Summary: June 13–November 27, 1943

Anne’s fourteenth birthday is celebrated with little gifts from the members of her “family in hiding,” as she calls them. She receives a poem penned by her father, which Margot translates from German into Dutch. Sadly enough, she also learns that Bep’s father, Mr. Voskuijl, is diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Anne has become near-sighted and needs glasses, but after much deliberation the family decides not to take her to an eye doctor fearing that they might get discovered. Anne is not disappointed by this but reassured since she is not comfortable stepping out of the secret annex.

Anne keeps herself busy studying and wants to go back to school when the war ends. Therefore, very politely, she asks Mr. Dussel if she may use the worktable in their room for an extra hour-and-a-half twice a week. She is very disappointed and angry when he refuses without offering any explanation. Yet, Anne keeps her temper and asks him to reconsider. Eventually, her father intervenes on her behalf, and Dussel gives in.

The offices downstairs are burgled one night, although this is not noticed immediately. The air raids continue throughout the day, so there is a constant fear of both fire and discovery. The wonderful news that Mussolini has resigned, however, makes the residents hopeful. With so many people fighting against the Fascist government in Italy, there is hope for an end to the war.

Starting on August 4, 1943, Anne takes to presenting a detailed picture of the group’s daily routine, with an account of their evening and night-time routines, who sleeps where, who washes when, and how Anne leaves hairs in the bathroom sink. She also describes the strange noises which the house and its “inmates” make during the night. She has a keen eye and carefully observes the little nuances of speech and the physical gestures uniquely characteristic of the various members of the group.

One of the warehouse employees, Mr. van Maaren, becomes suspicious about the annex, and the office workers are thus forced to try harder to conceal it. Anne takes sedatives to calm her nerves but is aware that all she needs is “a good hearty laugh.” She longs for sunlight and freedom. She feels lonely and misunderstood by her family. At night, she has nightmares of being captured, being in a dungeon without her parents, and of the annex burning.

Analysis: June 13–November 27, 1943

Anne’s decision to “talk more to herself” than to others during dinnertime shows emotional maturity. To maintain peace and reduce conflicts, she chooses to keep her opinions to herself. Despite these challenging circumstances, Anne is growing to be compassionate, empathetic, and considerate. Throughout her diary, no matter how grim the reality or how depressed Anne might feel, she always believes that the war will end and that she will be able to live a meaningful adult life. These entries show that the war had impacted all spheres of life: the social, the political, and the economic.

Anne is an extremely self-aware and conscious individual. This much is apparent to the reader when she says: “If you were to read my pile of letters one after another, you would certainly be struck by the many different moods in which they are written. It annoys me that I am so dependent on the atmosphere here, but I’m certainly not the only one — we all find it the same.”