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The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

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Student Question

What is Anne Frank's relationship with Mr. Pfeffer in The Diary of a Young Girl?

Quick answer:

Anne Frank's relationship with Mr. Pfeffer, whom she referred to as Alfred Dussell in her diary, was contentious. They shared a room in the annex, and Anne frequently clashed with him over his perceived selfishness, condescension, and lack of gratitude. Anne felt that Dr. Pfeffer, a German dentist who joined the Frank family in hiding, often criticized her without attempting to understand her, leading to constant conflict between them.

Expert Answers

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Friedrich or Fritz Pfeffer was a German dentist who took refuge along with the Frank and Van Pels families in the annex over Mr. Frank’s former office. In her diary, Anne Frank assigns Dr. Pfeffer the pseudonym of Alfred Dussell and calls the van Pels family the van Daans. Anne shared a room with the dentist, and the two of them were almost constantly in conflict.

Dr. Pfeffer was Jewish, and after he left Berlin to escape Nazi persecution there, settled in Amsterdam. He and his partner had never married because she was Catholic, and they had separated for her safety. Through Miep Gies, he arranged to go into hiding in the annex. Because the space was already crowded, there was no possibility of his having a private room. Instead, Anne’s older sister Margot moved into their parents’ room and Frtiz shared with Anne.

Among the areas of contention were his seniority as an adult male, his selfishness, and their different religious practices. She feels that he constantly criticizes and is condescending toward her without even trying to understand her. Anne also complains that he never shows gratitude for the families' sharing their space, and he begrudges her the use of the table in their room.

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