The Hiding Place
45 pages • 1 hour read
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Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 1-4
Chapters 5-8
Chapters 9-11
Chapters 12-15
Key Figures
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
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Discussion Questions
How do the writers juxtapose hope and suffering? Cite examples from the text and discuss what effect this juxtaposition achieves.
On several occasions, Corrie wrestles with whether it is morally permissible to lie in order to mislead someone who would use an honest answer to do evil. What form of reasoning is this? How does it differ from her sister Nollie’s? Using examples from the book, make an argument either for or against the practice of lying to preserve a greater good.
How does Father’s guidance inform Corrie’s faith? How do his beliefs mirror the moral heart of the book?
How does the meaning of the Beje change throughout the narrative? What different things does it represent, and how does it function as a character in its own right?
Corrie relates many stories from her childhood and young adulthood in the early chapters of the book. How do her experiences with the characters—her mother, her aunts, Karel—shape and prepare her for what is to come?
How is compassion defined and expressed in the story? How do the ten Booms define and exercise it? Cite examples from the text.
How does Corrie understand the atrocities of the Nazis in light of her belief in God’s existence? How does this dynamic compare to other portrayals of the Holocaust, such as Elie Wiesel’s Night , which often relate the strengthening or deterioration of faith in response to trauma?
How do visions function in the text? Though ominous, why does Corrie find hope in them?
Research the stances that Dutch Christians took toward the Nazi occupation. Are the ten Booms characteristic of most Christians’ responses, or do they stand apart from it? Support your answer with references from The Hiding Place that illustrate the positions taken by other Christians.
Assess the way that Corrie reacts to moral dilemmas . Do you find her actions consistent with her ethics, or do you find them hypocritical? Defend your answer with evidence from the story.
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The Hiding Place
By corrie ten boom , john sherrill , elizabeth sherrill, the hiding place essay questions.
Why do Corrie ten Boom and the Sherrills choose to include so many anecdotes about Corrie’s childhood and life before the war? What does the narrative gain from this information?
Corrie and the Sherrills include so many childhood anecdotes in order to give a sense of Corrie’s personality and background. She is very much an ordinary person who does extraordinary things in terrible circumstances. In addition, she uses many childhood lessons later to survive during her time in prison and concentration camp. The narrative gains richness and depth because of the information about Corrie’s early life.
Explain the ways the title, “The Hiding Place,” applies to the biography as a whole.
The title refers to the physical hiding place in Corrie’s bedroom in the Beje and the verse Psalm 119:114, “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” The dual derivation guides the biography because Corrie narrates both her external and internal experience. She makes the physical hiding place a reality with the help of Mr. Smit and many people benefit from that cupboard in the wall. However, she spends much energy describing her emotional hiding place in the comfort of her belief in Jesus Christ.
What does Lieutenant Rahms mean when he says that he is in a prison greater than Scheveningen?
German officers had little power to change protocol during WWII. Certainly, they could not openly rebel against the ideology of Hitler. Lieutenant Rahms realizes that his actions with the Nazis place him in a kind of prison, which separates him from the rest of humanity. He is trapped by the same regime, which forces him to follow its policy.
Why does Otto Altschuler treat Father well and Christoffels so badly when they are working at the watch shop? What is made clear by this distinction?
Otto grew up in Germany under the National Socialist ideology in the Hitler Youth program, where he learned to respect power, and disdain weakness, old age and mental handicaps. Because Father was Otto’s employer, Otto had to show him respect he did not feel. Christoffels was elderly and not in authority over Otto, who treated him badly to show his contempt for the weak. The family learns that Hitler is not simply a German problem, rather this ideology has entered Holland, too.
Mama tells Corrie that happiness comes from one’s attitude rather than external circumstances. Explain how Corrie uses this lesson during the war.
Throughout most of the narrative, Corrie suffers through difficult and dangerous situations. She goes through solitary confinement, lack of proper food, rest and hygiene. Although Corrie’s sister Betsie and Father lose their lives because of the cruel Nazi regime, Corrie finds internal reasons to be joyful. She uses her mother’s lesson to be happy in spite of the circumstances.
