The Hiding Place: The Secret Room Summary & Analysis

It’s 1942, two years after the fall of Holland. Every month a new restriction appears—the latest is a prohibition on singing the Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem. One Sunday, the family visits a church where Peter has been hired as organist. At the end of the service, Peter proudly and suddenly plays the Wilhelmus. Led by Father, everyone stands, and people spontaneously begin singing the words.

Corrie is caught up in the emotion, but afterwards she’s angry with Peter for risking his safety and that of his family. Already, Nollie and Flip are hiding two Jewish women in their house, and Peter’s actions increase the likelihood of Gestapo scrutiny. Two days later, just as Corrie begins to stop worrying about him, one of Peter’s siblings bursts into the Beje and announces that the Gestapo has taken Peter to the federal prison in Amsterdam.

A few weeks later, a stranger arrives at the Beje in the evening. She introduces herself as Mrs. Kleermaker, a Jew. Her husband was arrested some time ago, the Gestapo has just ordered her to close her clothing store, and she’s afraid to go home to her apartment. Betsie eagerly offers her one of the Beje’s spare rooms and even invites her to help in the kitchen, over which she’s normally extremely protective.

A few nights later, the same thing happens again: an elderly couple arrives at the house, clutching their few possessions and seeking sanctuary. Corrie knows she needs to find a permanent place for these people, somewhere safer than the Beje, which is a block away from the police headquarters.

Corrie visits Willem to ask for advice. He seems stressed and tired, and his beard is turning white. He says that it’s harder and harder to place people because most safe houses won’t accept anyone who doesn’t have a ration card, and Jews are not issued ration cards. Corrie asks how he solves this dilemma, and Willem astounds her by casually saying that one has to steal them.

Corrie asks Willem if he can help her get three ration cards, but he says he’s already being watched. Anyway, it’s best if she develops her own connections. Corrie decides to visit a family friend, Fred Koornstra, who works at the Food Office. Corrie knows the man because for many years she’s conducted church services for mentally disabled children, of whom Fred’s daughter is one.

Praying that Fred won’t turn her in, Corrie visits him one night and tells him gravely that there are three Jews staying at her house and she needs to find them ration cards. Fred says that he can’t give away ration cards, as they are closely watched, but then he comes up with a scheme: he and a friend will fake a break-in, arranging to have themselves tied up in the office to avoid suspicion. Fred asks Corrie how many ration cards she needs, and she astonishes herself by replying, “one hundred.”

A week later, Fred arrives at the Beje. He has two black eyes from the “burglary.” He brings with him the hundred cards, as well as a “continuing coupon” from each one that will allow him to legally issue Corrie replacements. They arrange that he will make this delivery every month, dressed up as a meterman. Corrie hides the ration cards under a stair, reflecting that Peter did the same thing with the radio and feeling that he would be proud of her.

By now, Mrs. Kleermaker and the elderly couple have moved on to safer locations, but other people continue to arrive, each with their own predicament. For example, pregnant women need to deliver their babies, and Jews who die in hiding must be buried. Willem encourages Corrie to find her own resources, but she realizes she already has them because she’s already “friends with half of Haarlem.” It’s easy to think of trustworthy people in every sector, from maternity nurses to strategically placed clerks. Corrie is sure that God is guiding her at every step.

One night the doorbell rings and Corrie runs downstairs, expecting another refugee. Instead, it’s Willem’s son Kik; he tells her to get her bicycle and come with him, even though it’s after curfew. After a long ride, they stop at a large suburban house, where a maid opens the door. Inside, Corrie immediately sees Pickwick, who leads her into a room filled with distinguished people drinking real coffee, which is now a rarity.

As Pickwick takes her around the room making introductions, referring to each person as “Mr. or Mrs. Smit,” Corrie realizes that she’s at a meeting of the national underground. She learns that most of their work involves communicating with English and Free Dutch forces and rescuing downed Allied planes. However, they’re all sympathetic to Corrie’s local work and put their resources at her disposal: false identity papers, cars with official plates, forgers.

One man, a well-known architect, informs Corrie that he will pay her a visit and construct a secret room in her house, which will help minimize the danger to everyone in her work. Just as she and Kik are preparing to leave, Pickwick tells them he’s learned that Peter will soon be released. Indeed, three weeks later an emaciated and tired Peter returns home.

One morning, the architect arrives at the store and introduces himself as “Mr. Smit.” Father is eager to ascertain if this man is related to any of the other Smits he knows, and Corrie has to explain with difficulty that this isn’t the man’s real name. Mr. Smit approves of the hiding place for the ration cards; as he surveys the Beje’s oddly placed stairs and crooked walls, he laughs—its haphazard construction means that installing a secret room will be easy. He settles on Corrie’s bedroom for the room’s location.

Over the next few days, workmen come to the Beje without warning, carrying hidden tools and materials. Six days later, Corrie finally gets to see the finished product—Mr. Smit has not only created a false wall, but he’s mimicked the stained and grimy paint of the existing wall so it’s impossible to tell that anything has been changed. Mr. Smit says that “unofficial” residents should keep everything they own inside, in case of sudden Gestapo visits. He claims that the Gestapo could search for a year without uncovering this secret room.