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WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE SECRET ANNEXE?
Edith Frank
An intelligent and refined woman, Edith Frank, Anne's mother, came from a
wealthy family background. It was not easy for her to adjust to the lifestyle of the
Annexe, for it was quite different from what she was used to. Unlike her daughter
Anne, Edith was-a reserved, quiet, calm, and serious individual. Since she and Anne
were opposites, they did not understand each other. Their discussions often led to
tears, and Anne usually ran to her father for comfort.
This barrier between her and Anne hurt Mrs. Frank, who triedhard to treat
both her daughters as friends. She sometimes cried because she could not get closer to
Anne, but Anne remained unresponsive, for she believed a mother should be looked
up to as a model, not as a friend. The tension between Mrs. Frank and her younger
daugher eased, however, as Anne matured and became less headstrong. Edith, like
Anne, always leaned on Mr. Frank for strength and kind words.
Margot Fr-ank
On the ether hand, Margot Frank was very dose to her mother. Just as Anne
and her father did many things together and snared confidences, so did Margot and
Edith. For example, before the families had gone into hiding, Margot and her mother
regularly attended the synagogue together. Anne and her dad preferred to attend only
on holidays.
Gentle, cool, arid calm, Margot's personality was similar to her mother's. Since
she was more obedient, she got along better with the other adults in the Annexe. And
she often tried to make peace between her mother and Anne. Margot Frank w~ an
excellent student and planned to be a nurse or schoolteacher. She also talked about
going someday to live in Palestine (now the state of Israel), the homeland of the
Jews.
There was little bickering between the two Frank sisters. They got along well.
Nor was there jealousy or resentment on Margot's part When she saw that Anne had
developed a romantic relationship with Peter. Margot, too.was a young girl cut off
from people her own age and surrounded continuously by adults she had little in
. common with. Nevertheless, she was pleased that at least her sister had someone with
whom to relate.
Otto Frank
!!!OJ
All the Secret Annexe residents looked to Mr. Frank for leadership. he was their
tower of strength. Without his reassurances and quiet courage, -itis doubtful that the
others could have withstood the everyday tensions and unnatural atmosphere of the
Annexe. He kept everyone reasonably calm, settled their arguments, and kept up
their spirits. And he never, never showed his own fear and worry. In addition to that,
he had the presence of mind to continue to run his business through Kraler and
Koophuis even under the pressures of his terrifying situation.
© 1984 J. Weston Walch, Publisher
The World of Anne Frank
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WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE SECRET ANNEXE?
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That he was totally unselfish was obvious when he offered to share this crowded
Secret Annexe with another Jewish family and a dentist. His compassion even went
a step further than that. He did not reserve the best sleeping room for his wife and
himself but instead offered the largest and most private upstairs bedroom to the Van
Daans. And his record for caring about others went back to his first years in .
Amsterdam. This was why five Dutch Christians were now risking their own lives for
him and his family, In fact, rather than quitting, these same kind Dutch people had
once even taken a cut in their paychecks from Mr. Frank when his business had gone
into a slump in earlier years!
Furthermore, this good man was an excellent father and husband He was able
to be very dose to Anne and yet not anger Margot or his wife. Equally loving them
all, he supported his wife and tended to his two daughters, patiently guiding their
education and helping them with their lessons. Finally, he had the foresight and
courage to prepare the hiding place long in advance in order to protect his family.
The Van Daans
Compared with the Franks, the Van Daans had a different family relationship.
Instead of.discussing problems quietly and calmly as the Franks did, the Van Daans
argued-and shouted. They were also far more indulgent with their son Peter. Unlike
the Franks, who had insisted that Anne leave her pet behind, the Van Daans had
permitted Peter to bring his cat along to the Secret Annexe. Theyalso treated their
sixteen-year-old like a child. As a result, he usually went offby himself to his room to
escape. Despite these attitudes, however, the Van Daans really were a loving family.
Mrs. Van Daan
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A nervous, excitable woman, Mrs. Van Daan rarely kept her feelings to herself.
She thought Anne was a naughty girl, and she often said so. During air raids and
other tense situations, she became hysterical, making everyone else be more on edge.
And she cried and screamed and argued with her husband over little things. She was
vain and self-centered, too. Once when they needed more money for food in the
Annexe, her husband asked Mr. Koophuis to sell her fur coat Then Mrs. Van Daan
wanted to save some of the money to buy new clothes after the war was over. She
also loved to reminisce and brag about.all her old boyfriends. Occasionally she even
flirted with Mr. Dussel and Mr. Frank!
On the other hand, when she wasn't emotional, she added a spark to life in the
Annexe. Friendly and easy to talk to, she cheered up the others in this bleak
atmospher-e and made them laugh. And she was energetic and helpful. Anne called
her "Queen of the Kitchen," because she usually volunteered to do, all the cooking.
