The Address
By Marga Minco — Complete Study Guide, Summary, Word Meanings, Character Sketches, Themes, Textbook Answers and MCQs
About this guide: This study guide explains the story in simple English. It includes the plot, important details, difficult words, textbook questions, exam-style questions, Hindi and Urdu summaries, and a practice quiz. The answers are written in a clear style for Class 11 students.
1. About the Author
Marga Minco (1920–2023) was a Dutch writer. She was born in the Netherlands and experienced the persecution of Jewish people during the Second World War. Much of her family was killed during the Holocaust. Her writing often deals with war, loss, memory and the lives of people affected by persecution.
The Address is a short story about a young woman who returns after the war to find the household objects that her mother had entrusted to another woman. The story shows that the return of material possessions cannot restore a lost family or an earlier life.
2. Historical Background
The story is set in Holland during and after the Second World War (1939–1945). During the German occupation, Jewish families faced persecution, fear and the danger of being forced from their homes. Many people hid, fled or lost their lives. Families sometimes placed their belongings with other people in the hope of keeping them safe.
The story does not give the narrator’s name. She is identified as Mrs S’s daughter. Her mother gives Mrs Dorling’s address to her during the war so that she will know where the family’s possessions have been taken.
3. Summary of The Address
The story is about a young woman who returns to a place connected with her past after the Second World War. During the war, Mrs Dorling, an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother, began visiting their home. Each time she visited, she took some household objects away. She said that she wanted to keep them safe because the family might have to leave their home.
The narrator’s mother trusted Mrs Dorling. She did not think it was necessary to ask for a promise or a receipt. Mrs Dorling took valuable things such as silver cutlery, antique plates, vases and other household objects. The narrator was not fully convinced by this arrangement. Her mother gave her Mrs Dorling’s address: 46, Marconi Street.
After the Liberation, the narrator did not immediately try to recover the belongings. She had lost her mother and was not ready to face objects that belonged to a life that no longer existed. Later, she decided to visit the address. When Mrs Dorling opened the door, she pretended not to know the narrator and refused to speak to her. The narrator recognised her mother’s green knitted cardigan, which Mrs Dorling was wearing. This confirmed that she had reached the right house.
The narrator returned another day. Mrs Dorling was away, and her daughter opened the door. She did not know who the visitor was and allowed her inside. The narrator entered the living room and saw many familiar objects from her former home. However, they looked strange in the new surroundings. The room and the way the objects were arranged made her feel like a stranger.
When Mrs Dorling’s daughter opened a drawer and the spoons and forks made a familiar sound, the narrator felt deeply disturbed. She realised that these objects could not bring back her mother or her old home. They had lost their meaning because they were separated from the people and the life to which they belonged. She left without taking anything and decided to forget the address. For her, forgetting the address was the easiest way to leave that painful part of her past behind.
4. The Story in Sequence
- Mrs Dorling’s visits: During the first half of the war, Mrs Dorling, an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother, begins taking household belongings to her own house.
- The address is given: The narrator’s mother tells her that Mrs Dorling lives at 46, Marconi Street and asks her to remember it.
- After the Liberation: The narrator initially has no wish to see the stored belongings. Her mother is no longer alive.
- The first visit: Mrs Dorling opens the door only a little and denies knowing the narrator. The narrator recognises her mother’s green knitted cardigan.
- The second visit: Mrs Dorling is not at home. Her daughter opens the door and lets the narrator enter.
- The living room: The narrator sees her family’s belongings but feels uncomfortable because they look strange in their new setting.
- The final decision: The narrator leaves without reclaiming anything and decides to forget the address.
5. Character Sketches
The Narrator
The narrator is Mrs S’s daughter. She has survived the war but has lost her mother and her earlier family life. She is observant and remembers the belongings that once filled her home. At first, she wants to see or recover them. However, when she finds them in Mrs Dorling’s house, they do not give her comfort. She understands that material objects cannot restore the past. Her decision to forget the address shows her desire to move forward.
Mrs Dorling
Mrs Dorling is an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother. During the war, she repeatedly takes household objects from the family, saying that she wants to save them. After the war, she refuses to recognise the narrator and does not allow her to enter. Her behaviour creates the impression that she is unwilling to return the belongings or face the narrator. The story leaves her full motives unstated, so readers should avoid treating every suspicion about her as a proven fact.
