Question

In The Diary of Anne Frank, Act II, Mrs. Van Daan becomes extremely upset when her husband insists on selling her fur coat. What is the most reasonable inference to make about her motivation?

A
She wants to keep it in case an urgent need for food or medicine arises.

B
She needs it for warmth because the attic is always cold and drafty.

C
She treasures it as a reminder of her carefree life before the war

D
She intends to give it to Anne or Margot as a gift after the war

Answer 1

C

Mrs. Van Daan's strong attachment to the fur coat is symbolic—she clings to it as a token of her former, carefree life and social status before the war. Her vanity and desire to hold on to prewar comforts, not practical needs like warmth or future gifts, explain her refusal to sell it.