The play, The Diary of Anne Frank is a true story about the life of a young girl, Anne, and other people through the sorrowful time of the holocaust. Within this play, you see the many ways of Mr. Frank, the father of Anne, and Mr. Van Daan, the father of Peter. One reflects greediness and cruelness while the other shows care and generosity.
In The Diary of Anne Frank Mr. Frank and Mr. Van Daan have many different character traits. When it comes to caring for others, Mr. Frank will always be the first to put others before himself. Before the holocaust occurred, Mr. Frank had no choice but to put him and his family into hiding in an attic apart of the building he worked in. As small as the attic was, he made room for many other people including the Van Daans. As stated on page 341, Mr Frank says “You don’t know how your husband helped me when I came to this country… I can
…show more content…
Mr. Frank would do absolutely anything and everything to make sure his kids are as happy as can be in this depressing period. “Mr. Frank: But always remember this, there are no walls, there are no bolts, no locks that anyone can put on your mind.” (343) Anne feared what was going on around her and her father comforted her so she would not be frightened. He made sure she knew that there was always a way out and that there even such a terrible situation there is good somewhere. Mr. Van Daan did not care enough to make sure his son Peter was living the best he could. The selfish side of Mr. Van Daan came out in the act where he got caught in the middle of the night stealing the already minimal food that they had in the kitchen. “Mrs. Frank: Your own son Peter… I’ve heard him moan in his sleep he’s so hungry… you steal food that should go to them.” (383) Mrs. Frank wanted him to feel bad for taking the food that could have gone to the starving children. Mr. Van Daan thought of his own needs before anyone else’s, including his only