The Narrator’s Mother
The narrator’s mother trusts Mrs Dorling and believes that she is taking the family’s belongings away for safekeeping. She sees Mrs Dorling’s repeated visits as a sign of help and does not think that a formal agreement is needed. Her trust contrasts with the narrator’s doubts.
Mrs Dorling’s Daughter
Mrs Dorling’s daughter is unaware of the narrator’s identity and family history. She welcomes the visitor into the house and shows her the living room. Her ordinary, friendly behaviour contrasts with Mrs Dorling’s earlier refusal to open the door.
6. Themes and Significance of the Title
War and Human Loss
The story shows that war causes more than physical destruction. It separates families, destroys homes and leaves survivors with painful memories. Even after the war ends, the emotional effects remain.
Memory and the Past
The household objects remind the narrator of her mother and her former home. Yet seeing them in a different place does not bring back the happiness associated with them. The memories are painful rather than comforting.
Material Possessions and Emotional Value
The objects have material value, but their deeper value comes from the people and experiences connected with them. Once separated from their original setting, they no longer give the narrator a sense of belonging.
Trust and Betrayal
The mother trusts Mrs Dorling to protect the family’s belongings. Mrs Dorling’s refusal to recognise the narrator raises questions about her honesty and intentions. The story suggests a possible betrayal but does not provide a full account of Mrs Dorling’s thoughts.
Why is the story titled The Address?
The address, 46, Marconi Street, is the link between the narrator and the family belongings. At first, it represents hope that she may find her mother’s possessions. By the end, it becomes a reminder of loss and pain. When she decides to forget the address, she is also choosing to stop living in the past.
7. Word Meanings from the Story
These words and phrases are useful for understanding the chapter. Meanings are given in simple English.
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Simple usage or explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Chink | A small opening | The door was opened only a little. |
| Fleetingly | For a very short time | The narrator had seen Mrs Dorling only briefly. |
| Recognition | Knowing someone or identifying them | Mrs Dorling showed no sign of recognition. |
| Musty | Having an old, damp or stale smell | A musty smell came from the house. |
| Jamb | The side post of a door or window | The house number was fixed on the door jamb. |
| Beckoned | Made a gesture to call someone | The mother beckoned to her daughter. |
| Shapeless | Having no clear or definite shape | Mrs Dorling wore a shapeless hat. |
| Crick | A sudden painful stiffness in a muscle | The mother joked that Mrs Dorling might get a crick in her back. |
| Reprovingly | In a way that shows disapproval | The mother looked at her daughter reprovingly. |
| Liberation | Freedom from control or occupation | The narrator refers to the period after the Liberation. |
| Antique | Old and often valuable | The family had antique plates. |
| Woollen | Made of wool | The woollen tablecloth belonged to the family. |
| Cardigan | A knitted jacket that opens at the front | Mrs Dorling was wearing the mother’s green cardigan. |
| Confronted | Forced to face something difficult | The narrator feared being confronted with painful memories. |
| Precious | Very dear or important | The narrator remembers a precious time. |
| Possessions | Things owned by someone | The narrator’s mother’s possessions were kept at Mrs Dorling’s house. |
8. NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Q1. ‘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?
Answer: Yes. The statement suggests that the story is set after a war in which people had been forced to leave their homes and many had not returned. Mrs Dorling seems surprised and possibly worried to see the narrator. Her words also suggest that she did not expect anyone to come back and ask about the belongings she had taken away.
Q2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer: During the war, the girl’s family lived under the threat of persecution and displacement. They had to think about leaving their home and trusted Mrs Dorling to keep their belongings safe. After the war, the girl had lost her mother and her former home. She had to face painful memories and the unkind behaviour of Mrs Dorling when she tried to find the family possessions.
Q3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer: The address reminded the narrator of her mother, her lost home and the painful years of the war. When she saw the familiar objects in Mrs Dorling’s house, they seemed strange and gave her no comfort. She realised that taking them back could not restore her former life. Therefore, she decided to forget the address and move on.
Q4. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer: The story presents the suffering that continues even after a war has ended. The narrator has lost her mother and her home. The family’s possessions have survived, but they are now in a strange place and cannot bring back the past. Mrs Dorling’s behaviour adds to the narrator’s sense of loss. The story shows that war damages human relationships, security and memories, and that survivors may find it difficult to rebuild their lives.
