The Diary of Anne Frank Major Characters
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Anne Frank: Anne Frank is the narrator and the writer of the diary. She is thirteen when she begins writing. Anne is very outspoken, and before moving into the Secret Annex, she was very popular at school with both the boys and the girls. She loves to read and to study, and she wants to be a writer when she grows up.
Margot Frank: Anne’s sister, Margot is three years older than Anne, and seems quieter and more serious than Anne. She, too, keeps a diary. She and Anne grow closer throughout the course of their hiding, but it is with Peter that Anne shares her hopes and fears. Margot gets on better with their parents, and Anne feels pressure to be good and sweet like her.
Daddy (Otto Frank): Anne’s father is the manager of a firm before they go into hiding. He is the one who arranges for their hiding place. He is modest, quiet, and generally low-key. She has a very close relationship with him and gives him the nickname 'Pim.' He teaches her English, French, and algebra, among other subjects, and she loves to learn
Mummy (Edith Frank): Anne is not nearly as close with her mother as she is with her father. She finds her mother cold and often condescending. She has an idea of what the perfect mother should be—and Mummy does not fit the image. It upsets her that Mummy always takes Margot’s side, and seems to prefer her.
Peter Van Daan: Peter Van Daan is the fifteen-year-old son of the Van Daan family, the other family who is hiding in the Secret Annex with the Franks. Anne at first finds him boring and weak, but they begin to talk, and to open up to each other, and they form a strong bond. Anne falls in love with Peter, and he probably falls in love with her in return. He gives her first kiss. Eventually, though, she gets frustrated with him because he does not like religion, and because she feels like he is clinging to her. He does not even try to improve his weak nature, because he finds it easier not to make the effort. Anne, who finds herself in a constant state of internal conflict and self-improvement, cannot respect this.
Petronella Van Daan: Mrs. Van Daan is one of the eight people hiding in the Secret Annex. She is Peter’s mother. She is desperately jealous of the bond between Anne and her son, and she wishes that he would talk to her more. She and Anne do not get along at all. She criticizes Anne for being so outspoken, and Anne writes of Mrs. Van Daan frequently in the diary to complain about how spoiled and frivolous she is and how she flirts with Mr. Frank. However, at one point, Anne notices that she is easier to talk to than Mummy, because she is not cold.
Hans Van Daan: Mr. Van Daan is Peter’s father. He is one of the adults who often criticize Anne.
Albert Dussel: Mr. Dussel shares Anne’s room. He enters the Secret Annex last. He was a dentist before going into hiding. At first, Anne likes him, but then he shows his true colors and is close-minded and stubborn and criticizes her. Sometimes she does things intentionally to annoy him.
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Anne Frank: Anne Frank is the narrator and the writer of the diary. She is thirteen when she begins writing. Anne is very outspoken, and before moving into the Secret Annex, she was very popular at school with both the boys and the girls. She loves to read and to study, and she wants to be a writer when she grows up.
Margot Frank: Anne’s sister, Margot is three years older than Anne, and seems quieter and more serious than Anne. She, too, keeps a diary. She and Anne grow closer throughout the course of their hiding, but it is with Peter that Anne shares her hopes and fears. Margot gets on better with their parents, and Anne feels pressure to be good and sweet like her.
Daddy (Otto Frank): Anne’s father is the manager of a firm before they go into hiding. He is the one who arranges for their hiding place. He is modest, quiet, and generally low-key. She has a very close relationship with him and gives him the nickname 'Pim.' He teaches her English, French, and algebra, among other subjects, and she loves to learn
Mummy (Edith Frank): Anne is not nearly as close with her mother as she is with her father. She finds her mother cold and often condescending. She has an idea of what the perfect mother should be—and Mummy does not fit the image. It upsets her that Mummy always takes Margot’s side, and seems to prefer her.
Peter Van Daan: Peter Van Daan is the fifteen-year-old son of the Van Daan family, the other family who is hiding in the Secret Annex with the Franks. Anne at first finds him boring and weak, but they begin to talk, and to open up to each other, and they form a strong bond. Anne falls in love with Peter, and he probably falls in love with her in return. He gives her first kiss. Eventually, though, she gets frustrated with him because he does not like religion, and because she feels like he is clinging to her. He does not even try to improve his weak nature, because he finds it easier not to make the effort. Anne, who finds herself in a constant state of internal conflict and self-improvement, cannot respect this.
Petronella Van Daan: Mrs. Van Daan is one of the eight people hiding in the Secret Annex. She is Peter’s mother. She is desperately jealous of the bond between Anne and her son, and she wishes that he would talk to her more. She and Anne do not get along at all. She criticizes Anne for being so outspoken, and Anne writes of Mrs. Van Daan frequently in the diary to complain about how spoiled and frivolous she is and how she flirts with Mr. Frank. However, at one point, Anne notices that she is easier to talk to than Mummy, because she is not cold.
Hans Van Daan: Mr. Van Daan is Peter’s father. He is one of the adults who often criticize Anne.
Albert Dussel: Mr. Dussel shares Anne’s room. He enters the Secret Annex last. He was a dentist before going into hiding. At first, Anne likes him, but then he shows his true colors and is close-minded and stubborn and criticizes her. Sometimes she does things intentionally to annoy him.
