2. The Address (Marga Minco)
Main Points of the
Chapter
· The narrator of the story is the daughter herself.
· Her family had to move out of their country because of the war.
· Her mother left all her things with a woman known to her.
· Her mother has given her the address of the woman.
· It was No. 46, Marconi Street.
· After some time, her mother died.
· The narrator came back to Holland in search of her mother’s belongings.
· But the woman refused to recognize her because she didn’t want to return the things.
· After her first visit in vain to Mrs. Dorling, the narrator decided to try second time.
· This time a girl of fifteen opened the door, her mother was not at home.
· The narrator saw many familiar things in the room.
. She saw an iron candle holder hanging next to a mirror.
· Now she did not want to look these things any longer.
· Because these would only bring painful memories back.
2. The Address (Marga
Minco)
Very short type Q-Ans.
1. Who is the writer of
the story ‘The Address’?
Ans. Marga Minco
2. What was the house
number where the narrator had come?
Ans. No. 46, Marconi street
3. Who was Mrs.
Dorling?
Ans. Her mother’s old acquaintance
4. Who opened the door
when the narrator visited Mrs. Dorling the second time?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling’s daughter
5. What was the cutlery
made of?
Ans. The cutlery made of silver
6. In what search has
the narrator come back?
Ans. In search of her mother’s belongings
7. When had the
narrator’s mother given her the address of Mrs. Dorling?
Ans. In the first half of the war
8. How did the narrator
recognize the tea pot?
Ans. By the colour of the pot
*2. The Address (Marga Minco) Short type Q-Ans.
*1. How does the narrator become sure that she has come to the right address?*
Ans. The narrator became sure that she had come to the right address. She saw the woman was wearing her mother's cardigan. Besides, she had kept in mind the address given by her mother. She looked at the address many times. It was House No: 46, Marconi Street.
*2. Did the woman welcome the narrator to her house?*
Ans. No, the woman did not welcome the narrator to her house. She hid herself behind the door and talked with her in abrupt way. She also behaved as she did not know her. She was trying not to show the interior of her house.
*3. What was the name of the woman? Where did she live?*
Ans. The name of the woman was Mrs Dorling. She was an old acquaintance of the narrator's mother. She lived at house number 46, Marconi Street, Holland.
*4. What had the narrator’s mother told her about Mrs. Dorling?*
Ans. Mr. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator's mother whom she had not seen for years. The narrator's mother told her daughter that Mrs. Darling had been visiting their house regularly. Every time she took something with her.
*5. Why did Mrs. Dorling take away a number of things from the narrator’s family?*
Ans. Mrs Dorling took away a number of things from the narrator's house because at that time war was going on. The narrator and her mother could not live there. So the narrator's mother decided to leave that place but she couldn't take all those expensive and precious things with her.
*6. When did the narrator meet Mrs. Dorling for the first time?*
Ans. The narrator visited Mrs. Dorling house after the world war. The narrator went to 46, Marconi Street to meet Mrs. Dorling. She went there in search of her mother's belongings. The narrator's mother handed over all her valuable things to Mrs Dorling before leaving the town due to the war.
*7. What happened when the narrator visited Mrs. Dorling for the second time?*
Ans. When the narrator visited Dorling's house for the second time, she was welcomed by Mrs. Dorling's daughter. After stepping into the room, she was shocked to see all her mother’s belongings. She recognized all these things which were kept in the living room.
*8. What other familiar things did the narrator find in the girl’s room?*
Ans. She noticed the candle-holder that was hanging right next to the mirror. She also noticed cutlery set, the old table cloth, tea pot and the plates. She also noticed other furniture. She was very sad to see all these things.
Long Answer
*1. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war.’ Comment.*
Ans. Marga Minco's short story "The Address" describes human predicament that follows war. It kills the feelings of love and sympathy. The war created many problems for the narrator both emotionally and physically. War kills not only human beings but also kills human feelings. In this story the narrator's mother leaves all her valuable things to her acquaintance during the war. After some time narrator's mother dies; and many years later narrator comes to the woman to have a look at her mother's things. But the woman does not show any human feeling to her. She behaves very strangely to the narrator. She doesn't even let her come in. She says that it is not convenient for her to talk her at that time. She asks her to come other day and closes the door. Thus war leaves the world desolate not only on the physical level, but also on the emotional and spiritual level.