9. Important Exam Questions
These additional questions practise factual recall, explanation and interpretation. Suggested answers are written in the usual CBSE style. Word limits are approximate; follow the instructions in your question paper.
Very Short Answer Questions (VSA)
Q1. Where did Mrs Dorling live?
Answer: Mrs Dorling lived at Number 46, Marconi Street.
Q2. What was Mrs Dorling wearing when the narrator first visited her?
Answer: She was wearing the narrator’s mother’s green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons.
Q3. Who had given the narrator Mrs Dorling’s address?
Answer: The narrator’s mother had given her the address during the war.
Q4. Why did Mrs Dorling take the family’s belongings?
Answer: She said that she wanted to keep them safe in case the family had to leave their home.
Q5. Who opened the door during the narrator’s second visit?
Answer: Mrs Dorling’s daughter opened the door.
Short Answer Questions (30–40 words)
Q6. Why did the narrator wait so long before visiting Mrs Dorling?
Answer: After the Liberation, the narrator was not interested in the stored belongings. She was also afraid of facing objects linked with a family life that no longer existed. She visited only when she felt ready.
Q7. How did the narrator know that she had reached the correct address?
Answer: At first, Mrs Dorling denied knowing her. Then the narrator noticed that she was wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan. The familiar cardigan and its pale wooden buttons confirmed that she had found the right woman.
Q8. How was the second visit different from the first?
Answer: During the first visit, Mrs Dorling refused to let the narrator enter. During the second visit, Mrs Dorling was away and her daughter opened the door. The narrator was able to enter and see the family’s belongings.
Q9. Why did the familiar objects look strange to the narrator?
Answer: The objects were no longer in their original home or among the people who had given them meaning. They were arranged in an unfamiliar room. Seeing them there made the narrator feel that she was both in a known and an unknown place.
Q10. Why did the narrator leave without taking the belongings?
Answer: The objects brought back painful memories instead of comfort. The narrator understood that they could not restore her mother or her former home. She therefore left them behind and chose to move on.
Long Answer Questions (100–120 words)
Q11. Describe the narrator’s two visits to 46, Marconi Street.
Answer: The narrator visits 46, Marconi Street after the war to find the belongings her mother had entrusted to Mrs Dorling. On her first visit, Mrs Dorling opens the door only a little and claims that she does not know the narrator. The narrator recognises her mother’s green knitted cardigan and becomes sure that she has found the right house. Mrs Dorling still refuses to speak to her and closes the door. On the second visit, Mrs Dorling is away and her daughter lets the narrator in. She sees many familiar objects in the living room. However, they look strange in their new surroundings, and she leaves without taking anything.
Q12. How does Marga Minco show that material possessions cannot replace people and relationships?
Answer: The narrator finds many objects that once belonged to her family, such as the tablecloth, silver cutlery and other household things. These objects remind her of her mother and the home she has lost. Yet they do not make her happy. In Mrs Dorling’s house, they appear strange because they are separated from their original setting and from the people who used them. The narrator realises that recovering these things cannot bring her mother back or restore her old life. She therefore leaves them behind. Through this experience, the story shows that the emotional value of objects comes from the people and memories connected with them.
Q13. What impression do you form of Mrs Dorling from her behaviour?
Answer: Mrs Dorling appears secretive and unwilling to face the narrator. During the war, she repeatedly took the family’s belongings, saying that she would keep them safe. After the war, she refuses to recognise the narrator, although she is wearing the narrator’s mother’s cardigan. She also prevents the door from opening further and makes an excuse to end the conversation. Her behaviour gives the impression that she does not wish to return the possessions or explain what happened to them. However, the story does not directly describe her private thoughts. We understand her mainly through her actions and the narrator’s response to them.
Q14. Explain the significance of the title The Address.
Answer: The address 46, Marconi Street is central to the story. It is the place where Mrs Dorling has taken the narrator’s family belongings. The narrator remembers it because her mother asks her to do so. At first, the address gives her hope that she may find the family possessions. When she finally visits, however, she faces denial, discomfort and painful memories. The objects she finds cannot bring back her mother or her former home. At the end, she decides to forget the address. This decision represents her attempt to leave the past behind and begin living without being tied to painful memories.
