CLASS NOTES

Class: XI Topic: The Address (Snapshots)

By Marga Minco
Subject: ENGLISH

MARGA MINCO
Marga Minco is a Dutch journalist and author. She was born on March 31,
1920 in the village of Ginneken, in the southwest of the Netherlands.

CENTRAL IDEA OF THE STORY

“The Address” by Marga Minco is indeed an inspiring story which sheds
an adequate amount of light on the importance of letting things go. It
further reiterates that both past and future are illusions, and all we have
with us is the present.
The story clearly brings to light the fact that holding onto the past can be
an extremely painful exercise. It goes without saying that forgetting the
moments and the experiences that torment you can be a really daunting
task, but once you accept your past wholeheartedly, you tend to get a big
weight off your back. The author, despite being attached to memories of
her past, had the courage to leave them behind in order to make a fresh
beginning.

PORTRAYAL OF Human Emotions:

we learn the intricate emotions of humans like trust, hope and betrayal as
well as the ill-effects of war.

‘The Address’ by Marga Minco throws light on a multitude of human

emotions. On her first visit to 46, Marconi Street (Mrs Dorling’s house),
the author was given a cold shoulder by Mrs Dorling. This act of Mrs
Dorling is enough to tell us that the author’s mother was betrayed by Mrs
Dorling.
The author, on the other hand, was being overpowered by emotional
turmoil and sadness after Mrs Dorling hadn’t recognized her. After being
treated unpleasantly by Mrs Dorling on her very first visit to the house,
the author developed an awful impression of Mrs Dorling. To her, she was
a thief who had refused to recognize her as she didn’t want to return the
possessions that the author’s mother had left behind.
On her second visit, the author was welcomed by Mrs Dorling’s daughter,
who, unlike her mother, asked the author to come in and even offered
her a cup of tea. The author, while running her eyes around the house,
saw a few things her mother had left with Mrs Dorling. She also observed
that Mrs Dorling’s daughter loves those possessions quite dearly and is
proud of possessing them. In the end, the author decided against taking
her possessions along as she felt that all these possessions would remind
her of her family members who had died during the course of the war.

INTRODUCTION TO THE STORY

The story is about the human predicament that follows the pre-War and
Post-War period. 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 protagonist’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 : QUESTIONS 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: The quoted statement indicates that the two families knew each
other. When the war was going on some people left their homes to
take refuge in distant lands. Few people who remained there thought
that those people who had left their land would never come back.
That is why the woman feels surprised to see one of them returning
back. Usually people care more for material things than for human
beings. But it cannot be said of all human beings. The narrator and
her mother were totally different in their nature. They were trusting
and loving human beings. Thus, the given statement gives some clue
about the story.

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 story, “The Address” is divided into pre-war and post-war
times. There are clear indications of the hardships which the narrator,
a young girl, had to undergo during these times. The girl came from a
rich family. The family had a lot of valuable belongings. Then the war
broke out. Mrs. Dorling renewed her contact and started visiting their
house. She took away all their possessions on the ground that she
wanted to save all their nice things in case they had to leave the
place. After the war was over. Things became almost normal. Now
the girl was living all alone in a rented house. She wanted to meet
Mrs. Dorling and ask for the valuables. When she went to meet Mrs.
Dorling she found that Mrs. Dorling was using her mother’s things
recklessly. Suddenly, she lost interest in the things that had belonged
to a connection that no longer existed. She decided to leave it all
behind and resolved to move on.

3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Ans The narrator went to the house of the lady who had kept many
valuable items of her mother during the war days. The address of the
lady helped her in searching out the house of the lady. But now she
wanted to forget the address as after visiting the house of the lady
she found how the belongings of her mother were kept in a strange
manner. These had lost all their emotional value for the narrator. The
narrator now lived in a small rented room. She had no place to keep
all these things. The lady treated her very insolently. She even
refused to recognise her. She did not let her come into the house.
That was why she wanted to forget that address.

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

Comment.
Ans: The phenomenon of war brings lot of suffering for human beings.
It brings with it death and destruction. It kills the feelings of love and
sympathy. The story Address is based on this theme. The narrator’s
mother leaves all her valuable things with an acquintance during the
war. The mother dies and many years later, the narrator comes to the
woman to have a look at her mother’s belongings. But the woman
shows no human feelings towards her. Rather, she behaves in a very
hard hearted manner. She does not even let the narrator come in and
sit a while. She closes the door. Thus, we find that war leaves the
world desolate not only on the physical level but also on the
emotional and spiritual level.

EXTRA QUESTIONS
1. Why did the narrator go to Number 46, Marconi Street?
Ans. This was the address of the woman who had carried their valuables
to her home for safety during war time. So the narrator went there to
claim the belongings of her mother.

Q2. Why was Mrs. Dorling cautious while opening the door?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling had committed the crime of misappropriating the
narrator’s household things a few years ago. She hoped that the war
would uproot the entire family and they would never return. But she also
feared one day someone from the family could turn up and claim the
things that she kept at her home. Hence she was cautious in opening the
door.

Q3. How was the narrator convinced that she had made no mistake and
had reached the right address?
Ans. When the woman who opened the door gave no sign of recognition,
the narrator thought she was perhaps mistaken and had rung the wrong
bell. When she saw the woman wearing her mother’s green knitted
cardigan, she was convinced that she had made no mistake and reached
the right address.

Q4. Why did the author first hesitate to claim her belongings from Mrs.
Dorling?
Ans. When the war was over and the narrator began to feel a little secure,
she felt like missing her family belongings. On a second thought, she
began to suspect that the presence of her family articles would remind
her of her dear ones who were no more with her so she hesitated to claim
those articles from Mrs. Dorling’s house. Besides, she lived in a poor room
that looked the oddest place to accommodate her expensive possessions.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q1. Why had the narrator remembered Mrs. Dorling’s address? Why did
she want now to forget the address?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother. She
had carried their valuables to her house for safety during the war time.
She said that she wanted to save all their nice things because they would
lose everything if they had to flee from the place. The narrator’s mother
told her Mrs. Dorling’s address. The narrator had remembered the
address.
When the war was over and things became almost normal, one day the
narrator had an intense longing to see and touch the objects which were
linked with the memories of her former life. She knew that all the things
must still be preserved by Mrs. Dorling. So she went to Number 46 in
Marconi Street. She was horrified to find in a room she knew and did not
know. She found herself in the midst of familiar things which she longed
to see again. Suddenly the objects lost their value. In strange
surroundings, they too appeared strange to her. She realised that she no
longer wanted to possess them. Now the address lost all its significance
for her and she wanted to forget it.

Q2. Comment on the contrasting elements in the characters of Mrs. S and

Mrs. Dorling?
Ans. The mother of the author, Mrs. S was a lady of simplicity. She didn’t
seem to have seen the harsh and cruel side of this two-faced world. She
could easily befriend people, and rather more easily, trust them. That’s
why she trusted Mrs. Dorling, who was just an acquaintance of her, and
allowed her to keep all her precious belongings for the time being.
Moreover, she was so kindhearted that she was sympathetic enough for
Mrs. Dorling, who had to carry all her heavy articles all alone.
In contrast, Mrs. Dorling was an absolute thief, a unique combination of
cunningness and betrayal. She cheated Mrs. S and seized her very
precious belongings very wittingly. She can be called a perfectionist in this
‘occupation’ of hers.