The diary of anne frank
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Mr. Frank. There is so little that we parents can do to help our children. We can only try to set a good example . . . point the way. The rest you must do yourself. You must build your own character. Anne. I'm trying. Really I am. Every night I think back over all of the things I did that day that were wrong . . . like putting the wet mop in Mr. Dussel's bed . . . and this thing now with Mother. I say to myself, that was wrong. I make up my mind, I'm never going to do that again. Never! Of course, I may do something worse . . . but at least I'll never do that again! . . . I have a nicer side, Father . . . a sweeter, nicer side. But I'm scared to show it. I'm afraid that people are going to laugh at me if I'm serious. So the mean Anne comes to the outside and the good Anne stays on the inside, and I keep on trying to switch them around and have the good Anne outside and the bad Anne inside and be what I'd like to be . . . and might be . . . if only . . . only . . [She is asleep. MR. FRANK watches her for a moment and then turns off the light, and starts out. The lights dim out. The curtain falls on the scene. ANNE'S voice is heard, dimly at first and then with growing strength.] Anne's Voice. . . . The air raids 5 are getting worse. They come over day and night. The noise is terrifying. Pim says it should be music to our ears. The more planes, the sooner will come the end of the war. Mrs. Van Daan pretends 5. air raids: Allied aircraft conducted air raids, or bombing attacks on ground targets, in the Netherlands because the country was occupied by the Germans. 376
to be a fatalist. 6 What will be, will be. But when the planes come over, who is the most frightened? No one else but Petronella! . . . Monday, the ninth of November, nineteen forty-two. Wonderful news! The Allies have landed in Africa. Pim says that we can look for an early finish to the war. Just for fun, he asked each of us what was the first thing we wanted to do when we got out of here. Mrs. Van Daan longs to be home with her own things, her needlepoint chairs, the Bechstein piano her father gave her . . . the best that money could buy. Peter would like to go to a movie. Mr. Dussel wants to get back to his dentist's drill. He's afraid he is losing his touch. For myself, there are so many things . . . to ride a bike again . . . to laugh till my belly aches . . . to have new clothes from the skin out . . . to have a hot tub filled to overflowing and wallow in it for hours . . . to be back in school with my friends . . . [As the last lines are being said, the curtain rises on the scene. The lights dim on as ANNE'S voice fades away.] SCENE 5 It is the first night of the Hanukkah 7 celebration. MR. FRANK is standing at the head of the table on which is the menorah. 8 He lights the shamas, or servant candle, and holds it as he says the blessing. Seated, listening, are all of the `family," dressed in their best. The men wear hats; PETER wears his cap. Mr. Frank (reading from a prayer book). "Praised be Thou, oh Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with Thy commandments and bidden us kindle the Hanukkah lights. Praised be Thou, oh Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has wrought wondrous deliverances for our fathers in days of old. Praised be Thou, oh Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, that Thou has given us life and sustenance and brought us to this happy season." (MR. FRANK lights the one candle of the menorah as he continues.) "We kindle this Hanukkah light to celebrate the great and wonderful deeds wrought through the zeal with which God filled the hearts of the heroic Maccabees, two thousand years ago. They fought against indifference, against tyranny and oppression, and they restored our Temple to us. May these lights remind us that we should ever look to God, whence cometh our help." Amen. (Pronounced "o-mayn") All. Amen. [MR. FRANK hands MRS. FRANK the prayer book.] Mrs. Frank (reading). "I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall keep thee from all evil. 6. fatalist: person who believes that all events are determined by fate and therefore cannot be prevented or affected by people's actions. 