How is Corrie similar to or different from her sister Betsie? How does her personality make her a better storyteller than Betsie might have been?
In contrast to elegant Betsie, Corrie is impatient, unfashionable, and ungraceful. Spirited and persistent, Corrie acknowledges the negative side of situations, which leave her frustrated and angry. Corrie may be a better storyteller because she is more human and less saintlike than Betsie, whose ceaseless patience leads her to extreme optimism. Corrie is more relatable as a narrator because she is honest about her faults, sharing her darkest moments in the narrative.
What are some possible reasons why Corrie ten Boom wrote her biography, “The Hiding Place?”
Betsie tells Corrie that they must share their experience of peace and joy during a time of suffering and despair after the war ends. At Ravensbruck, Corrie and Betsie speak of teaching people how to love rather than to hate. Moreover, Corrie believes that her memories affect the future more than they do the past and hopes that people will learn from her.
What measures are taken at the Beje to make it as safe as possible for the Jews staying there? Does the Beje the house become another character in a way?
The house is one room wide and two uneven rooms front to back, making the house perfect for the hiding place in Corrie’s bedroom. Additionally, an electric warning system and drills make the house safer. It almost seems that the house is a living character with personality and impulses to protect its inhabitants. However, Corrie no longer feels at home in the Beje after her loved ones are deceased. It might be the people in the house, rather than the Beje itself, which makes it a warm, vivacious place.
In Ravensbruck, Betsie has several ideas about what they will do after the war. What are the ways in which Corrie fulfills the visions of her sister, Betsie?
According to Betsie’s wishes, Corrie shares her story after the war with people in Haarlem and around the world. Moreover, Corrie organizes a rehabilitation center at Bloemendaal for people damaged by the Holocaust. She donates the Beje to former NSBers who cannot find homes elsewhere. Lastly, Corrie organizes a center for homeless Germans in a former concentration camp, Darmstadt, and paints the barracks green as Betsie dreamed.
Why does Corrie need to forgive the man in Munich who was a former guard at Ravensbruck? What does she believe gives her the power to do so?
Corrie is a deeply committed Christian, but even she struggles to follow the precepts of her faith. Eventually, Corrie acknowledges that healing for Europe and her personally will come from forgiveness of wrongdoing. She believes that love and the power to forgive comes from God.
The Hiding Place Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for The Hiding Place is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
compare corrie and besties reaction to the dream like vision corrie had as holland was being bombed?
Chapter please?
How is bestie tempted by evil and what is her response
Do you have a particular chapter in mind?
List at least three events
You can check out all the events of chapter 14 below:
https://www.gradesaver.com/the-hiding-place/study-guide/summary-chapter-14-the-blue-sweater
Study Guide for The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place study guide contains a biography of Corrie ten Boom, John Sherrill and Elizabeth Sherrill, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
- About The Hiding Place
- The Hiding Place Summary
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Essay Samples on The Hiding Place
Suffering under faith: the life of corrie ten boom.
Corrie Ten Boom’s astounding life story; “The Hiding place” is and incredible story about her and her sister Betsie, being sent to concentration camps for hiding Jews in WWII. Despite enduring so much pain throughout this adventure, corrie and her sister continuously worshipped God. Everyday...
- The Hiding Place
Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place and Its Message of God
Corrie ten Boom was a selfless servant of God and an inspiration to many. She always answered God’s call to serve and helped anyone in sight no matter the cost. Through her faith in him, she is always able to do what is right in...
- Christian Worldview
Finding God and Seeking Faith in The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is the tale about the life of a lady in Holland during the German Nazi attack and holocaust. Miss. Ten Boom tells about her adolescence, helping individuals escape through the counter Nazi underground, her capture and detainment, and...
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Best topics on The Hiding Place
1. Suffering Under Faith: The Life of Corrie Ten Boom
2. Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place and Its Message of God
3. Finding God and Seeking Faith in The Hiding Place
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