The Diary Of A Young Girl
by Anne Frank
Table of Contents
April 6 - August 1, 1944
Summary: April 6-August 1, 1944
There is another break-in at the office on April 9. The four men of the annex go downstairs to investigate while the burglary is in progress, and Mr. van Daan shouts “Police!” in order to scare away the burglars. The burglars run away, but later a man and woman are seen in the warehouse with flashlights. The residents of the annex are terrified of being discovered. Since it is Easter Sunday and the office will not be open the next day, they must sit still and in silence until Tuesday. Late Sunday night, someone rattles on the bookcase and a light is left burning outside the secret annex door. The residents think it might be the Gestapo and try to mentally prepare themselves for the arrest. There is nothing they can do, however, but wait in tense and stifling silence. Finally they risk making a phone call to Mr. Kleiman, explaining that there were burglars and that they were interrupted by the police, who apparently made it as far as the bookcase but have not discovered the annex. Later, Miep and Jan arrive and the residents breathe a collective sigh of relief. The police have gone, and the residents remain safe for now.
After this agonizing experience, Anne writes that she and the other residents have been “strongly reminded of the fact that we’re Jews in chains” and wonders why the Jewish people have been singled out for such suffering. She rallies her courage, saying that “the time will come when we’ll be people again and not just Jews.” Finally, she puts her faith in God, deciding that “God has never deserted our people” and that eventually “the weak shall fall and the strong shall survive and not be defeated!” Anne feels that she has become a full-grown woman during her time in the annex, with “inner strength and a great deal of courage.” She writes that if God permits her to survive the war, she will “make [her] voice heard… go out into the world and work for mankind.” The atmosphere in the annex is very...
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