7. Hanukkah: joyous eight-day Jewish holiday, usually falling in December, celebrating the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem in 164 B.C. The Temple had been taken over by the Syrians, who had conquered Jerusalem. The Maccabee family led the Jews in a successful rebellion against the Syrians and retook the Temple. 8. menorah: Hebrew for "candleholder." Mr. Frank is lighting a menorah that holds nine candles: eight candles, one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, and the shamas, the candle used to light the others. WORDS TO OWN zeal n.: great enthusiasm; devotion to a cause. tyranny n.: cruel and unjust rule or use of power. 377
He shall keep thy soul. The Lord shall guard thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth and forevermore." 9 Amen. All. Amen. [MRS. FRANK puts down the prayer book and goes to get the food and wine. MARGOT helps her. MR. FRANK takes the men's hats and puts them aside.] Dussel (rising). That was very moving. Anne (pulling him back). It isn't over yet! 9. Mrs. Frank is reading Psalm 121 from the Bible. 378
The Jews of Nazi-occupied Europe faced a far more powerful enemy than their Maccabee ancestors did. Yet even in these desperate circumstances, heroes emerged to battle tyranny. The most famous episode of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust took place in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw, Poland. By 1942, ninety percent of the city's Jews had been killed. On April 17, 1943, Nazi troops arrived to deport the few who remained to the Treblinka death camp. Led by twenty-four-year-old Mordecai Anielewicz, the men and women of the Warsaw ghetto fought back from the housetops and the sewers. Although they were armed only with a few smuggled revolvers and grenades and homemade weapons, their resistance continued for a month. In the end, only a handful of Jews survived the Warsaw ghetto uprising, but the story of their courage lives on. 379
Anne. Presents! Mrs. Van Daan. Presents! Dussel. Look! Mr. Van Daan. What's she got on her head? Peter. A lampshade! Anne. (She picks out one at random.) This is for Margot. (She hands it to MARGOT, pulling her to her feet.) Read it out loud. Margot (reading). You have never lost your temper. You never will, I fear, You are so good. But if you should, Put all your cross words here. (She tears open the package.) A new crossword puzzle book! Where did you get it?
Here's an IOU that I promise to pay. Ten hours of doing whatever you say. Signed, Anne Frank. (MRS. FRANK, touched, takes ANNE in her arm , holding her close.) Dussel (to ANNE). Ten hours of doing what you're told? Anything you're told? Anne. That's right. Dussel. You wouldn't want to sell that, Mr . Frank? Mrs. Frank. Never! This is the most precious gift I've ever had! [She sits, showing her present to the other ANNE hurries back to the satchel and pulls out a scarf, the scarf that MR. FRANK found in the first scene. ] Anne (offering it to her father). For Pim. Mr. Frank. Anneke . . . I wasn't supposed to 12. toilet water: cologne. 380
have a present! (He takes it, unfolding it and showing it to the others.) Anne. It's a muffler . . . to put round your neck . . . like an ascot, you know. I made it myself out of odds and ends. . . . I knitted it in the dark each night, after I'd gone to bed. I'm afraid it looks better in the dark! Mr. Frank (putting it on). It's fine. It fits me perfectly. Thank you, Annele. [ANNE hands PETER a ball of paper with a string attached to it.] Anne. That's for Mouschi. Peter (rising to bow). On behalf of Mouschi, I thank you. Anne (hesitant, handing him a gift). And . . . this is yours . . . from Mrs. Quack Quack. (As he holds it gingerly in his hands) Well . . . open it . . . Aren't you going to open it? Peter. I'm scared to. I know something's going to jump out and hit me. Anne. No. It's nothing like that, really. Mrs. Van Daan (as he is opening it). What is it, Peter? Go on. Show it. Anne (excitedly). It's a safety razor! Dussel. A what? Anne. A