CHARACTER SKETCHES

ANNE FRANK
Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany but her family later
shifted to Holland. She was the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Frank.
Anne finds comfort in writing in her diary because she feels she has difficulty
opening up to her friends and therefore has no true confidants. Anne also records
her perceptions of herself. The diary is one of her most cherished belongings. She
does not think she is pretty, but she is confident. Through her writing, Anne comes
across as playful and comical but with a serious side.

Anne’s diary entries in the beginning show that she is content and optimistic despite
the threats and danger that her family faces but her tone changes considerably while
she is in hiding.

Anne is remarkably forthright and perceptive at the beginning of the diary, but as she
leaves her normal childhood behind and enters the dire and unusual circumstances
of the Holocaust, she becomes more introspective and thoughtful.

She hates war because of her own sufferings as she lives in constant fear of being
discovered and sent to a concentration camp. She feels lonely as the adults in the
annexe constantly criticize her behaviour and consider her “exasperating.”
Anne is also in need of kindness and affection, which she feels her mother is
incapable of providing. She feels boredom and despair in the hiding. She also
wrestles with her inner self and expresses her aspirations to become a better
person. As she matures, Anne becomes infatuated with Peter, the van Daan’s
teenage son, and comes to consider him as a close friend.

In her final diary entries, she has matured from an insolent and obstinate girl to a
more emotionally independent young woman. From her diary, it is clear that she had
the potential to become an engaging, challenging, and sophisticated writer.

OTTO FRANK
Mr Otto Frank is father of Anne and Margot Frank. He comes from a wealthy family
and spent most of his life in Germany. When Hitler rose to power in 1933, Mr. Frank
relocates his family to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. There, he works in the food
products business. When the Nazis invade the Netherlands, he makes arrangements
for his family to go into hiding in the building in which he was once employed.

According to Anne, Mr Frank is one of the kindest, smartest, most gentle and
thoughtful fathers. He supports Anne and frequently takes her side during family
arguments. He is generous, kind, and level headed as compared to the other adults
in the annexe who can be stingy, harsh, and emotional. Unlike Mr Dussel, Mr Frank
always tries to save the best food for the children and takes the smallest portion for
himself.

Anne feels a special closeness to her father, since she sees herself as more similar
to him than to her mother or sister. She often calls him "Pim" and considers him her
saviour and confidant in the annexe. Anne continually tries to impress her father, live
up to his expectations, and obey his wishes. However, when she begins a close
relationship with Peter and her father deems it inappropriate, she finds her father
conservative.

Otto is a smart, resourceful, and caring father, as well as a talented businessman.

He has a strong character and is clearly the head of the Frank household. He is the
only resident of the annexe to survive the war. After his return to Holland, he
arranges for the publication of Anne's diary.

MARGOT FRANK
Margot Frank is Anne Frank's older sister and is sixteen years old when Anne's diary
begins. According to Anne, she is quiet, studious, humble, and eager to please the
adults. The two sisters do not get along and Margot often clashes with Anne who is
considered talkative and rebellious. They do not form a close bond, and Margot
mainly appears in the diary when she is the cause of her jealousy or anger.
Others often hold her up as a model for Anne to emulate. It is Margot who is first
called up by the Gestapo in Amsterdam. This call forces the Franks to go into hiding.
Margot is mature and caring as she encourages Anne to perform well in her studies.
She also shares a very close relationship with their mother that also is a cause of
Anne’s jealousy.
Anne thinks that Margot is pretty, smart, emotional, and everyone’s favourite.
She receives little attention in Anne’s diary, and Anne does not provide a real sense
of Margot’s character. Whenever we get glimpses of Margot’s personality, we realise
that she has probably been under estimated by Anne.

EDITH FRANK
Edith Frank is the mother of Anne and Margot Frank. She comes from a wealthy
family and has spent most of her life in Germany.

In terms of her mothering skills, she is somewhat of a disappointment to Anne, who

would prefer her to be more affectionate and accepting. Anne has very little
sympathy for her mother during their hiding years in the annexe, and she has few
kind words to say about her, particularly in the earlier entries. Anne feels that her
mother is cold, critical, and uncaring, that they have very little in common. It seems
Edith does not know how to show love to her children. Like Margot, Mrs. Frank is
mentioned almost exclusively in instances when she is the source of Anne’s anger
and frustration. Anne rarely comments on her mother’s positive traits. However, Mrs
Frank shares a very close relationship with her older daughter, Margot.

Later in her diary, Anne attempts to look at her mother’s life as a wife and mother
from a more objective viewpoint. As Anne gets older and gains a clearer perspective,
she begins to regret her harsh judgments of her mother. Anne has more sympathetic
feelings for Mrs. Frank and begins to realize how her entrapment in the annexe has
created many obstacles for her.

Because the diary consists of only Anne’s thoughts and perspectives, we are never
able to gain much insight into Mrs Frank’s own personal thoughts or feelings.

A peacemaker, she is the voice of reason during adult fights in the annexe.

