Question

Charactersketch of Mrs. Van Daan from the Novel :- The Diary of a Young Girl.

Answer 1

Mrs Van Daan belonged to the family that went into hiding with the Franks. She was the only person that Anne couldn't stand. She was very quarrelsome, irritating and selfish woman. Mostly she instigated the fights. She got angry over trifles. Mrs Van Daan was very vain and lacking in humility. She was in the habit of hiding her things so that other people couldn't use it. Mrs Van Daan was also in the habit of criticizing others. She was always getting mad at Anne's talking so much. She was jealous of Anne's relationship with her son, Peter. She wanted Peter to confide in her rather than in Anne. She was lazy by nature and always avoided helping others in the Annexe. She always tried to avoid doing the dishes. Mrs Van Daan liked to flirt with Mr Otto Frank while with her husband, she was always cross. Even her son Peter did not like her and found trouble in talking to his mother. All this made Anne believe that like her mother, Mrs Van Daan too lacked motherly skills. She was not a warm and affectionate mother. According to Anne,Mrs Van Daan was the most insufferable annex resident of them all.