The Address

Okay, here is a summary of “The Address” and the answers to the questions, drawing on the sources provided.

Summary of “The Address”

“The Address” is a poignant story about a daughter searching for her mother’s belongings after the War in Holland. The narrator goes to the address her mother gave her years ago: Number 46, Marconi Street, where a Mrs Dorling lives.

Upon her first visit, the door is opened by a woman wearing the narrator’s mother’s green knitted cardigan. Despite the narrator identifying herself as Mrs S’s daughter, the woman shows no recognition and says she cannot help her or see her at that time, closing the door.

Walking back, the narrator remembers the time her mother gave her the address during the first half of the War. Her mother had noticed things missing and explained that Mrs Dorling, an old acquaintance, had been visiting regularly and taking their valuable possessions under the pretext of saving them in case they had to leave. The narrator’s mother insisted Mrs Dorling was taking a risk and dismissed the idea of asking her to return the things. The narrator also recalls meeting Mrs Dorling once, noting her broad back and the heavy suitcase she carried.

After the Liberation, the narrator was initially afraid and uninterested in the stored things, linked to a past life that no longer existed. However, as life became more normal, she grew curious and wanted to see and touch her possessions.

She makes a second visit. This time, Mrs Dorling’s daughter opens the door and lets her in. The narrator finds herself in a room full of her mother’s things – antique plates, table silver, a Hanukkah candle-holder, a woollen table-cloth with a familiar burn mark, and a pewter plate with an apple from a still life she remembered. However, seeing these familiar objects in the “strange atmosphere” of Mrs Dorling’s tastelessly arranged house is oppressive. The daughter casually discusses using these items.

As the narrator prepares to leave, the daughter goes to look at their cutlery in a drawer, and the narrator hears the jingling of spoons and forks. Though the address was correct, the experience makes the narrator decide she doesn’t want to remember it anymore. The objects have lost their value when seen severed from their original familiar life. She also realises she has no space for them in her small rented room. She resolves to forget the address, believing it will be the easiest thing to forget.

Answers to the Questions

Here are the answers to the questions based on the provided sources, made easy to understand with emojis! 😊

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?

   • Yes, this statement gives a big clue! 🤔 The woman (Mrs Dorling) saying “I thought that no one had come back” suggests that the narrator’s family were likely victims of the war. It implies that Mrs Dorling believed the entire family, except possibly the narrator who survived, did not make it back from wherever they had to go to escape the conflict. This adds a layer of tragedy and explains why Mrs Dorling had kept all their things, assuming the owners would never return. 💔

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

   • Based on the story, the girl (narrator) faced several hardships:
     • Pre-War: The hardship of preparing to leave home and entrusting valuable belongings to someone else. She witnessed her family’s cherished items being packed and taken away piece by piece. This process was probably stressful and unsettling. 😟
     • Post-War: The immense hardship of personal loss (her mother, and implied, other family members). She survived, but had to start life over. Initially, she lived in uncertainty and fear, not wanting to confront the past or the fate of her belongings. She lived in a small rented room. Even years later, confronting the objects from her past life in a “strange atmosphere” caused her distress and a sense of oppression. It was a struggle to feel that things had become “normal again”. 😥

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

   • The narrator wanted to forget the address for two main reasons, according to the source:
     • The sentimental value of the objects was destroyed when she saw them removed from their original, familiar surroundings and placed in Mrs Dorling’s house. They became just “things” in a strange, oppressive atmosphere. The objects lost their connection to her happy past life. ✨➡️📦➡️😟
     • She realised that even if she took the items back, she had nowhere suitable to keep them. Her “small rented room” had limited space and couldn’t accommodate or properly display these belongings. It wouldn’t recreate the past, only highlight the loss and displacement. 🏚️🤏

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

   • Yes, “The Address” strongly illustrates the human predicament that follows war. The story shows how war doesn’t just cause immediate destruction but leaves lasting emotional and psychological scars.
   • The narrator’s experience highlights the loss of home, family, and a familiar way of life. The objects she sought were meant to reconnect her with her past, but the encounter proves that material possessions cannot fully compensate for what was lost.
   • The predicament is also about the changed nature of relationships and trust in the aftermath. Mrs Dorling, who was supposed to be a helper saving things, is later portrayed as someone unwilling to return them or even acknowledge the narrator.
   • Ultimately, the narrator faces the difficult predicament of having to let go of the past, symbolised by her decision to forget the address and the belongings, in order to move on and rebuild her life. It shows the struggle for survivors to find peace and normalcy after trauma. 🕊️🚶‍♀️

I hope this summary and these answers are clear! 😊