THE HIDING PLACE STUDY GUIDE

KEY FACTS

Title
The Hiding Place

Author
Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

Date Published
1971

Meaning of the Title
Refers to the Scriptural message from the Book of Isaiah which states in part, “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word . . . Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe . . .” It also refers to the actual room where the ten Booms hid Jews and political prisoners from the Nazis.

Setting
The city of Haarlem, the prisons of Scheveningen and Vught in Holland and the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany from approximately 1898 through 1983.

Genre
Autobiography

Protagonist
Corrie ten Boom

Antagonist
The Nazis during World War II and Corrie’s doubts, fears, and despair.

Mood
Sometimes depressing and somber, but mostly uplifting and joyful.

Point of View
First person (Corrie is the narrator if her own story)

Tense
This story is written in the past tense.

Rising Action
This part of the autobiography occurs from the beginning with the celebration of the 100 years the watch shop had been in business through a flashback of Corrie’s life at the Beje.

Exposition
Corrie’s reminiscence of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the ten Boom watch shop; her flashback to childhood experiences that molded her beliefs from 1892 when she was born until 1937; the ten Booms’ decision to hide Jews from the Nazis; the raid on their house and their subsequent arrest; Father’s death ten days after his arrest; and Corrie and Betsie’s imprisonment at Scheveningen and Vught prisons and later in Ravensbruck.

Climax
The climax comes when Betsie dies, foreseeing on her deathbed Corrie’s ministry: to tell their story and help people find Jesus.

Outcome
Betsie dies at Ravensbruck, but her visions of the future lead Corrie to find a ministry where she will tell what happened during their imprisonment and how God and Jesus were always with them at their darkest hours. As a result, Corrie spends nearly the rest of her life setting up homes to heal people damaged by the war, devoting a former concentration camp to the same purpose, and traveling to tell her story.

Major Themes
God’s love is ever-present; love for our fellow man; prejudice; honesty; and the responsibility of a Christian to stand up against evil

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom Free BookNotes Summary

Visit our partner PinkMonkey.com for more online Study Guides
Privacy Policy
All Content Copyright©TheBestNotes. All Rights Reserved.
No further distribution without written consent.
48 Users Online | This page has been viewed 988 times
This page was last updated on 5/10/2008 11:19:08 PM