razor! Mrs. Van Daan (looking at it). You didn't make that out of odds and ends. Anne (to PETER). Miep got it for Margo and me. It's not new. It's second hand. But you really do need a razor now. Dussel. For what? Anne. Look on his upper lip . . . you can see the beginning of a moustache. Dussel. He wants to get rid of that? Put a little milk on it and let the cat lick it off. Peter (starting for his room). Think you're funny, don't you. Dussel. Look! He can't wait! He's going in to try it! Peter. I'm going to give Mouschi his present! (He goes into his room, slamming the door behind him.) Mr. Van Daan (disgustedly). Mouschi, Mouschi, Mouschi. [In the distance we hear a dog persistently barking. ANNE brings a gift to Dussel.] Anne. And last but never least, my roommate, Mr. Dussel. Dussel. For me? You have something for me? (He opens the small box she gives him.) Anne. I made them myself. Dussel (puzzled). Capsules! Two capsules! Anne. They're earplugs! Dussel. Earplugs? Anne. To put in your ears so you won't hear me when I thrash around at night. I saw them advertised in a magazine. They're not real ones. . . . I made them out of cotton and candle wax. Try them . . . See if they don't work . . . See if you can hear me talk . . . Dussel (putting them in his ears). Wait now until I get them in . . . so. Anne. Are you ready? Dussel. Huh? Anne. Are you ready? Dussel. Good God! They've gone inside! I can't get them out! (They laugh as DUSSEL jumps about, trying to shake the plugs out of his ears. Finally he gets them out. Putting them away) Thank you, Anne! Thank you! Margot Frank. WORDS TO OWN gingerly adv.: carefully; cautiously. 381
Mr. Van Daan. A real Hanukkah! Mrs. Van Daan. Wasn't it cute of her? Mrs. Frank. I don't know when she did it. Margot. I love my present. Anne (sitting at the table). And now let's have the song, Father ... please . . . (to DUSSEL) Have you heard the Hanukkah song, Mr. Dussel? The song is the whole thing! (She sings) "Oh, Hanukkah! Oh, Hanukkah! The sweet celebration . . . Mr. Frank (quieting her). I'm afraid, Anne, we shouldn't sing that song tonight. (To DUSSEL) It's a song of jubilation, of rejoicing. One is apt to become too enthusiastic. Anne. Oh, please, please. Let's sing the song. I promise not to shout! Mr. Frank. Very well. But quietly, now . . . I'll keep an eye on you and when . . . [As ANNE starts to sing, she is interrupted by DUSSEL, who is snorting and wheezing. ] Dussel (pointing to PETER). You . . . You! (PETER is coming from his bedroom, ostentatiously holding a bulge in his coat as if he were holding his cat, and dangling ANNE'S present before it.) How many times . . . I told you . . . Out! Out! Mr. Van Daan (going to PETER). What's the matter with you? Haven't you any sense? Get that cat out of here. Peter (innocently). Cat? Mr. Van Daan. You heard me. Get it out of here! Peter. I have no cat. [Delighted with his joke, he opens his coat and pulls out a bath towel. The group at the table laugh, enjoying the joke.] Dussel (still wheezing). It doesn't need to be the cat . . . his clothes are enough . . . when he comes out of that room . . . Mr. Van Daan. Don't worry. You won't be bothered anymore. We're getting rid of it. Dussel. At last you listen to me. (He goes off into his bedroom.) Mr. Van Daan (calling after him). I'm no doing it for you. That's all in your mind . . . all of it! (He starts back to his place at the table.) I'm doing it because I'm sick of seeing that cat eat all our food. Peter. That's not true! I only give him bones ... scraps . . . Mr. Van Daan. Don't tell me! He gets fatter every day! Damn cat looks better than any of us. Out he goes tonight! Peter. No! No! Anne. Mr. Van Daan, you can't do that! That's Peter's cat. Peter loves that cat. Mrs. Frank (quietly). Anne. Peter (to MR. VAN DAAN). If he goes, I go. Mr. Van Daan. Go! Go! Mrs. Van Daan. You're not going and the cat's not going! Now please . . . this is Hanukkah . . . Hanukkah . . . this is the time to celebrate . . . What's the matter with all of you? Come on, Anne. Let's have the song. Anne (singing). Oh, Hanukkah! Oh, Hanukkah! The sweet celebration.
