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
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Cite this page:
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on The Hiding Place".
TheBestNotes.com.
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