MR VAN DAAN

Mr van Daan is the father of the family that hides in the annex along with the Franks
and who had worked with Otto Frank as a business associate. Mr. van Daan’s actual
name is Hermann van Pels, but Anne calls him Mr. van Daan in the diary. According
to Anne, he is intelligent, opinionated, pragmatic, and somewhat egotistical. Mr. van
Daan is temperamental, speaks his mind openly, and is not afraid to cause friction.

Mr Van Daan is rarely mentioned by Anne in her diary except when he is fighting
with his wife or trying to pacify her. So we don't learn much about him. However,
from the fights of van Daan couple, we get the impression that there is no love lost
between Mr Van Daan and his wife. They are always cross with each other. Their
frequent fights usually spoil the atmosphere of the secret annexe. Mr van Daan
seems to be stereotypical hen-packed husband at some places but he does not give
his wife much care and love. Perhaps that is why Mrs van Daan feels attracted
towards other men.

He does however try to help during the multiple burglaries at the building. He,
inadvertently causes some trouble too during one of the burglaries because he
shouts "Police" at the intruders. They leave, but others look to see the problem in the
building and contact the real police. This causes much anxiety for the group for
several days.

Anne considers Mr van Daan to be an unbearable know-it – all.

MRS VAN DAAN

Mrs van Daan is Mr. Van Daan's wife and Peter’s mother. She is vain and lacking in
humility. Anne finds her to be the most insufferable annex resident of them all and is
particulary annoyed when Mrs. Van Daan flirts with Mr. Frank. Peter Van Daan has
trouble talking to her, this leads Anne to believe that she, like Mrs. Frank, lacks
mothering skills.

Mrs. Van Daan is a spoiled woman who expects everyone to behave as she expects
them to. She especially does not like Anne due to her outspoken nature. She feels
that children should not express their opinions on any subject, because they do not
have the experiences to draw upon as adults do. This puts her in direct conflict with
Anne and her parents.

Mrs. Van Daan also does not get along at all with Mrs. Frank. Their problems start
when Mrs van Daan begins to hide some of her things. She feels that she should not
have to share items such as furniture, dishes and food with the Franks. In retaliation,
Mrs. Frank does the same with some of the Frank items. This causes a great deal of
discord among the two women.

Mrs. Van Daan feels that she has sacrificed enough so when her husband tells her
they should sell her prized fur coat for money, she is firmly against the idea. She is
eventually brought around to selling the coat but she wants to keep the money to buy
nice clothes after the war and does not want to give it for everyday expenses in the
annexe.
Another attribute of Mrs van Daan is her exaggerated sense of courage. She is
always telling the others to be like her, but when the burglaries occur or the
bombings happen, she is always the first person crying and shaking out of fear.

PETER VAN DAAN

Peter is the only son of Mr and Mrs van Daan. He is almost sixteen when he comes
to live in the annexe.

At first, Peter seems lazy and reticent to talk to anyone. He is a loner who likes to
escape work as much as possible. Later as the diary progresses, Anne realizes he
has an inferiority complex which is why he acts so aloof.
 Shy, awkward and introspective, he does not pique Anne's attention until they have
been living in the annexe for almost two years. Then they begin a deep friendship
that leads to their romance.

She decides that because he is so quiet he would be the perfect person to confide
her innermost feelings to. Peter, for his part, is grateful for the companionship. He
tells her how much he dislikes his parents and about his feelings of inadequacy. He
eventually starts to develop deeper feelings for Anne, but in the end they decide it is
best to remain as friends. Even though Anne is at first head over heels in love with
him, later she realizes that, although he is a nice young man, he is weak-minded and
lacks character.

Peter is also brave, he shows this by confronting burglars when they enter the
building the families are hiding in and by how he deals with the stress of living in
hiding. Peter evolves into a mature person who tries to be courageous in the face of
adversity.

ALBERT DUSSEL
Albert Dussel is an elderly dentist who is invited to share the rooms in the annex with
the Franks and the van Daans. He is recommended to the group by Miep. He stays
in Anne's room and drives her crazy with his odd nocturnal habits. He can also be
petty and small-minded.

Mr Dussel at first seems to be very easy going and friendly. The families feel that he
will fit in well with them. Anne has to share her room with him and this is how the
problems with him start for her. He takes it upon himself to correct every flaw he
sees in her personality.

He is a rather selfish man who dominates the room and bathroom. He also feels that
his needs in the room outweigh Anne's needs because she is, after all, only a child.

He has a stock of delicacies in his cupboard but he does not share with anyone even
though the other members of the annexe are very generous with him. He always
takes the best share of food during the meals.

After the burglaries, the group institute new security rules. One of these directly
affect Mr Dussel. He likes to sit in the office of the building's owner during the
weekends, when no one is working in the building. This is considered too risky by the
others in the annexe. Instead of being understanding, Mr Dussel fights with Mr van
Daan and Mr Frank over this though he loses it.

Mr Dussel is not a very good roommate because he is rude and selfish.