The Address Summary and Important Questions for class 11th

The Address Summary and Important Questions for class 11th

The Address is written by Margo Minco. It talks about the chaos that follows a fight. We watch how it affects people's conduct. You are able to feel the pain, grief, and psychological distress that veterans of war experience. It narrates the tale of the author, a Jew, who returns to her homeland following the war. Before losing her mother, she suffered a great deal of loss. Moreover, it concerns how she runs the world on her own after enduring such immense pain. 

The Address Summary and Important Questions

The Address Summary and Important Questions-We also learn about how cruel the world is to those who are oppressed. As she encounters more unfairness, she is forced to learn a difficult lesson. She realizes that materialistic things are meaningless and gives everything up. It perfectly captures the anguish and realization of human potential.

The Address Summary 

The narrator meets Mrs. Dorling for the first time at her house at the beginning of the story. Mrs. Dorling didn't seem to recognize her. The storyteller introduced herself as Mrs. S's daughter. This did not change the frown on Mrs. Dorling's face. 

Is this the wrong address, the storyteller wondered. It was then that she noticed Mrs. Dorling, dressed in her mother's crocheted green cardigan. Mrs. Dorling seemed to have remembered the tale now, as she looked intently at the cardigan. Mrs. Dorling had thought no one would come back. She was told by the narrator that she had come to see her, especially on the train, and that she would like to speak with her briefly. Mrs. Dorling expressed her regret, saying that the timing was awkward and closed the door.

The Address Summary and Important Questions-The story goes into flashbacks, where the narrator remembers how various events in her life lead her to this particular moment. It happened long back during the initial years of World War II. She came back home for a few days to find a number of items missing from the house. When she asked her mother about this, her mother told her about an old acquaintance of hers – Mrs Dorling. Her mother was in contact with Mrs Dorling after a long time.

With all of their priceless belongings, Mrs. Dorling had volunteered to assist the mother of the narrator. The narrator's family would lose everything if they had to leave that location. Mrs. Dorling wished to preserve whatever they had. She therefore took items from their home each time she visited, including vases, silverware, and antique dishes. 

The narrator inquired of her mother whether Mrs. Dorling was consulted regarding the matter of ultimate possession of those items. Even bringing up the subject, in her mother's opinion, would be an affront to Mrs. Dorling's intentions. Ultimately, she was assuming enormous risks by leaving the house with a packed bag or luggage every time. They never spoke about it after her mother shot her a stern look.

The Address Summary and Important Questions-As the narrator arrived at the station for her return journey, she tried not to look at any of the surrounding things. She was walking in this place for the first time after the war, but she did not want to upset herself with the familiar sights that took her back to memories of her past. She remembers how she had encountered Mrs Dorling long back in the past. It was in the morning after the day the narrator’s mother told her about Mrs Dorling. She had gotten up late to find her mother about to see someone out. Her mother beckoned her and introduced her to Mrs Dorling and asked her to remember the address – Number 46 on Marconi Street.

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After the World War, during the Liberation, the narrator did not want to recover or think about those old things at all. The trauma of the war was fresh in her mind, and she was scared that those stored things might just connect her constantly to the pain and suffering. But, as time passed and the situation became better and more stable, and she had a room with a view in which she could sleep peacefully, she began to develop a curiosity for her mother’s possessions left at Mrs Dorling’s house. After her first failed visit, she decided to try for a second time.

This time, a fifteen-year-old girl opened the door and asked the narrator to wait in the living room; Mrs. Dorling was not home, and the narrator was prepared to wait. On the way to the living room, the narrator noticed the antique iron Hannukah candle holder, which was never used at her house because it was heavy. 

As she entered the room, the sight of her mother's old belongings gripped her in horror; a strange feeling seemed to oppress her. She did not dare to look around her much and sat on a chair the girl offered her. She recognized the woollen tablecloth and ran her fingers through the knitted patterns, searching for a burn mark that was never repaired.

The girl offered her tea. As the girl opened a box to take out spoons, the narrator found herself appreciating the box. The girl told her that it was an antique and there were more. The narrator could look around to see more. The narrator felt reluctant and kept looking at her beloved pewter plate from her childhood. 

The girl informed her that they used the pewter plate often and had even once used the antique plates on the wall to eat. The narrator found the burn mark she was looking for. She then responded by saying that it was easy not to keep notice of such nice things in a house when we use them for daily purposes. 

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We only notice when something is missing, or something has to be repaired. The narrator felt her voice was unnatural but went on to tell an anecdote. Her mother had once asked her to help her with the silver. When the narrator wanted to know which silver her mother was talking about, she got to know that the spoons, forks and knives they ate with were made of silver.

The Address Summary and Important Questions-The narrator next asked the girl if she knew what they ate with. The girl hesitated for a moment and went to open a drawer. The narrator knew what was coming next. She jumped to her feet, explaining that she was getting late for her train. She did not want to wait for Mrs Dorling, and as she walked down the passage, she could hear the jingling of spoons and forks.

From the corner of the street, the narrator looked at the nameplate. The address was correct, but she did not want to remember that address now. She felt that objects linked to memories of former times lose their value when we see them in strange surroundings after being separated from them for a long time. Besides, she found no utility for those things in a small rented room that could not hold many things.

She resolved to forget the address, and knew that it would not be a difficult thing for her at all.

Characters In The Address

Marga Minco: The narrator, a Jewish child, suffered many losses and sufferings, one of which being the war's irrevocable taking of her dear mother, Mrs. S. She is a loving, considerate, and obedient daughter. She is a courageous and resilient young lady who has to face life alone after the war. When she returns to her hometown, she goes to Mrs. Dorling to get her mother's possessions since she feels nostalgic about them. Mrs. Dorling's cold, heartless, and depressing attitude exacerbates her despair. She decided it would be prudent to return with nothing but her mother's warm recollections of her, as her belongings were being kept in an ugly way.

Mrs Dorling : It's a false persona. She used to live next door to the narrator. Her handling of the narrator is a glaring example of her extreme rudeness. She used clothes, silverware, and other stuff, even though she had promised to only look after the author and author's mother's belongings. She feigned ignorance when asked if she knew who the narrator was. She was dishonest and impolite. She did not give Marga an invitation to stay with her and show her some hospitality.

The Address Important Questions and Answers

Why do you think Mrs. Dorling, knowingly refused to recognize the narrator when she went to meet after years?

Mrs Dorling had removed many valuables and antiques from the narrator’s family on the pretext of taking care of them. Now, that the narrator, the daughter of Mrs S, had come to claim them, Mrs Dorling did not wish to return them. Therefore, she refused to recognize her.

How did the narrator realise that she had come to the right address?

The narrator knew that she had come to the right address because the woman who opened the door was wearing her mother’s green cardigan.

How did the narrator in ‘The Address’ come to know that the cutlery was silver?

In her conversation with Mrs. Dorling’s daughter, the narrator realised that Mrs. Dorling had stolen her family’s valuable possessions. She remembered that her mother had asked her to polish the silver cutlery.

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