jew.
At first, Anne sees her new life in hiding as an adventure of sorts. Though the two families live in constant fear of capture, they spend their time thinking about simpler, more immediate problems. They often try to think of ways to escape boredom. Because they are in such close quarters, the residents begin to get annoyed with one another’s quirks. Peter is a hypochondriac, Mrs. van Daan is critical, and Anne’s mother and Peter’s mother fight a lot and speak improper Dutch. At first Anne focuses on figuring out ways to avoid getting frustrated with the others or ways to stay quiet while the plumber is visiting. Anne’s initial pleasure with the novelty of the annex quickly fades, as she becomes restless and frustrated at her inability to go outside or even open the curtains during daylight hours. Even Anne’s pervasive optimism cannot keep her from feeling dread each time the doorbell rings. The mundane routines of daily life are not quite able to mask the constant ring of terror and fear in the annex.
Please wait while we process your payment