© 1984
J. Weston Walch. Publisher
The World of Anne Frank
30
WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE SECRET ANNEXE?
Mr. Van Daan
Like Mr. Frank:, Mr. Van Daan was a spice dealer. Through business dealings,
he had met Mr. Frank soon after the Franks had arrived in Amsterdam. Because Mr.
Van Daan was s.ocapable and knowledgeable, Mr. Frank: had later taken him in as a
business partner.
'In the Secret Annexe, Mr. Van Daan occupied his time by doing small repairs
and helping Mr. Frank: to manage the business. But he complained about many
things, especially the lack of food and cigarettes. A chain smoker, he yearned for
tobacco almost as much as food. So long as cigarettes were at his side, it seemed he
could tolerate almost anything. But he was quite a grouchy person without them! Mr.
Van Daan was also highly opinionated. If others didn't agree with his views about
politics.orthe war, he became angry. This same stubborn attitude caused many ofhis
arguments with his wife. However, even though he bickered with her and was overly
strict sometimes with Peter, he was still a loving husband and good father.
Peter Van Daan
A typical teenage boy, Peter Van Daan was shy with girls and bored with
grown ups. He felt very uncomfortable when his parents argued. And how much he
blushed when his mother babied him in front of the others! As -a result, when he
wasn't doing his share of the chores (which he did willingly), he spent most of the first
year and a half in hiding alone, locked up with his cat in his room. There Peter
daydreamed his hours away and often thought he was sick when he really wasn't.
Nor did he have much confidence in himself. He felt he wasn't too smart, though
this was really not so. He was an intelligent boy, a good student with a perceptive
mind, but he didn't work at it the way the Frank girls did. It was Mr. Frank: to whom
Peter usually turned for help with this schoolwork in the Annexe, for he greatly
admired and respected the man.
During the last seven months in hiding, Peter and Anne developed a close
relationship, but it was Anne who first went to him. Peter's interest in Anne grew
steadily. Together they talked about usual teenage concerns: problems with parents,
dreams of the future, likes and dislikes. They also developed a romantic relationship.
Anne and Peter Are Not the Perfect Couple
However, Anne and Peter were different by nature. While Anne found pleasure
in hard work and studying, Peter preferred to loaf and take it easy. Also, Nazi
persecution destroyed neither Anne's faith in people nor her attachment to her
Jewish heritage. She was proud to be Jewish and viewed the world with optimism.
Peter, on the other hand, had become bitter and hostile. He even had thoughts of
becoming a Christian after the war. Anne's andPetef~5 ogoals varied, too. She had
definite plans to travel and study in 'the future, but Peter was not sure of anything.
These differences in their personalities made Anne conclude that Peter was weak.
She needed a stronger person to love.
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Walch. Publisher
The World of Anne Frank
WHO ARE
, THE PEOPLE IN THE SECRET ANNEXE?
31
Nevertheless, Peter loved and depended on Anne more and more. In spite of
their different personalities, the friendly times they shared helped make a difficult
time a bit happier for them both.
Mr. Dussel
Like the Franks and Van Daans, Albert Dussel, the dentist, had taken refuge in
Holland to escape Hitler's war on Jews in Germany. But he came much later. He fled
Berlin in 1938 soon after Kristallnacht, an organized-nationwide riot. The Nazis had
led this violence against the entire Jewish community of Germany and Nazicontrolled Austria. Dussel had brought along his wife, who was non-Jewish.
To escape the Nazi roundup of Jews in Holland, Mr. Dussel had to go into
hiding very quickly. He didn't even have time to alert his wife, who was then out of
the country. When Mrs. Dussel returned to Amsterdam, she had no idea where her
husband was. Nor did she ever find out that he was hiding in this very city, for the
secret group could not risk letting her in on their secret hiding place.
As time wenron, Dussel, normally a quiet, friendly man, missed his wife more
and more. Her absence and his arthritic aches and pains made him increasigly
bad-tempered. Friction arose between him and the teenagers. Mr. Dussel was rather
old-fashioned and had a narrow perspective about how young people should be
brought up. He thought children should be seen and not heard. Naturally, it was
Anne who grated on his nerves the most, for she was in constant motion and talked
incessantly. He frequently gave her long sermons about how a young lady should act.
To make matters even worse, he and Anne shared a room together! This
arrangement also led to conflict because Mr. Dusselliked to be alone. Consequently,
he retreated to the w.e. (water closet), or bathroom, the only place where he could
find peace and quiet. He often spent three or more hours there a day. This habit and
his loud, strange snoring especially bothered Anne.
© 1984
J. Weston Walch, Publisher
The World of Anne Frank