Anne Frank

In 1939, **Anne Frank** realised her world was beginning to change around her. Eventually, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Anne became increasingly distressed as her rights were taken away, and her family was ominously being forced to register as Jews with the government and to wear yellow stars. She was then forced to leave her school and attend a Jewish lyceum, where she met her new best friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen, who was only half-Jewish. Anne also met Hello Silberberg, on whom she develops a crush; it is implied that Hello also reciprocates her feelings. On her 13th birthday, she received a checkered-patterned diary and immediately went to her room to write her first entry.

A few weeks later, on a normal Sunday in July 1942, Margot, Anne's sister, received a call-up from the Germans to be deported to a "labor camp" in the East. Otto Frank moved his family into a "Secret Annex", followed soon by Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer, the Frank family's dentist. During their stay in the annex, the Van Pels family members were noted for their constant bickering. Fritz became Anne's antagonist, and Anne had her first serious relationship with Peter, from whom she received her first kiss. All the while, she wished for an end to the war. Anne also got her first period while in the annex - an occasion that she had been anxiously awaiting. One night a thief broke into the building below the annex, leaving the eight refugees in terror.

Eventually, on August 4, 1944, the Franks were denounced by Lena Hartog, the cleaning lady of the business in which the annex resided. The eight people in the hiding were arrested and Anne's diary was dumped onto the floor while SS man Karl Silberbauer searched for hoarded money. Two of the helpers (of those in the Secret Annex) were also arrested. In conversation with Otto, Silberbauer was stunned to learn that he served as an officer in the Imperial German Army during World War I. Silberbauer lamented that, if they had not gone into hiding, Otto and his family would have received decent treatment.

Afterwards, the Franks were sent on a train to Westerbork, a transit camp, where Anne, her family and friends were held in the criminal "S Barracks". There, Anne met a woman, Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper and her sister Lientje, who were later seen with Anne in Bergen-Belsen. Anne also befriended the camp's schoolteacher, who often invited Anne to the camp school to tell the students stories.

Anne and her family were soon transported to Auschwitz, where the women were stripped of their clothing and their hair was shorn. She was separated from her father and the other men. During a selection for women in the camp to go to a safer place to work in a munitions factory, Anne's mother and sister were chosen, but Anne was not. Therefore, Edith and Margot chose to remain behind. Anne and Margot were sent to a scabies barracks and later deported to Bergen-Belsen, which was no more than many large tents on a muddy ground surrounded by an electric fence. Mrs. Van Pels eventually arrived at the camp to find Anne very thin and Margot sick with typhus. One night Anne saw her old friend, Hannah, through the fence. Hannah was a privileged prisoner and told Anne that her father was dying but her sister was alive. She threw a package with bread and socks over to Anne.

Later a fevered Margot and Anne speak of the days before they went to Bergen-Belsen, and then go to sleep. The next morning, Anne opened her eyes, and heard birds outside. She nudged Margot to show her, but Margot didn't wake up, and instead fell out of bed onto the ground. Anne realised that Margot was dead, and lifted her eyes to the sky in defeat.

After the war in 1945, it was revealed that Otto was, in fact, alive. He looked for information about his daughters, but had no luck in doing so until he was directed to find Janny Brandes, who survived the camp. Otto was told that Anne died a few days after Margot. Miep Gies, who helped the Franks hide, gave Anne's preserved diary to Otto. Otto read it all. He then went up to the now empty annex and photos. He collapsed in a crying heap in front of Anne's wall, which was still plastered with movie stars.

## Notes

* She is a fictional portrayal of the real Anne Frank. [1]