The Address 2 marks 1. Who had given the narrator the address, when and under what circumstances?

The narrators mother had given her the address, years ago during the first half of the war. The narrator came home for a few days and missed various things in the rooms. Then her mother told her about Mrs. Dorling and gave her the address. 2. What did the narrator learn about Mrs. Dorling from her mother? Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrators mother. They had not seen each other for several years. Then she suddenly turned up and renewed their contact. Every time she left that place she took something with her-table silver, antique plates, etc. 3. What reason did Mrs. Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of the narrators mother? Mrs. Dorling suggested to the narrators mother that she should store her belongings at a safe place. She wanted to save all her precious antiques and she explained that they would lose everything if they had to leave the place due to war. 4. Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address: Number 46, Marconi Street? Initially after the war, she was not at all interested in her mothers belongings lying there. She was also afraid of being confronted with things that had belonged to her mother, who is now no more. 5. I was in a room I knew and did not know, says the narrator in the story The Address. What promoted her to make this observation? The narrator found herself in the midst of things she was familiar with and which she wanted to see again. She longed to see her belongings but was disturbed to find them in a strange atmosphere where everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the stale smell created the feeling that she didnt know the room. 6. How did the narrator reconcile herself to the loss of her mother's precious belongings? The narrator felt that her mother had only sent them for safe custody and Mrs. Dorling was not to keep and use everything. On seeing these objects, memories of her former life were evoked. She found no room for these precious belongings in her present life. So she reconciled to her fate. 7. Describe the first visit of Mrs. Ss daughter to the house of Mrs. Dorling. Mrs. Dorling did not give Mrs. Ss daughter a warm welcome. She was rather cold in her behaviour because she understood the reason for her visit. She had no intention of returning Mrs. Ss belongings. Hence she behaved in a rude and cold manner, and did not even open the door for her. 8. Who was Mrs. Dorling? Why did she visit Mrs. Ss house frequently? Mrs. Dorling was just an acquaintance of Mrs. S. Mrs. Ss belongings had a lot of value as they were beautiful. During the Second World War, the Jews were persecuted everywhere. Mrs. Dorling at this time revived her friendship with Mrs. Dorling and volunteered to keep her belongings safely till the war got over.

9. Why did Mrs. Dorling ask to take away Mrs. Ss possessions? As the Jews had to leave during the Second World War, Mrs. Dorling revived her acquaintance with Mrs. S and carried away suitcases full of her precious belongings with the promise to save them for her till the war got over. 10. Why did Mrs. S ask her daughter to remember the address of Mrs. Dorling? She had asked her daughter to remember the address of Mrs. Dorling, i.e. 46 Marconi Street because she knew that one day she had to go back to her to get her precious belongings back from her. 11. What were the narrators feelings initially about the things that had been left with Mrs. Dorling? Initially, the narrator felt uninterested in the things that her mother had left with Mrs. Dorling. She didnt even want to go there to claim them because they would remind her of her mother and their past. 12. Why does the narrator say, I was in a room I knew and did not know? The things belonging to the narrators mother were displayed in a most tasteless manner in an unaesthetic way. She knew the things so well but got put off by the way they were kept in the house of Mrs. Dorling. 13. How was Mrs. Dorling taking care of the antiques and other things she had taken from Mrs. S.? She had not looked after the things so well. The tablecloth looked unmended. They were making use of the antique plates by eating from them. Mrs. Doring and her daughter had even used the silver belonging given to them by Mrs S. 14. Why did the narrator not wait for Mrs. Dorling on her second visit? Mrs Doring's daughter allowed the narrator inside her house, during her second visit. She immediately noticed all the things belonging to her mother kept everywhere inside the house in a most tasteless manner. She got so put off that she decided to leave at once and forego all the belongings. She left without waiting for Mrs. Dorling to return. 15. Justify the title of the story, The Address. 'The Address' is a very apt title as it brings out the pain and anguish inflicted on the narrator and her mother by the war. The address 46, Marconi Street was important because her mother had given her valuables to Mrs. Dorling who lived at that address. Although the narrator found the address, she didnt take her belongings as they were kept in an ugly setting. She decided to leave her belongings and forget the address. Hence, the address plays an important role in the story. 16. Could Mrs. Ss daughter get back to her old life after she came back to the city where she lived before the war? Before the war, the mother and the narrator lived a comfortable life of luxury. They had beautiful and expensive antiques and silver cutlery. After the war, the narrator was probably living alone as others were dead. She ate dark and tasteless bread. She had fear and felt insecure. She led a different life altogether. 17. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address? The narrator was disappointed and disillusioned when she was allowed to enter Mrs. Dorlings house during her second visit. She realised the futility of feeling attached to her mothers belongings that were kept so distastefully. She just left without taking

anything back and felt like forgetting the address because she would only remember the past. 18. 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, these words by Mrs Dorling to the narrator shows that she least expected such a visit. She had presumed that all of them were dead. This lead to the conclusion that the story is set against the tragic circumstances of a War in which families lost their lives and belongings. The statement tells us that the narrator and her family at one time lived in that area and secondly, the clue that the war has brought about a lot of destruction and it seems that Mrs. Dorling was not expecting anyone to return to her house to claim the belongings. 19. How did the narrator reconcile herself to the loss of her mothers precious belongings? The narrator told herself that she didnt want to remember the address anymore and also had no place for the objects in her new post-war life. She felt that these things had lost their charm because of being cut off from their original owners and surroundings. She was not happy to see them in strange surroundings and consoled herself by saying that they would not look nice even in her own very small rented room. She became instantly detached from her mothers possessions. 20. What impression do you form of the narrator? The narrator was a very loving, caring and obedient daughter. Having wanted to fulfill her mothers wishes she attempted to locate Mrs. Dorlings house and twice went there to retrieve her mothers belongings. She was practical and logical and seeing her belongings kept distastefully, she decided to forgo everything and return with only her mothers good memories with her. 7 marks 21. The Address is a story of human predicament (situation) that follows war. Comment. The war creates many difficult and traumatic situations for human beings. Civilian life faces tremendous upheaval due to war. The human predicament that follows is amply illustrated through the experience of the narrator. The war had caused many physical difficulties as well as emotional sufferings to her. She had lost her dear mother. She went to 46, Marconi Street to see her mothers valuable possessions. Mrs. Dorling was a true opportunist who had used the narrators mothers belongings on the pretext of storing them for safekeeping. She refuses to recognize the narrator and does not even let her in. The narrator gets another chance to visit the house. The presence of her mothers possessions in a strange atmosphere hurted her. Now these valuables had lost all their importance for her as they had been separated from her mother. She could get no solace or comfort from them. She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the memories of her mother and the war behind. She decided to move on. 22. What is the message of the story? 23. What are the subjects or issues in this story? 24. What is the significance of the title? The story relays events before and after the war as the female narrator attempts to confront her past as she visits "the address" where her family's past belongings were "stored," a non-Jewish neighbour's house. On a deeper level, the story is a

commentary on memories and remembering - on what is worth remembering and what is worth forgetting: things "lose their value when you see them again, torn out of context" 25. What helped the narrator to confirm that she was speaking to the right person? Mrs Dorling was wearing the green knitted cardigan that belonged to the narrator's mother. The wooden buttons were pale from washing. When the woman tried to hide behind the door in order to avoid being seen the narrator was sure that she had come to the right place.