10. The Address – Summary in Hindi
द एड्रेस – हिंदी में सारांश
यह कहानी मार्गा मिन्को द्वारा लिखी गई है। इसकी मुख्य पात्र एक युवती है, जो द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के बाद अपनी माँ की पुरानी वस्तुओं का पता लगाने जाती है। युद्ध के पहले आधे भाग में मिसेज़ डॉरलिंग नाम की एक परिचित महिला उसकी माँ के घर आने लगी थी। वह घर की कीमती वस्तुएँ अपने साथ ले जाती थी और कहती थी कि वह उन्हें सुरक्षित रखेगी।
कथावाचिका की माँ ने उसे मिसेज़ डॉरलिंग का पता—46, मारकोनी स्ट्रीट—याद रखने को कहा था। युद्ध समाप्त होने के बाद कथावाचिका पहले उन वस्तुओं को देखने में रुचि नहीं रखती, क्योंकि उसकी माँ अब जीवित नहीं थी और पुरानी यादें उसे दुख पहुँचाती थीं। बाद में वह उस पते पर जाती है। पहली बार मिसेज़ डॉरलिंग उसे पहचानने से इनकार कर देती है। कथावाचिका उसकी माँ का हरा बुना हुआ कार्डिगन देखकर समझ जाती है कि वह सही घर पहुँची है।
दूसरी बार मिसेज़ डॉरलिंग घर पर नहीं होती। उसकी बेटी कथावाचिका को अंदर आने देती है। वहाँ उसे अपने पुराने घर की कई वस्तुएँ दिखाई देती हैं, लेकिन वे नए वातावरण में अजनबी लगती हैं। उसे एहसास होता है कि इन वस्तुओं को वापस पाने से उसकी माँ या पुराना जीवन वापस नहीं आ सकता। इसलिए वह बिना कुछ लिए वहाँ से चली जाती है और उस पते को भूलने का निर्णय करती है।
The Address – Summary in Urdu
دی ایڈریس — اردو میں خلاصہ
یہ کہانی مارگا منکو نے لکھی ہے۔ اس کی مرکزی کردار ایک نوجوان لڑکی ہے جو دوسری جنگِ عظیم کے بعد اپنی ماں کی پرانی چیزوں کا پتا لگانے جاتی ہے۔ جنگ کے پہلے نصف حصے میں مسز ڈارلنگ نامی ایک واقف کار خاتون اس کی ماں کے گھر آنے لگی تھی۔ وہ گھر کی قیمتی چیزیں اپنے ساتھ لے جاتی اور کہتی تھی کہ انہیں محفوظ رکھے گی۔
لڑکی کی ماں نے اسے مسز ڈارلنگ کا پتا، یعنی 46 مارکونی اسٹریٹ، یاد رکھنے کو کہا تھا۔ جنگ ختم ہونے کے بعد لڑکی ابتدا میں ان چیزوں کو دیکھنے میں دلچسپی نہیں لیتی، کیونکہ اس کی ماں اب زندہ نہیں تھی اور پرانی یادیں اسے غمگین کرتی تھیں۔ بعد میں وہ اس پتے پر جاتی ہے۔ پہلی ملاقات میں مسز ڈارلنگ اسے پہچاننے سے انکار کرتی ہے۔ لڑکی اپنی ماں کا سبز بُنا ہوا کارڈیگن دیکھ کر سمجھ جاتی ہے کہ وہ صحیح گھر پہنچی ہے۔
دوسری مرتبہ مسز ڈارلنگ گھر پر نہیں ہوتی۔ اس کی بیٹی لڑکی کو اندر آنے دیتی ہے۔ وہاں اسے اپنے پرانے گھر کی کئی چیزیں دکھائی دیتی ہیں، لیکن نئے ماحول میں وہ اجنبی محسوس ہوتی ہیں۔ اسے احساس ہوتا ہے کہ ان چیزوں کو واپس لینے سے نہ اس کی ماں واپس آ سکتی ہے اور نہ ہی اس کی پرانی زندگی۔ چنانچہ وہ کچھ لیے بغیر وہاں سے چلی جاتی ہے اور اس پتے کو بھول جانے کا فیصلہ کرتی ہے۔
11. Practice MCQ Quiz
Choose the correct option for each question and then select Check Answers. Your score and feedback will appear below.
Study reminder: This guide is a learning aid. For quotations and line-specific questions, always refer to the prescribed edition of NCERT Snapshots.
