The Address

Question and Answers:

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?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling was surprised to see the daughter of her friend Mrs. 'S' at her house. The daughter had
joined the war of liberation. There was very little chance of her coming back home alive to claim her
things back. At least Mrs. Dorling thought so. So she had persuaded Mrs. S to part with all her priceless
silver and vases. She had dumped them in her own house. She was naturally surprised to see the real
owner of the antique crockery and plates. Her exclamatory remarks gives us a clue about her dishonest
intentions.

2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl
underwent during these times?
Ans. The Dutch girl joined the war of liberation for her country. As long as she was at home, she never
paid attention to the silver crockery she used daily at the dinner table. She took them for granted. She
didn't bother to polish them. During the war time, she once returned to her house and noticed a few
things missing. She didn't approve of her mother's giving away those things to her acquaintance, Mrs.
Dorling. She made a mental note of Mrs. Dorling's address. In post-war time she felt like taking
possession of her things again. She visited Mrs. Dorling's house twice. She discovered Mrs. Dorling's
unwillingness to return the things she had borrowed. The girl also lost interest in them. Moreover there
was no space in her room to keep them. Thus she bore great hardships both financially as well as
emotionally.

3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Ans. The narrator's mother gave all her valuables to her acquaintance Mrs. Dorling for safe keeping.
Mrs. S told her daughter to remember her friend's name and address so that she could collect their
belongings from her after the war was over. But Mrs. Dorling proved to be a dishonest woman. She had
no intention of returning anything to the narrator. At first, she refused to even recognise her. Then she
would not let her into the house. She did not even expect that the narrator would come back. So the
narrator returned again and this time Mrs. Dorling's daughter let her in. She saw all their things lying
about carelessly in Mrs. Dorling's house which was very painful. The sight of them reminded her of
former times. She thought it best to forget the address, as the memory would only have hurt her more.

4. The Address' is a story of human predicament that follows war. Explain this line in detail.
Ans. War means numerous casualties. It causes loss of life and property. In addition to enormous post-
war reconstruction, the war victims face other problems. The story The Address captures the
predicament of a young girl who returns home at the end of the war. She discovers the loss of not only
her mother and her house, but also all the priceless silver ware. She makes two attempts to bring her
things back from Mrs. Dorling's house. But she realises that those things are associated with her life in
pre-war times. They revive painful memories. So she decides finally to forget all those antique things
and never again go to Mrs. Dorling's house.

5. What was the narrator in the story 'The Address' in search of and why?
Ans. The narrator was in search of her mother's belongings. After surviving the war in Holland, she
wanted to find the things which she knew Mrs. Dorling had taken away from her mother to keep them in
safe custody with her.

6. How did the narrator realise that she had come to the right address?
Ans. As the lady left the door and stepped to one side, the narrator got a glimpse of her mother's green
knitted cardigan with wooden buttons that Mrs. Dorling had on her. On realising that the narrator had
recognised her mother's cardigan the lady once again tried to hide herself behind the door.

7. Why do you think the narrator's mother allowed Mrs. Dorling to take away many precious things
from the home?
Ans. Mrs. S, the narrator's mother and Mrs. Dorling had known each other for quite sometime. So, when
Mrs. Dorling offered to take away Mrs. S's things to keep them safely till the war ended, Mrs. S readily
agreed as she loved her precious things and gave them to Mrs. Dorling in good faith. Little did she know
that Mrs Dorling's intention was not to help her, but to possess her things. It was her greed that made her
carry away all Mrs. S's belongings.

8. Why was the narrator initially hesitant to go to 'the Address'?

Ans. The narrator had visited 46, Marconi Street after a long time. Soon after Liberation, when she was
ready to face the things that would bring back memories of all that no longer existed, including her
mother and her association with her possessions. Moreover, the things which were now being used by
others had lost their value for her. Also, she was not sure whether she would be recognised.

9. Why did the narrator feel horrified on entering Mrs. Dorling's living room?
Ans. The narrator had entered Mrs. Dorling's living room from the passage where she had seen her
mother's old-fashioned Hannukah candle- holder. Inside the living room, she saw herself standing
amidst her mother's belongings, all those things that she had come to see but strangely these oppressed
her because they were in an unfamiliar and strange atmosphere. Moreover they were very tastelessly
arranged among ugly and untidy surroundings unlike the way her mother used to keep them, which
made them lose it’s value for the narrator.

10. 'Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest'. What is the significance of the narrator's
statement?
Ans. The narrator resolved to forget the address as she did not want to come back to the objects that
brought back memories of her mother and earlier life, her most precious times. She decided to leave the
past behind and move on. She thought that leaving and forgetting everything belonging to her mother in
Number 46, Marconi Street, would be the easiest thing to do.
11. Why did Mrs. Dorling's daughter bring back a flood of memories to the narrator?
Ans. The living room where the narrator sat had quite a few things, belonging to her mother. While Mrs.
Dorling's daughter was serving tea, the narrator noticed her mother's white tea-pot that had a golden
border on the lid. The cutlery box, an antique piece, and the silver in it reminded the narrator of her
mother once asking her to polish it. Mrs. Dorling's daughter also told the narrator that the antique plates
on the wall were used for everything and they had even eaten off them.