Class Notes

Class: XI Topic: The Address (Snapshots)

Subject: English

About the Author

 Born: March 31, 1920

 Place: Ginneken en Bavel, a village in the southwest of the Netherlands.
 Occupation: Journalist and author
 Language: Dutch

Story Backdrop/ Introduction

 Holland (Netherlands) against the Second World War

The story is about the human predicament that follows the Pre-War and Post-War
periods. Mrs. S, a Jew, was a rich lady. Whereas, Mrs. Dorling was a non-Jew. The
narrator, 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 old
acquaintance of her mother 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 on her next visit 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.

Characters in the Story-

1) Narrator
2) Mrs S (Narrator’s Mother)
3) Mrs Dorling (Old acquaintance of Mrs S)
4) Mrs Dorling’s Daughter

Central Idea-
Both the past and future are illusions. What we have with us is only the present. The story clearly brings to
light the fact that holding onto the past can be an extremely painful exercise. Forgetting the moments and
the experiences that torment you can be really daunting, but once you accept your past wholeheartedly,
you tend to be at ease with yourself. The author, despite being attached to memories of her past, had the
courage to leave them behind in order to make a fresh beginning.

Summary-

The Narrator visits the address (46, Marconi Street- Mrs Dorling’s residence). Her family’s precious
belongings are kept safe (irony) there.

Mrs Dorling behaves absurdly. She neither opens the door for her nor agrees to recognise the narrator.
Narrator was assured she visited the right address on seeing her mother’s green cardigan on Mrs Dorling.

She was asked to visit another time. The narrator remembers her mother while walking back to the station.
She had told her about Mrs Dorling- an old acquaintance, whom she hadn’t met for years. She suddenly
started visiting them and took away many precious things to keep in safe custody, in case they had to leave
the place suddenly.
Mrs S was grateful to Mrs Dorling that she was helping her by carrying such heavy luggage during times of
the war. The narrator wasn’t convinced but they didn’t speak more about it.

The Narrator revisits the address- she had the urge to touch, feel and remember her mother’s belongings.
On her second visit Mrs Dorling wasn’t home. She was greeted by her 15-year-old daughter.

The girl led her to the living room, to her utter disappointment she saw her mother’s belongings in a
strange atmosphere, arranged tastelessly. The sight of the things brought back old memories in the
narrator’s mind.

The girl offered her a cup of tea. She innocently told her they have been using all the antique plates,
crockery and cutlery.

She states that one notices the value of things only when they go missing; either because they need to be
repaired or they have lent it. She remembers that she didn’t value the silver cutlery they used every day.

The narrator impulsively decided to leave behind all her mother’s precious belongings as they had lost their
value in the strange setting. She convinced herself that she didn’t have enough space in her rented
apartment to store these precious things.

She decided to forget the address as the objects kept there (linked to familiar life of former times) brought
back bitter memories (of war, of her loss of her mother).

Themes
1) Trust
2) Betrayal
3) Hope
4) Futility of War
5) Letting go of past
6) Importance of living in the present

Textual Questions (Write the answers yourself with the help of the ‘value points’ given below)

Q.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 two families knew each other- during war - some people left homes- took refuge in distant lands-
Others thought- they would never come back- the woman- surprised to see one of them returning

Q.2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent
during these times?

Ans: Pre-War- The family- rich- owned valuable belongings- forced to leave home- give up belongings- trust
a stranger- faced uncertainty- Post war- situation normalized- lost her home and mother- had to live alone -
rented house- wanted her mother’s valuables from Mrs Dorling- treated with indifference- emotional
turmoil at the betrayal- was disappointed to find her precious belongings in unfamiliar place- lost interest

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

Ans: on her second visit- found how the belongings of her mother were kept in a strange manner- things
lost all the emotional value - convinced herself- now living in a small rented room- no place to keep all the
precious belongings

Q.4. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Ans: war brings suffering- death and destruction-no love and sympathy- narrator’s mother- leaves all her
valuable things with an acquaintance - dies -many years later- the narrator visits for her mother’s
belongings- treated with indifference- behaves heartlessly- emotional turmoil due to memories of precious
time- on her second visit- realized- the precious belongings- placed in unfamiliar surroundings- lost their
original value- war- leaves the world desolate- physically & emotionally

Extra Questions (Short Answer Type)

Q.1. What was the narrator’s mother’s opinion about Mrs Dorling?
Ans: The narrator’s mother considered Mrs Dorling a very benevolent lady, who strived to ‘save’ their ‘nice
things’ by carrying some of them away, each time she visited. The narrator’s mother was unable to see
through the lady who wished to cheat her out of her valuables, instead she felt grateful to Mrs Dorling.

Q.2. Why did the narrator return to Marconi Street after a long time?

Ans: The narrator returned to Marconi Street after a long time because in the beginning, after the
Liberation, she was not interested in all that stored stuff. She had lost her mother and was also afraid of
being confronted with things that remained as a painful reminder of their past.

Q.3. Explain: “I stopped, horrified. I was in a room I knew and did not know.”

Ans: When the narrator went to Mrs Dorling’s house the second time, a girl of about fifteen let her in. She
saw the familiar things arranged differently in unfamiliar surroundings. She found herself surrounded by
things that she had wanted to see again but which really oppressed her in that strange atmosphere.
Extra Question (Long Answer Type)

Q.1. Compare and contrast the characters of the narrator’s mother and Mrs Dorling.
Ans: The narrator’s mother was a trusting woman. She told her daughter about Mrs Dorling, an old
acquaintance, who had suddenly turned up and renewed their contact and since then had been a regular
visitor. The mother did not doubt her kindness and was obliged that she insisted on taking all her nice
things with her to save them. The mother was worried about Mrs Dorling getting a crick in her back from
carrying the crockery and lugging the large vases. When the narrator showed her skepticism, she was
annoyed.

On the other hand, Mrs Dorling was an opportunist. She renewed her contact primarily to take away the
antique things the narrator’s mother owned. When the narrator came back after years, she made her feel
unwelcome as she did not wish to part with the things that had belonged to the narrator’s mother. She was
rude and brusque with the narrator and did not allow her to enter the house.
Q.2. Describe the narrator’s first post-War meeting with Mrs Dorling.

Ans: When the narrator knocked at Mrs Dorling’s door and introduced herself as Mrs S’s daughter, Mrs
Dorling showed no sign of recognition. She held the door in a way making clear that the narrator was not
welcome. For sometime, she stared quietly at the narrator at which she felt that it was not the person that
she had been looking for. The narrator even noticed her wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan.

The lady saw her looking at the cardigan and hid herself partially behind the door. When the narrator
mentioned about her mother, she said that she had thought that none of the people who had left had come
back. The lady expressed regret at her inability to do anything for her but the narrator insisted on talking to
her having come all the way for it. However, the lady refused to talk to her, claiming it was not a
convenient time; the narrator had no option but to leave.

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