Morgan's Connection #3

“‘When Mr. Kleinman enters a room, the sun begins to shine,’ Mother said recently, and she’s absolutely right.”

“You should have seen him when he told us good-bye [for a surgery on his stomach]. He acted so normally, as though he were just off to do an errand.”

“He [Mr. Kleinman] came to tell us he wasn’t feeling well and was going home, and for the first time he seemed really down.”

All throughout Anne’s diary, she refers to Mr. Kleinman in very complementary, peaceful, and positive ways. This is a very strong notion because we all have observed that Anne’s observations are very raw and matter-of-fact. When she talks about Mr. Kleinman, she very rarely has many negative things to say about him. I would think of him as almost the angel of the Secret Annex that these survivors are trapped in for the moment. He has major problems with his highly ill stomach, and yet, when he walks into a room “the sun begins to shine”. That metaphor alone is a VERY strong one because considering none of them are allowed outside of the annex, comparing Mr. Kleinman to the sun is comparing him to one of their greatest desires, to go outside. The last quote says, “and for the first time he seemed really down.” Those nine words showed his true character.

According to Anne, everyone is fighting and bickering over stupid stuff in the tight quarters of the annex, but Mr. Kleinman shines like the sun and sets a great example to all of the adults and children who are acting like fools and who should be lucky to be alive. Anne doesn’t spell it out in her book, but it almost seems like Mr. Kleinman is one of her more dominant role models, and definitely a person who deserves great respect.