Question

Write a character sketch of Mrs. Van Daan.

Answer 1

Mrs Van Daan was known among the people in the annex for her selfishness and habitual rude personality. She was concerned only about herself which was evident in her actions. She had a very contrasting personality. She had the ability to entertain and cheer the people around. However, she was also very critical about others, especially the children, thus driving them to dislike her. Anne notes that she was reprimanded on multiple occasions by Mrs Van Daan in spite of not having committed any mistake. However, she did not pay an equal amount of attention to her own son. She kept herself aloof of his responsibilities. Her discontent about the growing friendship between Anne and her son is the only emotion involving him we see. Her personal life was also filled with turmoil. She had a love–hate relationship with her husband. Though she was a fully grown person, her maturity did not seem to match her trivial actions—she lived in the happy days of her childhood. This is evident through her careless attempts at drawing the attention of the men in the annex.