WORDS TO OWN ostentatiously adv.: in a showy or exaggerated way. 382
[He is about to blow out the candle when suddenly there is a crash of something falling below. They all freeze in horror, motionless. For a few seconds there is complete silence. MR. FRANK slips off his shoes. The others noiselessly follow his example. MR. FRANK turns out a light near him. He motions to PETER to turn off the center lamp. PETER tries to reach it, realizes he cannot, and gets up on a chair. Just as he is touching the lamp, he loses his balance. The chair goes out from under him. He falls. The iron lampshade crashes to the floor. There is a sound of feet below running down the stairs.] Mr. Van Daan (under his breath). God Almighty! (The only light left comes from the Hanukkah candle. DUSSEL comes from his room. MR. FRANK creeps over to the stairwell and stands listening. The dog is heard barking excitedly.) Do you hear anything? Mr. Frank (in a whisper). No. I think they've gone. Mrs. Van Daan. It's the Green Police. They've found us. Mr. Frank. If they had, they wouldn't have left. They'd be up here by now. Mrs. Van Daan. I know it's the Green Police. They've gone to get help. That's all. They'll be back! Mr. Van Daan. Or it may have been the Gestapo, 13 looking for papers ... Mr. Frank (interrupting). Or a thief, looking for money. Mrs. Van Daan. We've got to do something ... Quick! Quick! Before they come back. Mr. Van Daan. There isn't anything to do. Just wait. [MR. FRANK holds up his hand for them to be quiet. He is listening intently. There is complete silence as they all strain to hear any sound from below. Suddenly ANNE begins to sway. With a low cry she falls to the floor in a faint. MRS. FRANK goes to her quickly, sitting beside her on the floor and taking her in her arms.] Mrs. Frank. Get some water, please! Get some water! [MARGOT starts for the sink. ] Mr. Van Daan (grabbing MARGOT). No! No! No one's going to run water! Mr. Frank. If they've found us, they've found us. Get the water. (MARGOT starts again for the sink. MR. FRANK, getting a flashlight) I'm going down. [MARGOT rushes to him, clinging to him. ANNE struggles to consciousness.] Margot. No, Father, no! There may be someone there, waiting. . . . It may be a trap! Mr. Frank. This is Saturday. There is no way for us to know what has happened until Miep or Mr. Kraler comes on Monday morning. We cannot live with this uncertainty. Margot. Don't go, Father! Mrs. Frank. Hush, darling, hush. (MR. FRANK slips quietly out, down the steps, and out through the door below.) Margot! Stay close to me. [MARGOT goes to her mother] Mr. Van Daan. Shush! Shush! [MRS. FRANK whispers to MARGOT to get the water. MARGOT goes for it. ] Mrs. Van Daan. Putti, where's our money? Get our money. I hear you can buy the Green Police off, so much a head. Go upstairs quick! Get the money! Mr. Van Daan. Keep still! Mrs. Van Daan (kneeling before him, pleading). Do you want to be dragged off to a concentration camp? Are you going to stand there and wait for them to come up and get you? Do something, I tell you! 13. Gestapo: Nazi secret police. 383
Mr. Van Daan (pushing her aside). Will you keep still! [He goes over to the stairwell to listen. PETER goes to his mother, helping her up onto the sofa. There is a second of silence; then ANNE can stand it no longer.] Anne. Someone go after Father! Make Father come back! Peter (starting for the door). I'll go. Mr. Van Daan. Haven't you done enough? [He pushes PETER roughly away. In his anger against his father PETER grabs a chair as if to hit him with it, then puts it down, burying his face in his hands. MRS. FRANK begins to pray softly. ] Anne. Please, please, Mr. Van Daan. Get Father. Mr. Van Daan. Quiet! Quiet! [ANNE is shocked into silence. MRS. FRANK pulls her closer, holding her protectively in her arms.] Mrs. Frank (softly, praying). "I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved . . . He that keepeth thee will not slumber. . ." [She stops as she hears someone coming. They all watch the door tensely. MR. FRANK comes quietly in. ANNE rushes to him, holding him tight.] |