The Address Introduction

The story is about the human predicament that follows the pre-War and Post-War periods.
Mrs. S who was a Jews was a rich lady. Whereas, Mrs. Dorling was a non-Jews. The girl,
daughter of Mrs. S, had lost her house and her mother during the war and now she had
decided to come back to take her possessions from Mrs. Dorling, an acquaintance whose
address was given by her mother years ago. When she reached the house, the woman treated
her with a cold reception and didn’t let her into the house. She decided to go back anyway
and then she met her daughter who let her in and told her to wait inside. When she saw all the
possessions in front of her, she couldn’t connect with them and decided to leave the house.

The Address Summary – After ringing the doorbell of Mrs. Dorling who lived at Number
46, Marconi Street, the protagonist was given a cold reception and Mrs Dorling took much
time to recognize her. Mrs Dorling had thought everyone in the protanogist’s family was
dead and asked if anyone else had come along with her. Mrs Dorling refused to let the
protagonist inside her home and told her to come back sometime later. The protagonist
recognized her mother’s green cardigan which Mrs Dorling was wearing. She decided to go
back to the train station and thought about her mother and how she told her about Mrs.
Dorling who was an acquaintance of hers. During the war, Mrs Dorling would visit their
house and take their possessions with her as she didn’t want them to get lost if they ever left
the place. Mrs. Dorling had a broad back.
The protagonist decided to go to Mrs Dorling’s home to get back their belongings. When she
rang the bell, Mrs. Dorling’s daughter answered the door. She let her in and asked her to wait
in the living room. When they were crossing the passage, the protagonist noticed their
Hanukkah candle stand that they had never used because it had been unmanageable. When
she reached the living room, she was horrified as she saw all her mother’s things that were
arranged in a tasteless manner. The furniture was ugly and the room had a muggy smell and it
made her disinterested and she wanted to leave the place. Mrs. Dorling’s daughter offered her
a cup of tea and the protagonist noticed the old table cloth that had a burn mark on it. When
the girl was showing her the silver fork and spoons that actually belonged to the protagonist,
she jumped up and walked out of the house. She decided not to visit the place again as it
brought back memories of the past and hence, she decided to forget the address.

Reading with Insight

1. ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought that no one had come back.’ Does
this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?

Answer.This statement gives us a hint that both the woman and the narrator know each other.
The narrative revolves around a girl trying to find her mother’s ancient possessions with an
adult lady. This girl’s mother knew about an upcoming war and so had gradually moved all
her valuable belongings to the residence of her acquaintance, Mrs. Dorling. As her mother
had expired during the war, the woman Mrs. Dorling did not expect anyone to come
afterwards and claim the precious belongings. When the girl came to collect them, she was
shocked. The given statement shows that the lady is selfish and does not want to share the
antiques that do not even belong to her. She doesn’t even recognize the girl as her past
acquaintance and refuses to even let her inside her home.
2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think
the girl underwent during these times?

Answer. The account “The Address” is divided into post-war and pre-war times. The girl
belonged to a rich family. The girl’s family had a lot of valuable things. There is clear
evidence of the difficulties which the storyteller had to experience in these times. During the
pre-war times, the girl lived in another place distant from her mother and visited her very
rarely. During those times, her mother was worried that her precious things would be lost in
the war. They were worried that they would have to leave the house. The girl was in a small
hired house with its shutters overlaid with blackout paper. She was unable to see anything
outside and the threat of death was also upon them. However, during the post-war period,
everything returned to normalcy. The girl could open the shutters of her room and look
outside without worrying about anything. She had a powerful urge to look at her mother’s
properties and so also visited Mrs. Dorlings.

3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?

Answer. The narrator desired to forget the address as it prompted her to remember the tender
remembrances of her mother, their home and valuable belongings, and her earlier life before
the war, which she could never have back. She, therefore, decided to forget the address and
move on.

4. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.

Answer. War brings death and destruction with it. The story The Address describes a girl’s
life in post-war and pre-war times. The war created many obstacles for the narrator both
physically and emotionally. She lost her house where they lived and also lost her mother. Her
valuable belongings were carried away from them by a stranger who refused to return them.
Many pre-war post-war perceptions can be seen in the story. Starting from the loss of life to
the selfish and cruel nature of a woman, so many varied emotions are portrayed through this
short story.